What you need to know
- Light’s latest minimalist smartphone, the Light Phone 3, is now available for pre-order.
- Light Phone 3 retails for $799, but is available at a $200 discount during the pre-order phase.
- The minimalist phone features an AMOLED monochrome screen, USB-C, and two cameras.
If you’re looking for a new minimalist smartphone with only the basics, you’re in luck: Light is now accepting pre-orders for the Light Phone 3. It’s not quite a “dumb phone,” with a smart features like navigation, fingerprint unlock, and two cameras, but it doesn’t offer a browser or social media. That, paired with the monochrome screen, is designed to reduce screen time and encourage intentional use of the phone.
Although the Light Phone 3 may be small and limited in terms of features, it’s not exactly cheap: it will retail for $799. Currently, you can pre-order it at a lower price of $599 for a limited time. Light says that it will continue to sell the Light Phone 2 even after the Phone 3 is released, which is available at a much more manageable $299.
The highlights of the Light Phone 3 include a bigger, 3.92-inch AMOLED monochrome display. It’s up for debate whether this is an upgrade or downgrade from the Phone 2, which used a monochrome e-ink panel instead. It’s covered in matte glass that should make the Light Phone 3 easy on the eyes, and simple to view in direct sunlight.
With a Qualcomm SM4450 chipset inside, the Light Phone 3 isn’t a powerhouse — and that isn’t a surprise. It’s equipped with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. There are also nice-to-have features like a fingerprint sensor, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, and eSIM support, even if they all aren’t functional at launch. For instance, digital wallets aren’t supported, but could be in the future.
While certain features are supported, like on-device music playback (no streaming) and navigation, others are not. Light makes it clear that a browser and social media won’t ever be supported, because they would defeat the point of having a minimalist phone.
“Currently the available tools include an alarm, a timer, a calculator, a calendar, a directory, directions, notes/voice memo, and a simple music or podcast player,” the company writes on its website. “We will continue to roll out more utility oriented tools with ongoing software updates, always optionally and never pre-installed.”
The battery life of the Light Phone 3 is nearly doubled compared to Phone 2, with a capacity of 1,800 mAh. There’s also a basic rear camera for the first time — a 50MP sensor that defaults to 12MP photos. On the front, you get an 8MP sensor.
The Light Phone 3 appears to be better than the Phone 2 in just about every way, but the company doesn’t see the newer model as a direct replacement for its predecessor. That could explain the higher price tag and extra features.
Light estimates that pre-orders placed now will ship around July 2025. They’ll be delivered chronologically, so the sooner you pre-order, the sooner your phone will arrive.
