The Light Phone 3 is the third generation of this minimalist device, but it comes at a much steeper price – $799. It is currently available at a discount on the official website, but it is still a major jump from the $299 price tag of its predecessor. That said, the latest model does bring some notable upgrades.
One of the biggest changes is the display. The Light Phone 3 ditches the E Ink screen in favor of a 3.92-inch OLED display. However, even with this improvement, the phone stays true to its minimalist roots. The interface remains black and white and there is still no app store – meaning you won’t be able to download additional apps beyond what is preloaded.
With this phone, you get only the most essential features. | Video credit – Light
The design is clean and simple. It includes a fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button on the top, a two-step shutter button, volume controls and a menu button on the right, plus a newly added scroll wheel on the left.
The Light Phone 3 has a simple design and comes only in Black. | Image credit – Light
For cameras, you get an 8 MP front-facing snapper and a 50 MP main camera on the back. Powering the phone is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, paired with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. A modest 1,800mAh battery powers the device and it should last a full day. Charging is handled via USB-C, but charging speeds are not revealed.
For those curious, yes, it runs on Android, but the specific version remains unknown. There is also no word on how many software updates it will receive.
In general, the idea is for the phone to focus solely on essentials – calling, messaging, music, notes, hotspot, maps and an alarm – offering a stripped-down experience compared to today’s feature-packed smartphones.
Now, is it worth the $799 price tag? I think that is debatable. While the Light Phone 3 is undeniably cool in its simplicity, it is hard to ignore that you could get a much more powerful device – like the Galaxy S25 or iPhone 16 – for the same price.
However, if your goal is to cut down on screen time, this phone might be the perfect fit. Just keep in mind that pre-orders won’t ship until July – so if you need a digital detox sooner, a much cheaper “dumb” phone might be the better option.
