The iPhone is about the best, but it doesn't sound like you're using any of the accessibility features it has. It can magnify the screen and let you move around with three fingers, this is called zoom. It can speak and read everything you come across, though it does change the operation of the phone, this is called VoiceOver. There are high contrast settings and all kinds of other stuff.

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It used to be under settings > general > accessibility, but since about iOS 13, it's moved so it's now just settings > accessibility. Have a look in there and try these things out and see if there are any she might be able to get used to.

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I am thinking that it was a mistake to move away from the flip phone though. It was something she knew, and could use, even if not the greatest. You're asking a lot of her to come to grips with, especially if she was never technologically oriented. Could she learn it, yes. Does she want to... ehhh, probably debatable, but I'd lean towards no.

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The one thing I will say about working with older people is that they put their own road blocks in place. They're still capable of learning. Hell, even my grandma who has dementia can still learn, it just comes to the point of being muscle memory. I found this out when it was necessary to get a new cable box and remote. I had to help her a lot with it at first, but now she almost never needs me for that. So, it's generally not a matter of, "I can't learn it", it's more one of, "I don't want to learn it".

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I would just ask her if she likes this thing, or she would like it better if you could make it more usable for her, or if she'd rather go back to a flip phone. I think she'd probably want to go back.

You want Voiceover. It will read everything for her. It takes some practice but there is a practice mode available so she can get comfortable with the gestures.

Turn it on in settings under Accessibility.

Unless she uses a flip phone, she won't fine a more accessible phone. She should start learning to use the iPhone's accessibility tools. There are many assistive technology trainers who can teach her on-site or remotely, and depending on where you live, such services might be free.

There is a phone called blindshell, made for blind/low vision people. Search for it on YouTube and see if you think it would help.

I haven’t seen anyone mention this but you can help her get set up with an assistive technology trainer for free through the state agency for the blind or a nonprofit like Lighthouse. There are even nonprofits which cater to the needs of senior citizens which can be helpful with motivating openness to technology.

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I learned to use VoiceOver (see other replies) before a taught a visually impaired user. This works well because when they rant about how frustrating it can be at times they know someone who can sympathise.

VoiceOver (VO) is very good but takes a lot a learning and patience. You need to "get" how differently the phone works with VO and what its *user model* is.

Normal Iphone: tap to do, swipe to move, nearly everything else you do with your eyes.

VoiceOver Iphone: touch to ask what is under your finger, double to so, two finger swipe down to read aloud, three finger swipe to move things (e.g. swipe to next screen, scroll messages), three finger double tap to mute speech, three finger treble tap to blank the screen for privacy (unless zoom is on so three finger double tap to zoom, triple tap - mute, quadruple tap - blank screen). Then there is the rotor, I still haven't got the hang of the rotor.

This might seem complicated, well it is, but your Gran won't need to learn all of it at once for this to be useful, and she already has the iPhone so give it a go. At least let VO read out some messages with emoji in, this can be hilarious.

Siri still works fine with VO, though I have seen Siri try it follow VO speaking as if it is you giving commands.

Siri can be difficult to get to do what you’d like it to do, but that could be one alternative.

Siri can jump to apps, make calls or texts, and read notifications.