LightPhone II review (2.5 years of using it) and impressions of LightPhone III and Light Flip

mylightphone2 (My LightPhone II and extra case.)

Four things to warn you before you continue reading this.

  1. This is a 300 USD product, I bought mine used.
  2. This uses 4G network awhile the newer products have 5G network plus user-removable battery.
  3. This was a 1.5 year journey for me. I started with modified smartphone first, then a cheap dumbphone, and finally the LightPhone II. I didn't just buy it "out-of-the-blue."
  4. I love this device and believe it's "perfect" for me.

I figured I write this first so half the readers can continue reading or just skip this blog post. I understand it's awful to watch a YouTube video and figure out how much the product is until it's revealed either in the middle or the end of the video. It's annoying and that's why I rather tell you now than later.

Hold on. Still need to give another warning.

Around 2024 when I bought the device, the supply of these phones are mostly in stock. But once we hit 2025 and onwards ... wow, LightPhone II just keep being sold out.

soldout (When will these ever be back in stock?!)

It's so rare to see these in stock. I would just check the official website and dumbwireless.com, yeah ... they are sold out.

So much I have to ask, why? Lack of resources? Demand is way too high? Is it being discontinued?

For the last question, I remember reading their newsletter from the e-mail and they said they dislike the idea of discontinuing the LightPhone II because they feel it has to stand with the other products such as LightPhone III. They dislike the idea stopping software/OS support for the LightPhone II because that'll create e-waste. They want their products to not just last for the typical "2 years" nonsense but something that'll last for at least 10 years plus.

But still ... I'm in an odd situation here. Is there any point for me to write this review if the product is not available because it's sold out?

I feel like this is a bit of time waste for me to write all of this but I'll have no choice but to focus on certain key areas. And of course, the comparisons between the old and new devices.

lightphone2 (Promo image of the LightPhone II)

First, why on earth is this 300 dollars?!

Great question.

First we have to understand how can a smartphone or even a feature phone (dumbphone), become super affordable. Let's start with the Samsung A series, from this video we learn that the company is able to make money from big app developers/publishers, it also collects data from the users. Let's not forget advertisement whenever it's from the notifications or just straight up pop up full screen.

It doesn't stop from there, Samsung is able to pump out so many units that it is very easy to cut corners for the hardware side of things. No need for a fancy metal case, just go all plastic. Why bother having multiple cameras when one is good enough? And of course, the OS user interface can be strip down.

Mind you that even my Nokia 6300 4G had adverts in the phone. It is using KaiOS and whenever I browse through the app store and download the app, or even use the app, it'll provide an ad to encourage me to download another app.

Let's recap:

But what about the LightPhone:

Basically, if you bought this phone, it's truly yours. You'll have full ownership over this device. Never do you have to deal with bloated nonsense that the other cheap devices push towards you. It's yours.

Another aspect to speak on is hardware and software. Part of me feels as if this device already existed in the market long ago but I cannot find any evidence. Which means that if this was built from the ground up then that is another additional reason why it is an expensive device. Software? Well it is a highly modified Android OS, and it doesn't even look like Android from a distance really. But, the real point I want to make is that it took probably a lot of development time to have a functional OS.

If there is one massive criticism I have against the company, is that they seriously need to update their FAQs about this issue. Because let's be honest, that is the first question on everyone's mind. Yes, they can tell you the cost the devices, but the real question is "why are your products so expensive?"

Couldn't I just buy a cheap dumbphone instead?

Yes.

As a matter of fact, there is nothing wrong with either modifying your existing smartphone or just buying an affordable dumbphone.

Just remember why you are getting it. Nine times out of ten, you are getting it to improve your current health. Both a 20 dollar to a 300 dollar dumbphone can achieve the same results, as long you have built a plan around that device. Don't think it is a magic pill AKA "quick fix" that'll stop you from going to social media everyday and other addicting applications that'll suck your time. You need to strategize.

If you are one of type of people who keep going to places like Reddit and see endless posts of users showcasing their expensive dumbphones, I recommend you to stop going to that website. Same applies to YouTube as well.

You are doing this for yourself, not to please others. Remember that.

The big reason why I bought the LightPhone II is because of the many issues I had to deal with on the Nokia 6300 4G. It's bad. It failed to receive calls, it can't do timer/alarm properly, and it has faulty buttons on the lower row. You can tell I really want something that can function properly with no headache. And mind you, I struggled with the Nokia phone for 6 months.

If you are wondering how much I bought mine since I said I bought it used, it was around 200 dollars, it came with the original cable but no box.

Let's talk about flaws now, lets start with the battery

So let's speak on this right off the bat, I'll start on battery first.

Because the display is powered by e-ink technology, I'm able to have the phone on standby for around 3 to 4 days with no phone calls but a few text messages here or there.

