LIGHT PHONE 3 / pros and cons vs the light phone 2 

The mere fact that they would discount it from 800 to 400 proves how much of a margin they're making in the first place. I like that they're trying to create a phone that goes against our screen addiction but they're clearly profiteering off the trend and it pretty much nullifies their effort.

Consider that it's a niche device, which means that a company like Apple who's selling hundreds of millions of iPhones per year can get a massively cheaper manufacturing price than LP, who are probably selling more in the tens of thousands. $400 is reasonable I feel and they set the pre-order price lower, so that they can increase sales and lower the retail price a bit by launch time. It's also fair to charge less on pre-order, because people have to wait potentially up to a year before getting their money's worth. Also, even at $500-600 or so, I still feel it's a fair price, because there's nothing else like it on the market, the build quality seems super high, and the camera may save a lot of people from having to own a separate device for basic photography. Plus they continually update and support their products, despite being a small company.

@@PaulEscudier-e2x yeah, that's kind of how I feel about it.

@@AndrewFolts Their components are nothing like what apple has, though. And they don't mention anything about their supply chains, so I assume that they didn't put much effort into making sure that they are ethical and sustainable. Fairphone goes to great lengths to make sure that their components are sourced as ethically and sustainably as possible, and that all the workers are paid decent wages, and get treated decently. And their phone ends up costing 700 dollars, while being a full-fledged smartphone. I agree that it's okay for pre-orders to be cheaper, but like the other comment said, them being able to offer it at half of the price shows that their profit margins are pretty big.

@@mysense7005 This is inaccurate on multiple fronts. Firstly, although Apple may have admirable ethical standards for sourcing, the fact that they aggressively and needlessly push new iPhones every year with little difference to the previous version creates an absurd amount of waste. Secondly, the Light Phone team has extensively documented their commitment to producing products ethically, as you can read about in this deep dive on carbon offsetting, for example. medium.com/the-light-phone/sustainabilityreport-43b9240f14d3. Thirdly, the pre-order price doesn't show anything other than them trying to get sales up, so that they can make the manufacturing cost more affordable, which will ultimately reduce the retail price. To this day Light is still a tiny company fighting against the current to make products that free people from the stress and addiction that comes with owning a full smartphone and buying the original LP2 was one of the most impactful decisions of my life. Had I got with the Fairphone, despite it's ethical standards, I would still be depressed and addicted to my phone, not having the energy to make videos like this one.

Thanks, Jaymi! I just clicked on your "Pro-Bike Propaganda" (great title, btw, ha) and that sun shade is rad. I'm like...why am I getting into van life, when I could just make a bike camper??

@@AndrewFolts I have a (very!) small camper setup in my 2006 Ford Ranger. I could live back there pretty comfortably for sure. I've seen some AMAZING bike campers too! Inspiring stuff!

@@jaymianderson9665 The Ford Ranger's a great truck, my Dad used to have one! Lucky you, since they seem to be super hard to find these days.

Yea, I'm so glad that the LP team takes this seriously, as it's becoming a bigger issue every year.

As of 2024, The Light Phone employs about 36 people, indicating a small and focused team. They source many of their parts from Shenzhen, China, with production and assembly happening in Yantai, North China. The design work is often done in Taiwan, emphasizing global collaboration for both engineering and manufacturing.

First off, it doesn't cost $800. The pre-order price started at $400 and is now $500. Secondly, there's a reason features phones are $20. They're poorly designed, made to be garbage in a year or two, and have clunky interfaces that are annoying to use. So people spend money on a Light Phone 2 or 3 for the same reason a person would buy a well-made car, rather than a crappy one. They want to feel proud of their phone and support a company that puts creativity and care into making products that are a joy to use.

There are rumors that Boox will be coming out with an e-ink phone soon - The Bigme Hibreak is a nice e-ink phone and is currently offered to buy right now

You can make wifi calls, but yea, it seems silly to release a phone with no cellular support.

I wish also, but with a simple change I’ve made it my daily driver. Sold my iPhone 15 Pro Max, got a 5G hot spot with a data only plan which drastically reduced my bill, Boox Balma, and replaced my phone service with Ring Central. I only see the hotspot to top it off, but that works for me because it’s super small and I’m almost never without a bag.

Yea, it's quite an odd product. You can make wifi calls, but that's it.

Right? Feels like it came out of an alternate universe or something, ha!

