Hello, my name’s Andrew, and these are the pros and cons of the Light Phone 2 vs the Light Phone 3 for phone addiction and digital minimalism.

Introduction

Back in March I officially hit three years of living without a smartphone, so I decided to make a video about my top ten favorite Light Phone tools, but literally an hour later I got this mysterious email about a “big announcement.”

Immediately, I started imagining what I’d want from a new Light Phone, and the top three features on my wishlist were…

Which is exactly what we got the next day in the launch video!

That said, the Light Phone 3 is actually more of an alternative than a replacement, so I thought we could hang out and talk about the main differences, plus which one you should choose if you’re thinking about going minimal.

FYI, the Light Phone 3 isn’t scheduled to ship until early 2025.

But in the meantime I made my own for demonstration purposes! (:

Light Phone 2

Starting off, I think the Light Phone 2 is still the best option for anyone who wants the most relaxing experience possible with the fewest distractions and doesn’t need more advanced features (or has them covered with other devices).

At $299 it’s less than half the price of most smartphones.

Design

Durability wise, the body is made of plastic, but you can get a screen protector like the one I have, which has worked great for three years, despite multiple drops, and still looks cool, thanks to the minimalist aesthetic.

In terms of dimensions the Light Phone 2 is about the size of a credit card.

For connecting the Light Phone 2 has an older style micro-USB port, 3.5mm jack for headphones or earbuds, and small speakerphone, which does sound tinny, and the 950mAh (milliamp) battery life is not great, only lasting a day or two.

Screen

Also, although e ink is definitely slower and more difficult to get used to, it’s much better for eliminating the eyestrain, stress, and insomnia that you can get from staring at a bright LED screen, even for a few minutes.

Not to mention the slow refresh is actually a nice deterrent to getting distracted by constantly sending and receiving text messages, while the grayscale screen works kind of like a homing device—always drawing you back into the light.

Apps

Despite coming out with a newer version, the Light Phone 2 is still going to have all the same tools (Alarm, Calculator, Directions, Directory, Hotspot, Music, Notes, Podcasts, and Timer), as well as any that get added in the future.

Generally, they’ll work the same, just a bit slower with the e ink screen and 1 GB of RAM, but the GPS map view in particular can be difficult to use with e ink, although the text directions work fine.

Light Phone 3

While the Light Phone 2 was either difficult or impossible for a lot of people to adopt, I think the faster screen in particular will make the Light Phone 3 much more appealing to anyone who doesn’t want to go full monk mode.

At $399, it’s still half the price of a lot of smartphones, but the price will start going up to $799 after July 15th, so if you’re going to buy one, I’d invest early.

Design

In terms of design the aluminum backing gives it a more premium feel that puts the Light Phone even further away from clunky flip-phone territory, and the larger dimensions will undoubtably make it easier to operate.

Think a pocket calculator—roughly half the height of a large iPhone.

For connecting the Light Phone 3 has a newer USB-C port with headphones support and larger stereo speakers, which I expect will sound a lot better, and the 1800mAH battery should (hopefully) provide an extra day or so of charge in addition to being easily replaced, along with the screen and USB port.

Camera

Obviously, the biggest update is the 50 megapixel front camera and 8 megapixel back camera, which could be useful for capturing documents, or displaying QR codes, but also for taking snapshots and videos with the two-step shutter.

I wouldn’t expect pro-level quality or adjustments, but the idea of having a minimal vlogging camera to record quick thoughts is super appealing to me.

Screen

Honestly, I’m disappointed to see the Light Phone 3 ditch its e ink screen for OLED, but that’s the price of getting a camera, because the technology is just too slow and clumsy to work for photography (trust me, I tried it).

Even with a black and white UI, I can still see an increased potential for distraction, like getting sucked into texts while trying to work or recording video at a concert, instead of just enjoying the experience—something that’s technically impossible with the Light Phone 2.

Apps

Like I said, both the Light Phone 2 and Light Phone 3 will have the same apps, although things like texting and navigating with the GPS are going to be a lot more fluid, given the faster refresh and larger screen.

Supposedly, the team at Light Phone is still working on a way to integrate Spotify, which, for me, would be the icing on the cake, but with version 3 we’re also getting a fingerprint pad, flashlight, and NFC for contactless payments, along with 6 GB of RAM vs a measly 1 GB on the Light Phone 2.

Conclusion

Overall, both the Light Phone 2 and Light Phone 3 are excellent options for anyone who wants to detox from the stress and distractions of a full-fledged smartphone…

…and, frankly, waiting more than four years to release a new model while staying true to their original mission and continuing to improve the original Light Phone shows a level of thoughtfulness that you won’t find in major tech brands.

Pros and Cons

In terms of which version is best, the Light Phone 2 still offers the greatest potential to truly exit the digital rat race and reconnect with the real world.

However, the Light Phone 3 has some minimal creature comforts that make it more realistic for people with larger social circles, work requirements, or city routines, while still being much less distracting than regular smartphones.

Alternatives

In terms of similar minimalist phones…

Resources

If you’d like to support the channel, you can shop with the referral links above/below, or watch my full Light Phone review to learn more about digital minimalism.

Finally, if you have a question about the Light Phone, or about minimalist phones in general, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, catch ya next time. Peace!