Of course the biggest concern is the battery is non-removable. I won't lie, it's very odd for me to purchase this since most of my previous devices has a removal battery. Since I bought this used, the previous owner and me could degrade the battery to the point where it can't hold much charge. So far, I'm actually not too bothered about it since it's still doing fine.

However, the battery does drain fast if I am in a two to three hour call with one of my family members. Granted that is very rare, most of the time I don't do a lot of phone calls, hence making me the "light" type of crowd.

So if you do a lot of phone calls. I mean a lot, you might not want to bother getting this device unless you like having a cable plugged into the phone awhile you are chatting with someone. It's not really a wireless phone when you think about it.

Oh did I mention? This thing uses micro USB. Those old cables will continue to haunt me until all the old Raspberry Piis are destroyed in my room.

4G problem

So here in the USA, the shutdown of 2G (and 3G?) towers was a wake up call for some of us. It really taught me that almost all of the cheap ol' feature phones that uses 2G are basically e-waste. I used to have a backup phone in my room just in case the current phone is either dead forever or stolen. Now it's useless, among with all the other 2G phones as well. So much e-waste ...

By the way, that's why you no longer see the original LightPhone (one) being sold anymore. Because it uses 2G network bands only.

Either way we have to wait for these companies to make dumbphones with 4G networks but, I really would like to see a 5G dumbphone be released to the public. Somehow, Light finally announced that LightPhone III will have 5G. This was certainly something to celebrate but ... it's 800 to 900 USD. Talk about the pure definition of "lifestyle" price tag. At that point, most will look for a cheaper device elsewhere.

Why am I bringing this up? It's simple, once years and years passes, we'll also see the shutdown of 4G towers. That'll mean our LightPhone IIs will be useless.

What about other features, how does it function?

For my current setup I have:

When accessing the website, you can adjust what kind of apps you want to add or remove. At this point I'm surprised that I have left the alarm and timer on since I just use other devices for time tracking. As for Hotspot, that is for emergency only, I've used it three times so far. My mobile plan only gives me 1 GB of data, which is enough for me.

Here is what the website looks like once logged in:

dash (If you use the F5 key it'll change the background image. I'm providing this advice because I had not-so-good background image that is clashing with the UI.)

Then after selecting "phone" and your line, you'll be taken to this section here:

dash

Calling works as it should. Thank goodness. Call quality and the speaker is functional. Able to pick up calls and not miss them. Ringtone is not crazy loud but it has a unique ringtone that I can never miss.

Texting? This, is super convenient for me. Now I understand that you are the kind of person that does texting every single day, you are going to hate it. You'll dislike how slow it is since it's using e-ink display, and also fighting with the touch controls AKA "hitting the wrong input." For me, it took practice. After getting some muscle memory on the device, I'm able to type away seamlessly and take advantage of the microphone function. Yes, this uses speech-to-text. It's not 100 percent accurate but that is normal anyway. I use both features, speech-to-text and then fix some issues here or there, done. This whole thing is way better compared to the flip-phone/candybar phone T9 inputs

Here is an image of other apps I didn't bother putting in.

apps

How much you pay for phone service?

For the longest time I've used Ting Mobile for a decade. It's always the cheaper plans I've used for a long time. At first I was worried that is it incompatible but no, it's clearly written on the website support that Ting is supported.

Finally, I switched to a more cheaper mobile service to save even more money, Tello. At first I didn't want to bother with Tello when it launched but since they have matured over time, I feel I am able to trust the company now.

So I went from 15 dollars to 9 dollars per month. Mind you this is my primary phone, I don't use it as a secondary phone.

Basically the phone is already paid and I just need to pay for phone service for as little as 9 dollars a month. Nice.

The many questions I see

Does this have WhatsApp?

Nope.

Does Spotify work on this?

What is Spotify? ... I'm joking by the way. Again, no. If I needed music on the go I'd use portable music player like my MP3 player.

Ever listen to music on this device?

No. It has a 3.5 mm jack port at least.

This really has no camera?

It doesn't. This is why their later devices would end up having the camera feature. For me I just use a separate device like the Camp Snap.

However, if you depend on this for emergencies, either you find something else or have a backup device.

How fast does this charge?

It's oddly fast but I think it has to do with the fact the battery capacity is small (950mAh) and the more it is degraded, the faster it'll charge.

Would you recommend this for a child?

It depends how much you are willing to trust your child. I can't imagine having 300 dollars down the drain because they either destroy or lost it.

There are other devices you find that doesn't have a camera on it if that is the concern.

Can you see attached images on text messaging?

No it's just an icon but you can see almost all the attached images on your e-mail that is linked to the account!

What if there is a clickable link in the text message as well?

Same thing, it'll be in the e-mail and you get to access it on your preferred device.

What accessories you use on the phone?

Just the official screen protector and official cases. The cases seem to crack at the corners for two of my cases.

Is the maps good?

Never bothered. I just use my tablet instead.

Can you customize homescreen, lockscreen, ringtone, and other aspects?

