Hello, my name’s Andrew, and today we’re talking about the four biggest takeaways from the latest Light Phone 3 update, including ship date, testing, packaging, camera quality, directions, cases, and more.

1. Timeline

Basically, the Light Phone 3 is on its second P.V.T. (aka Production Verification Test), which means that it’s finalized and ready to ship in early March with the only remaining hurdle being the regulatory certification process…

…and although it sucks to have your product help up by bureaucracy, I think the wait’s going to be worth it, as you’re about to see.

2. Hardware

From any other company, footage of a phone being pressed, spun, and dropped by monochrome machines would be mind-numbingly boring, but someone at Light had the brainwave of adding this dreamy ambient music.

Which is weirdly relaxing, and sends the message that the Light Phone 3 is built for longterm mindful living, rather than a 30-day social media detox.

3. Packaging

But the biggest surprise from the new Light Phone 3 packaging, which comes in a minimal jet black box with a braided USB-C cable and a custom Toyo Steel toolbox that fits satisfyingly on top of or inside the companies other modular boxes.

Personally, as a creative, I love the extra functionality for storing pencils or other utensils, but the stamped “Made in Japan” and “Light” markings also give the packaging a super premium, grownup vibe.

4. Camera

Feature wise, there’s nothing new to report about the Light Phone 3, but the team have dropped a bunch of new sample photos with before/after shots from their tuning process, which do look more vibrant than the originals.

Without a shallow depth of field the 50 MP camera looks more like a classic point-and-shoot Polaroid (where everything is in focus), but the colors seem natural and zooming in it looks like the low light performance is pretty solid.

5. Directions

While I am bummed about the Light Phone 3 ditching e ink, as someone who’s on the brink of traveling a lot for van life, I feel like a faster/larger OLED screen is going to make the Directions tool a lot more useful…

…and Light’s recent blog post also mentions improvements to the UI and tracking, which are definitely needed, since the Light Phone 2 can be quite slow and unreliable for complex navigation.

6. Accessories

Also in the works is a slim case made from 100% recycled plastic, potentially available in multiple colors, as well as a matte glass screen protector and USB-C to aux port dongle for headphones.

Conclusion

Overall, I feel like anyone who pre-ordered the Light Phone 3 early at $399 or $499 is super lucky, because, from the sleek design to the high-res camera and functional packaging, it’s clearly going to be one of the most unique product drops of 2025.

Pricing

That said, if it goes above the current pre-order price of $599, it’ll be hard for a lot of people to wrap their head around paying for a minimal phone that costs the same as a brand new iPhone with fewer features.

So, my advice would be either get in on the Light Phone 3 now, or check out the more budget-friendly Mudita Kompakt, which has an e ink screen and a lot of the same apps, although with a simpler design and more basic camera.

Resources

Finally, if you’d like to support the channel, you can shop with the referral links below, or watch my Light Phone 3 vs Mudita Kompakt video to figure out which one is best for you…

…and if you have a question about minimal phones, or about minimalist living in general, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, catch ya next time. Peace!