Yea, I'm curious to see, but I expect this will drastically increase LP's popularity. I've shown my LP2 to so many people, and while they like the "idea," they immediately get cold feet when trying to wrap their minds around how slow the e ink screen operates.

Yea, the small battery life has gotten me into a few pickles, so I'm looking forward to the LP3 hopefully being more reliable.

Ha, thank you! It runs on CardOS. Great battery life...although not so great at anything else. (:

The funny thing is I didn't even plan that. I just was so used to plugging cables into the bottom of devices that I did it by reflex and was confused for a second when nothing happened. Appreciate the subscribe. Can't wait for the LP3 to drop! (:

$399 for pre-order, which is a lot more reasonable. Hopefully the retail price will come down if they get enough early investors, but it's hard to know.

It’s pretty absurd considering you can easily get a dumb phone for like $100 with a longer lasting battery! I don’t think they typically have maps, though

You can get a Dumb phone for 20 bucks, I suppose this is marketed as a a cool gadget for rich people trying to put down their iphones on ocassion while still retaining some basic smart phone functions.

@@armaansaumya For some people, particularly 50+, that will be a great option. For me as a millenial to pull out a clunky flip phone would be the height of social humiliation. Having a high quality camera, podcasts, a sleek, well thought-out design, GPS, and other essential features without the distractions of a full smartphone is easily worth the $400.

@@JonathanRung Nor podcasts, directory, a high quality camera, minimalist design, or other features that make the LP2/3 a joy to use vs just a cheap piece of plastic. But yea, the battery is a huge drawback of the LP2 and hopefully they've fixed it by doubling the capacity with the LP3.

They've been talking about a WhatsApp integration, so that very well could make it into the finally version before launch. But yea, free time/energy is the #1 most underrated feature of the LP!

It probably won't need sideways texting due to the larger screen I just did that reflexively after owning the LP2 for years, ha. But yea, I do hope they'll give users an option to flip it. It's certainly bigger, but there have been a few moments where I had to text someone quickly and the tiny LP2 keyboard was a real nightmare. The battery too is a big deal. I was just traveling and got stuck into a real bind, because my LP2 died and I forgot my charger.

Yea, I'd be totally on board for that! I think a larger screen and faster e ink performance (which is possible now) would be perfect. Definitely email them about it, because they take feedback seriously. I have too.

Agree 100%. They became famous for the eink screen, not they are just making a low end android phone and slapping their name into it. There is another company coming out with an eink phone designed like a blackberry, it will put light phone and punkt out of business since bothe punkt and light phone just make android phones now

@@johnmonk66 Ha, the Light Phone's not going anywhere, it's more popular than ever. In fact, apart from a few hardcore minimalists (like me), the e ink screen was the most hated part of the LP2 for almost everyone. As always, the point of Light Phone as a company is not just what they offer, but what they choose to take away. I've tried e ink Android smartphones, and they're the worst of both worlds, being both distracting (with full app store access) and limited with poor memory, cheap components, dodgy Chinese monitoring, and lousy camera/video performance.

Ha, yea, it's not the best, but it does emit sound. Glad the prototype was useful, it was def fun to make. It will be a tantalizing wait, but worth every second, I'm sure.

The battery of the LP2 is def the worst part about it. Vert strange, considering the minimal draw of the e ink screen. You could hook it up to a small external power supply, like this: amzn.to/3XIYhnp

Yea, I seriously hate how all these companies are forcing you to do app-based 2FA now. It's just another way to funnel people back into RU-vid, etc. Perhaps you could use a small e ink tablet, like the Boox Poke bit.ly/3YnD6HI, which has full Google Play access, but is much less distracting than a regular smartphone. Would double as an e-reader too, which is more useful than an extra smartphone.

I also wonder if a Yubikey hardware authentication option would work.

They're working on it, but it sounds like it's more a problem with Spotify no cooperating than with technical challenges on Light's end, so I'd send Spotify a support request, which I've done also. Drop in the water, but hey, at least we can try. One workaround is to use the tool NoteBurner to download some of your Spotify playlists as MP3's and then upload them to the LP.

Yep, it'll go up again, although I'm not sure when.

Thanks, Tim! I've been having fun making videos lately too, glad we're both enjoying them. (:

Yea, it's def slow, but that was the intention from day one. They easily could have made the phone bigger or given it a faster, less expensive LED screen, so they knew exactly what they were doing with making texting so difficult. That said, the LP3 is bigger with LED, so it'll perform much like a normal smartphone.

