What I like about my dumbphone

I’ve been using the Light Phone III exclusively for almost a year now and wanted to share a few notes for anyone who might be interested.

First, the LPIII is not a smartphone at all. It truly is “dumb.” It doesn’t have email, a web browser, social media apps, or YouTube. It only has these basics:

• phone
• texting
• maps
• camera
• podcasts
• a calendar
• music
• notes
• calculator
• an alarm
• a timer

I purchased the LPIII because it’s truly a dumbphone and doesn’t have any of the distractions that smartphones have.

Second, it works well! Calls and texts are as they should be. The camera isn’t top-of-the-line, but it does a pretty good job. The podcast and music tools work as I’d expect. I load podcasts and music from my laptop on the Light Phone dashboard website. Easy! The Bluetooth works nicely with my earbuds and with my car’s aftermarket Pioneer radio. You can brighten/dim the screen using the little wheel on the side of the phone. There’s even a night mode that minimizes the blue light output. I love that you can use this phone in the sun and still see the screen just fine.

Third, the LPIII is sturdy. It feels solid in my hand. It has a removable battery so I can replace it in the future if need be. Speaking of battery, I get around 2-3 days per charge.

Fourth, there is a learning curve to using the phone. The user interface is not like your smartphone. That’s because it’s not designed to suck you in for hours at a time. Smartphone companies and app developers aim to keep users on the phone as much as possible. The Light Phone team does not have that philosophy at all. They purposely made the phone not addictive. Although the OS was new to me, I did adapt to the interface in just a week or two, and now it’s fine – I have no complaints.

I realize the phone is not cheap ($699 right now – though the older version is half that). However, this phone is worth it to me for these reasons:

1. my monthly phone bill is half what it used to be. That is a savings of around $250 per year.
2. I don’t have to upgrade this phone every two or three years because the battery is easily replaceable, and Light will keep updating it as they have with the previous version of the phone.
3. I don’t have to worry about data mining, creepy spyware, purchasing apps, or expensive subscriptions.
4. I will never be addicted to this phone, nor will it distract me from being present. It’s hard to explain how wonderful it is not to be tethered to my phone. I often go for hours without touching my phone or thinking about it.

LPIII is not for everyone. Don’t order it if you want a dumbed-down smartphone. There are apps and hacks for that. But if you’re looking for a good full-time dumbphone or a dumbphone for untethering on evenings and weekends, I’d suggest you check out the LPIII. There are other good dumbphones out there – I think several more came out in the last two years – but the LPIII is one of the best ones on the market right now.

*****

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Before ordering the Light Phone III at theLightPhone.com be sure to check with your carrier to see if they support it. Canadian plans are $29 to $39 plus tax (though without a long-distance option).