“Does being so connected actually make us any happier?” is the question posed by the manufacturers of the Light Phone – a thin, light-weight brick with text and call capabilities designed to be used as little as possible. Yes, you read that properly.
It’s the anti-smartphone phone.
The Light Phone has been around for a few years, and the Light Phone 2, which dropped in 2018, even sold out. Inspired by the belief that iPhones – with their endless apps and features – distract us from living our lives to the fullest, the creators of this project have developed a “dumb phone.” The Light Phone has only call, text, and alarm features – basically, you’re still on the grid but spared social media, constant work emails, etc.
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It’s an undoubtedly fascinating project, but we’re skeptical. What about Maps? Uber? Apple Pay? While the creators allege the navigation and taxi features are coming soon – odds are they’ll be less effective than their mainstream market counterparts.
Another thing: the Light Phone 2 costs $350, and unless you’re a Verizon or T-Mobile carrier able to snag a universal SIM Card, you’ll need to purchase one of their exclusive connection plans. Not to mention GQ reported the phone’s interface is fairly difficult to use.
We’re not sold.
This all seems like an awfully expensive way to unplug. Especially considering old-school flip phones still exist. Sorry, you’ll have to pry my smartphone out of my cold, dead hands.
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