Oddly no. I think I know why. The creators of the phone do not want you to waste time tinkering with it. They really prefer if you treat the device as a tool than a toy.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see other minimal cosmetic additions such as an analog clock on the lock screen and similar ring tones. Maybe they are dealing with memory constraints.

Inconveniences depending on where you live

Like I said, this phone is perfect for me ... however I don't think it'll be perfect for everyone else.

The more I read and watch about certain people's complaints about the phone, the more I learn that the phone cannot deal with today's issues depending where you live.

Because I live in suburbs, I don't deal with these issues. But if you live in the city, you might deal with certain problems:

Let's not forget if you happen to be at a different country you are not familiar with:

I already talked about in my previous blog post that I actually have a smartphone that is dedicated to vacations only. I only use it for 2 weeks or less per year.

But back to the subject, I'm lucky that I don't need a smartphone for my everyday life. I'm pretty much set for where I live, however if I ever move towards a city, things might change for me.

My thoughts about LightPhone III and Light Flip

lightphone3specs

As time passes on, I figured we are going to get a successor that'll have three key features: type-c port, 5G, and a user-removable battery. Well we got those three features but in a hefty price tag of 800 to 900 dollars. We are talking about high-end smartphone price tags right here. Like holy cow, who is paying that?!

And I know some will call me out by saying that "you could of bought it when it was pre-sale for around 400 to 700 dollars! You snooze you lose!" Here is my counter argument: That's a trap. They want early adopters to test their phones just to fix glaring issues that they may have missed. Also, like I said before, I love my LightPhone II, I see no point of buying LightPhone III.

It's like pre-ordering a videogame all over again, you don't know if you are going to have a solid product on your hands. Here are the list of concerns:

I can keep going on, I rarely go to Reddit but after the product was out for a few months, I took a peek. There were a lot of disappointing users. Granted some are again, expecting the "quick fix/magic pill" to cure their addiction.

I understand they have a track record. It's good but it's very little, they only had released LightPhone I and II back then.

But yeah when this came out I thought to myself, "this is a massive gap here ..." We have a 300 dollar phone and a 900 dollar phone. I knew that someday they'll make something in the middle later on, turns out my prediction came half true.

lightflipspecs

Rather than the "LightPhone 2.5," we got the Light Flip. And this product looks promising. Physical buttons, looks more durable with the clam-shell design.

It's also 300 dollars. Nice I guess but let's be honest, it's still within the range of "lifestyle" price tag. Most will just look into getting a more affordable device instead.

Privacy?

I understand that every big tech wants to spy on you and collect data etc.

Here is privacy policy if you are curious.

If you want absolute privacy, you shouldn't be using a phone anyway.

If I really cared, I would of bought a Pinephone instead and use their dip switches on the back of the phone to turn off mobile network etc.

Here are my simple rules

I would not bother getting the LightPhone III nor Light Flip until it has matured and all the bugs/glitches plus hardware issues are fixed. If I had to choose between the two I'd go with Flip.

But, I also need to stretch the use of my existing LightPhone II to the point that either the battery is completely dead or the 4G network towers are shutdown.

For now, my LightPhone II still works and that's all I care.

But what about you, the reader? I say what kind of device you need in your life? Do you make a lot of phone calls or do you text a lot? Can you handle those physical buttons for Light Flip? Are you ready to deal with questionable battery life on these devices? What is your end goal once you have the device on your hand?

Extra: The Light company

This the end of the review, you are more than welcomed to keep reading on if you want.

There is something usual that I've mentioned about the Light Phone company on the previous blog post. The minimalist website design, the odd looking merchandise they also sell, their marketing campaign is all over the place offline wise, and the founder? He is a down-to-earth guy who likes skateboarding. He saw the issues surrounding about smartphones early on and he teamed up with his partner to make the Light Phone.

I remember watching this interview and rewatching it again, it's very clear what their message is all about: to keep the conversation going. In the interview he speaks about advertising, and awhile it's great for any company to sell units, the founder doesn't care much about that. If he heard that one of his potential customer deleted his or her social media apps off of their phone rather than buying the Light Phone, that's a win right there. That's not to say he doesn't care about selling, sure he does not want to go out of business, but wants to care about everyone's wellbeing.

It's odd that their philosophy, "going light" is very similar to what I do now-a-days. I don't waste time on the phone whenever I go outside, I rarely make phone calls and I don't waste time chatting in social networks like Discord. I'm doing stuff I actually like, I'm more present for my friends and family, and my head is looking up rather than looking down, and finally, I get to interact with nature.

They even have a zine, which is the most indie thing you could ever witness. Do I feel like I'm part of cult or something now?

Time to wrap it up

I wish the company the best. I wish every person who wants to have a better relationship with technology, the best as well.

Just remember, the dumbphone isn't the end journey. There will be challenges along the way. You'll learn there are other ways to solve a problem. Good luck.