I’m a big fan of the Light Phone III, which launched early this year and has been shipping out steadily on a sort of rolling backorder that sees a slight delay between placing your order on Light Phone’s site and receiving the phone.
While the wait time for a Light Phone III is currently only until September for orders placed today, the shortest wait time I’ve seen since the Light Phone III began shipping out in late March, it’s still a $699 dumb phone.
Not sold on a dumb phone? Well, I tested a bunch, and the Light Phone II is still on that list. Why? Because even though it’s now one generation old, it’s a hell of a value for a touchscreen dumb phone at $299.
for sanity’s sake
Lots of people have found the allure of smartphone’s 24/7 access to the unfettered internet too much for the maintenance of their mental health and time management. Social media apps, internet browsers. All of it too tempting.
And Android’s and iOS’ built-in screen management tools are too easily circumvented. That’s why there’s a growing movement for dumb phones. They’re exactly what they sound like. They’re phones that, to varying degrees, block off access to phones’ most addictive elements.
Light Phones are among the most advanced dumb phones. They don’t have internet browsing or social media apps, so you can’t be tempted to unblock them, as they’re never on the Light Phone.
Yet the Light Phone’s handsome 2.8″, e-ink touchscreen display lets you access a music and podcast player, as well as useful tools, such as a calendar, alarm, and calculator. It also doesn’t saddle you with a slow connection, like some of the dumber dumb phones.
You get 4G LTE access with the Light Phone II. While it isn’t 5G, it’s still plenty quick. And hey, what would you need 5G for yet, anyway? It’s not like you’ll be posting videos, streaming movies, and playing games on it, after all.
The post Light Phone III Too Pricey for You? Check Out Its $299 Predecessor. appeared first on VICE.