The LPII also supports voice to text which is not so bad. Even without that, I eventually got pretty good at typing on the LPII.

Yea, you can just swap the SIM card. Some carrier's support e-SIM's, as well.

Ha, me too, Helen! I actually did that by force of habit and it took me a second to figure out why the cardboard didn't make a "charging" sound. (:

Being lofi was basically the whole point of the LP2. It was designed to discourage people from using it for anything but the absolute basics, where as Techless still has a lot of potential for distraction. The LP3 will be somewhere in between, still very limiting, but with a higher build quality and smoother performance. In terms of sound quality I always use earbuds with the LP2. It's not healthy to hold a phone up to one's head.

@@AndrewFolts Right, but the original purpose of a phone is to make and receive phone calls. When the sound quality is so bad for yourself and the people at the other end, that is a huge problem. Bluetooth connectivity was not always a smooth experience with the Light phone II. Perhaps they fixed that problem. Not sure what potential distractions you are talking about with Wisephone by Techless. The Wisephone I and II currently only has; clock, calculator, camera, maps, music, notes and photos, with excellence sound quality, and group texting. There are downsides to both phones, but for me the sound quality is the most important thing. If the Light Phone III sound quality is way better, I would reconsider getting another one. Unfortunately, Light Phone has a zero return policy (unless you receive a defective phone).

@@P-el4zd I used wired earbuds whenever possible, since Bluetooth just creates more EMF exposure, and the quality was fine with the LP2. But yea, I'm sure the LP3 will be much better in-phone. For returns, you could just sell it on eBay. Especially in the first week or two, you could probably recoup a good 90-95% of the cost, which significantly decreases the risk of getting to test it out.

Thanks, Josh. Cheers! (:

The LP 2 also used Android, so nothing is changing at all in the user experience, other than the LED screen and camera. It'll still run on LightOS, which is nothing at all like a full Android phone. No app store, just the same minimal tools LP has always had.

What cell features would you want on a camera, ha?

If you need to, then yea. One alternative is to get an iPad and tether it to the Light Phone's hotspot, because then at least it's not as addictive as an iPhone due to being too large to put in your pocket and pull out easily.

What do you need an authentic app for in specific?

@@AndrewFolts I'm an Accountant and the majority of the client software and/or online services require push to authenticator protocols to access (not a SMS code). I did reach out to Lightphone but they have no plans on implementing an authenticator app, the only alternative would be to carry a second device such as a tablet.

@@AndrewFolts a lot of the cloud based accounting software for clients require push authenticator applications, I did reach out to Lightphone but they only suggested using SMS authentication but this not available for the software I use. They don't seem to be developing an authenticator app for the Lightphone either so I think a few people will have this same issue. The phone is too expensive to warrant carrying an additional device to circumvent this issue.

Hey Filippo, depends on what you need. The LP2 is slower with a smaller e ink screen that's excellent for reducing eyestrain and tech stress in general. The LP3 is faster and better for productivity with a larger matte OLED screen, which could cause minor eye fatigue, but also adds a camera. The LP3 will be more familiar but still without distracting/toxic apps.

Light's been talking about it and there's a definite possibility that it might be included by launch time or in future updates.

Don't underestimate the human brain's ability to find any reason to stare at a screen in order to avoid five seconds of boredom, ha. I've always found that the speed and vibrancy of LED just sucks me in, even if there's nothing to really do with the device. For one, you could scroll around the camera gallery, although I don't know what they're going to decide about displaying photos on the phone vs online only. Also, LED makes my eyes bloodshot in a short amount of time, which can drain you mentally and cause looping behavior. But all in all I think the effects will be quite limited with not much to do on the phone.

@@AndrewFolts Yeah that is my thinking. I see what you are saying and sometimes I do that same behaviour with the LP2, but at the end of the day this is still better than a full fledged smartphone. Regardless of the screen you can't do anything with this phone so eventually you would just get bored and move on fairly quickly

Why only for kids? Is there some feature you'd need that the LP3 doesn't have?

