- The Light Phone 3 is a smartphone designed for people who hate smartphones.
- It can make calls, send messages, take photos, give directions - just what you need.
- You can reduce distractions on your phone by uninstalling apps.
The Light Phone 3 answers the question: “How do you ditch your phone and still have a phone?”
Many of us are tired of our phones demanding our attention. You go to check the opening hours of the store you’re going to and end up spending 15 minutes on Instagram thanks to a very engaging notification. But in today’s world, it’s almost impossible to live without a mobile phone. The Light Phone solves this dilemma, a minimalist black and white phone that does only what you need and nothing you don't.
"For me, taking a conscious step back from the torrent of information and connections is key to improving our mental health and focus. As a therapist, I see more and more people struggling with burnout, anxiety , and feel exhausted by the heavy workload. The cognitive load we put on ourselves these days is very taxing on the brain. Relationship psychotherapist Claire Law told Lifewire via email.
At the very least, we need a phone call to communicate. Then we also use them to listen to music and podcasts, take photos, and get directions. These are all things pocket computers are good at. Unfortunately, they’re also very good at drawing an endless stream of silly TikToks, Instagram influencers, and social media doom to our attention. While we could ditch our phones entirely, why can't we throw away the bad parts and keep the good parts?
That's the premise of the Light Phone 3, a black-and-white smartphone with only the basics -- phone calls, music, notes, map directions, podcasts, and more. There's no app store, or even any apps. You use it when you need it and move on to other things.
“Improving lives through technology doesn’t necessarily mean constant digital engagement. Rather, it can provide a seamless, almost invisible layer of convenience. Likewise, using a minimalist phone can help reduce unnecessary mental clutter while still providing a smart home Hagan Kappler, CEO of the company Daisy, told Lifewire via email.
That said, many of us want more than just text messages and phone calls. The Light Phone 2 was pretty simple in this regard, but the Light Phone 3 adds a few extra features like a basic camera, NFC, fingerprint reader, and USB-C, but it's still meant to be minimally intrusive. The new model also uses an OLED screen, which is an improvement over the e-ink screen of the previous model, which was certainly small but, like all e-ink displays, had a slow screen refresh rate. Unlike “dumb” phones, the Light Phone is smart. It just doesn't shove it in your face.
The important part here is eliminating the annoyance and intentional distractions that come with your phone. You don't have to give up the best parts of your pocket, your computer and camera. Only now you take back control of how to use it.
"Returning to a simpler relationship with technology - where you are in control rather than perpetually reactive - can be incredibly liberating. Your life will become more spacious. There will be more space to come. It’s like a lovely little oasis of calm to be creative, thoughtful and present,” said Law.
In a world where smartphones are almost a necessity, the Light Phone is a great option, but it's not the only one. You can transform your existing phone into a lightweight phone-like experience simply by deleting the apps you don't need. The Light Phone itself agrees. In a 2020 blog post, the company offered a list of ways to lighten the load on your phone: delete social media apps, web browsers, email apps, and more.
It's easy to think that the way to stop using your phone is to buy another one, but the most environmentally friendly option is to keep using the phone you have and just use it less often. Without temptations like Mastodon, YouTube, or even the web as a whole, you might end up finding other things to occupy your time, even if that just means allowing yourself to daydream about waiting in line at the store instead of reflexively unlocking your phone.
"We have to be honest about what's good for us and what's holding us back from living our best lives. If your smartphone controls more of your time and attention than you'd like, put it down (even temporarily or limited) way) could be a powerful act," Law said.
