One month after swapping out my smartphone for a dumbphone

My experience with the Light Phone III

I recently converted from an iPhone to the Light Phone III. I’ve been intrigued by the promise of a minimalist phone that wouldn’t constantly pull on my attention, but still has all the essential features (including a camera). Here are my thoughts a few weeks in…

The first two days were the most insightful. I found myself repeatedly reaching for my phone, ready to mindlessly scroll social media, check emails or just bop around different apps to replace any downtime. I was trying to replace my boredom with a little boost of dopamine (yikes, I hate admitting that). These first two days after the switch opened my eyes to how addicted I was to my phone. I would come home after a long day out with my kids and immediately gravitate to my old iPhone like a moth to a flame — only to find that nothing truly urgent had happened.

After these first two days, I noticed my hunger for my iPhone’s notifications subsided and I began to treat it more like a laptop. I’d check it in the morning to share on my social media pages, then again in the evenings during my work hours. I feel like I’ve gotten out of an unhealthy relationship. I didn’t even realize how toxic it was until now.

What I was imagining to be a simple phone-swap ended up being more of a lifestyle adjustment than I was anticipating. Here are a few things (outside of my phone) that changed…

I’m now a purse gal.

I would rarely be seen with a purse before— I’d typically have my iPhone and keys in hand, with an emergency stack of diapers + wipes buried away in the crevices of my car. Now, I’ve gotten used to carrying a purse around. When I said goodbye to my iPhone, that meant parting with some of it’s conveniences…specifically, the virtual wallet. I now carry my physical wallet around in my purse.

On the plus side, there have been a lot fewer impulse purchases so I’m not complaining.

My mind has a lot more real estate these days.

One of the adjustments that I’ve loved is having space for my mind to wander. I’ve found myself having conversations with siblings over brunch, or my son in the car, debating questions that we could easily look up. “What’s the ideal amount of sound-absorbing panels for this diner?” or “How long does it take an octopus to grow back one of its arms?”

I’ve found there’s beauty in the unknown. I don’t need to know the correct answer to every question. It’s more fun to simply have a conversation, sharing hypotheses about what the answer could be.

My texting frequency is now sub-par (sorry, friends!)

The hardest adjustment I’ve had has been texting. My fingers were dialed in to the iPhone keypad. I could send off messages quick. Perhaps the muscle memory will eventually rebuild with the Light Phone III’s keypad, but for now, I’m texting like a grandma — either super slow, or using the voice-to-text feature. And if it’s not urgent, I’ll save my texts for the end of the day and respond to messages when I tackle emails. Again, sorry friends!

Let’s talk about the phone itself, specifically it’s camera…

I initially tried the Light Phone II a few years back when we were living in Australia. My biggest complaint about it was the lack of a camera, which was a major reason why I ultimately didn’t stick with it. So when I heard that Version III had a camera, I was all about it.

Here are some of my favorite photos taken on the phone (aside from cropping, all images are unedited):

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the images. The resolution was better than I anticipated. I was expecting something pixelated, similar to the dumb phone I had in high school, but the resolution was comparable to an iPhone.

In terms of color profiles, the Light Phone has warmer tones, less saturation, and less contrast than the iPhone. This gives its photos a bit more of a nostalgic feel, without feeling like there’s a heavy filter.

Light Phone III (left) vs iPhone (right) comparison (unedited, taken seconds apart)

The biggest drawback I’ve noticed is with the user experience of taking a photo. There’s a bit of a delay in taking the image — it feels similar to shooting at a slow shutter speed where I need to hold still a second longer than usual. Hopefully, they’ll improve this in future software update.

There are no editing capabilities in the Light Phone, which I’ve actually come to appreciate. At first, I found myself thinking hmmm… maybe I’ll go edit some pictures during slower moments of the day, only to remember that it’s not an option. I find this to be in line with the overall appeal of the Light Phone as a no-distraction phone. I’m not thinking about my photos or fiddling around with the edits during the day. If I want to edit later, I email myself the photos and then when I have time I can intentionally go through and edit them. It allows me to create clear boundaries around when I’m working on my photography, so that I can be present the rest of the time.

The interface:

Navigating the Light Phone III’s interface is quite pleasant. The screen is similar to a Kindle - it’s easy on your eyes and soft on your fingertips. If you’ve read my post on my favorite film camera, you know that I highly value equipment that’s simple to use and doesn’t distract with fancy bells and whistles. I love how minimalist this phone is. It’s a phone with nothing more than the essentials— directions, notes, podcasts, calls, etc. There are no distractions. There’s no bright, colorful screen to lure me in. It’s not an entertainment device, it’s simply a tool. Nothing more, nothing less.

Have you thought about making the swap yourself? (Or perhaps you’ve already made it??) I would love to hear your thoughts!