@@AndrewFolts well when i was teenager 2010 is used sony ericson cybershot that i only use for music text and call same like this. like in this generation kids will distract by internet which this phone doenst has. in this era this LP is usefull for young generation to not distract by phone, but sadly you cant denied by technology which mean by videogame online, streaming, etc. i watch another youtuber use LP2 for 30 and he thought not very helpful in this era, so yeah is suit for kids communication. also the price is crazy, 499 still expensive compare to nothing cmf phone 1

@@seno7716 It's true that the LP only solves the cell phone problem and that there's lots potential for addiction with other tech, but what I found is that at least without a smartphone, addiction can't follow me around, ya know? Like, I can't take my computer with me out on a walk, or to a concert, or hanging out with friends, or into bed with me at night, and that makes a huge difference. Perhaps you watched Matt D'Avella's video? In any case, whether the LP is practical just depends on how willing a person is to change their life to reduce toxic habits and situations. For example, people have complained that they can't switch, because they "need" some app (banking, social, etc), but all this is a choice and you arrange your life such that it's not an issue. I've used the LP2 for three years and it wasn't hard to find workarounds where necessary.

@@AndrewFolts thats why i only want LP3 only for listening to music thats all, because i like the design

Many thanks, yo! Appreciate you watching!

Yea, I'm looking forward to the day when e ink is accurate and fast enough to use on a camera screen. That would be amazing!

Yea, it does seem like a great way to save money if you live in an area with consistent wifi and don't travel much!

@@AndrewFolts In many countries, 4G data is cheap and perfect for voice call in social apps… In this case, perfect from the LP use case.

Yea, I was just on vacation trying to deal with an emergency and felt like throwing it out the window trying to quickly type a message, ha. But it does prevent getting sucked into endless texting threads, so pros and cons.

The $400 pre-order price I feel is reasonable for adding a high quality camera and better battery, metal backing, etc, and although it's supposedly retailing for $799, I'd expect it to end up more like $600 and maybe lower if sales are good.

@@AndrewFolts Agree with you, let's see how it will be in the future

Gotcha, what brought you to that decision?

Nope, it does everything but that, which makes it kind of a weird product. You could do wifi texting and calling, tho.

@@AndrewFolts I've also read several accounts that the Mudita Pure has connection issues in the US. I was really interested in that phone but they're working on a new version that should be better, so I'm excited!

@@serisaurusrex Nice! I'm all for seeing more e ink phones available.

@@AndrewFolts The BigMe HiBreak is a nice e-ink phone currently available to order

Yea, all LED screens give off blue light, but that's the price of getting a camera. What do you mean by tracked?

Blue light fear is a scam

I have a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter amzn.to/3KQjNyP that worked great when I used to have an iPhone and honestly I ended up not minding them removing the jack, because it's just as easy to leave the adapter on the end of my earbuds cable and plug it into USB-C. If you commonly listen to music while charging, you can get a splitter, like this: amzn.to/3VMYog4. I would not recommend wireless earbuds, as they needlessly increase radiation exposure.

You're welcome, Rina! Thanks for hanging out. (:

Yes, I think so. I just asked LP about that and they said photos will be the only thing in color on the phone, which seems like a great move to me. I think the battery will last longer in sleep mode, at least, which is important, because I hardly use my LP2 and the battery still dies after two days.

Yea, the shape is quite Palm Piloty! I remember when I won this fake Blackberry thing in a school raffle back before cell phones had gone mainstream. I was the most popular kid in my class for like a solid two hours, ha.

Yea, they’re selling one model (instead of 2) that works in most countries internationally. They have a carrier and region compatibility list on their website.

Yep, they support a number of carriers in multiple countries. You can check compatibility here: bit.ly/3VPhfaD

Yes - it's an international phone buddy

I just use this site if I want to know how far I ran: onthegomap.com. Generally, though, I don't keep track of metrics, because I have a lot more fun just exploring wherever I want at whatever tempo feels good, or even stopping to have a conversation with random people...or buy some coconut water, ha. Way more fun than sticking to a certain training plan.

@@AndrewFolts Copy that. Maybe I'll keep my old iphone and do a wifi upload...thanks for the reply!

They did with the LP2, so I'm assuming they will with the LP3 maybe mid 2025 after they build up some revenue from the launch. You could get a light colored screen protector, of course.

Camera shutter sound effect. Sometimes I do it when I'm changing in/out of sections.

You don't have to sound like a dick buddy

Yea, I didn't say it could make calls, but I should have explicitly mentioned that it can't. Although it can make calls via wifi. Kind of pointless, IMO. Not sure what they were thinking.

Way to go! The first day it'll take some getting used to, but then the joy of having an "un-phone" starts to sink in and you'll have days when you forget it even exists, because you're so involved in doing other things you love.

Heh, just wait until you see the cardboard processor chip. (: