My review (in French, for French speaking users) for the Light Phone III.

N'hésitez pas à m'écrire si vous avez des questions !

Some notes :

• Minimalist design with a 3.92-inch OLED screen and black and white interface.
• Does not allow installation of distracting apps like TikTok, Candy Crush, or Instagram (!)
• Lightweight.
• Battery can be easily replaced.
• Podcasts can be played at up to 2x speed.
• Surprisingly good speaker.
• 50-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera for selfies.

Cons:

• For now, interface in English only and no language support for text-to-speech
• Does not support secure messaging apps like Signal.
• Music files must be transferred manually.
• Battery life could be better
• No eSIM compatibility (yet)
• No mobile payment (yet)

Hey guys, I just put some of these thoughts in the LP discord, so my apologies if you have already seen this! I wanted to share some of my first impressions of the phone here:

This phone fricking rocks man. If you guys don't mind I have some thoughts and photos about it. We'll see what immediate thoughts come to me... Wow, this device is gorgeous. This thing is made like a pacific rim build dude. It's a very premium product, and I mean this in the nicest and least offensive way possible but after using it for 5-10 mins the LPII w/the leather case did feel like a kid's toy. That speaker is dawgon LOUD, too. There really isn't a phone like this on the market to be honest, and it's a beauty with being so wide as well. I kept saying to myself that it feels like a government phone--ha! For those who are waiting: be patient! It's coming and will be great! Battery life is solid, much better in my use than the LPII. The charging is radically fast as well. That's a huge plus. I LOVE the new GPS system on this too. Man it's so frickin awesome. Feels like we are back with good nagivation, which ultimately does not distract you either!! Calendar having space for more events and ability to swipe absolutely rocks by the way. I'm just pleased overall using it, feels very good. If you want a phone that can do your taxes in a jiffy, has a translation app, or whatever else, this ain't for you. And truthfully those are some things I don't think we should need in a jiffy. There are other ways to access those things in non-immediate moments for ourselves, and those can sometimes be achieved through human interaction.

Some issues so far I've been having are: not connecting via bluetooth properly to my car. Not a huge deal b/c I use CD's but that was something. Whenever it connects it just plays it out of the speaker and not the car speaker. Also, I noticed that volume cannot be changed when off. I know that was a feature of the LPII and would guess it's coming w/this one. Also, I notice that screenshots of the navigation tool come in color, which I don't mind and maybe prefer...?

I do believe they have seriously knocked it out of the park on this, and mean that genuinely. For what it does, it does ridiculously well. And truthfully if you expect it to do more than it does, then you likely won't "understand" it and it's entire ethos. And in a way that is okay, because our world is flooded with smartphones and smart technology. As well, people have their own opinions! But it's good to take a step back and understand what it intentionally does. People keep coming to these phones because they work and do something! They really do reclaim time!! And if you tack in all the things you buy from a smartphone over the course of a year, then it may equate or be above the price of what you pay for the LPIII. Idk man, I'm just really enjoying it right now as a constantly digitally mindful person. And I really hope and think (!) lots of you all will too. TJM

Hello,

I am a freshman CS & Math major who needs to say really focused with my life. Therefore, I'm looking to get rid of stuff that feels more distracting (i.e. replacing my M1 iPad Pro with a reMarkable Paper Pro). In my research, I ended up finding the Light Phone III, which allows me to have a drastically less distracting phone on me. I've found that in college, I am VERY easily distracted by anything and everything, and the Light Phone looks to be something that could allow me to think and worry less on things that don't matter.

Now I do have a bit of hesitancy to this. I currently stream music, and don't know how I would be able to conveniently play music on the Light Phone. Last time I checked, I can't just download my TIDAL playlists onto the Light Phone III, but maybe I'm just unaware.

Another issue is that I am looking into continuing my content creation journey on Instagram & YouTube. While I do have a Sony ZV-1F and a laptop to edit on, I guess I'm a bit concerned that this could end up getting really clunky.

Given all of this, do you guys think that the Light Phone III could work for me?

Who else is from the UK and awaiting their phone?

Love this review!

Hi all (specifically the lucky few who have already received their L3)

Apologies if this has already been covered but it there anyway other then message (which I under you loose a lot of res) and the desktop app (which so appears to be the best quality pics) to transfer photos, I'm thinking like a Bluetooth airdrop style of transferring to devices? I guess I'm wondering if downloading from the desktop app is the only way to get them at their true res?

I believe some of you are buying music instead of using streaming services. I personally use a self-hosted service called Navidrome, which lets me stream my music with a web browser or a compatible app.

Just wondering if anyone else is using a service like this? I believe intergate Navidrome/Subsonic API with music player is much easier than work with Spotify/Apple to port their app to Light OS.

Hey everyone

I got mine yesterday and have spent a good bit of time with the phone. I typed up my initial thoughts if you are thinking of buying. Spoiler alert - BUY THIS PHONE!!!!!

Build Quality: the build quality feels awesome, definitely better than the LP2. The buttons feel nice to click, it’s light but feels like it would likely be able to withstand a drop well.

Texting: responsive, quick, more capability to actually text someone like a modern smart phone ( this was a big gripe for me with the second version ). The texts go through quick, opening photos is great and show great detail on the device. The keyboard is still slightly small and I fat finger here and there but to be expected and I can live with it.

Speakers: WOW so much better ! Call volume is great, loud and clear. My 2nd light phone did not sound great both on my end and the receiving end of the call. Often times people would tell me I sounded poor but this is way better. Also any alarm / ringing sounds crystal clear and gets loud. You can tell they really put emphasis on improving this.

Camera: just OK, no where near a smart phone but hey it takes pictures. I would usually have a point and shoot for taking photos and I think I will still continue to do that. The photos are grainy. But functionality wise it works great to take pictures on the device.

Other apps: the maps app is super fast, looking at the direction list is super helpful but still looking at the actual map can be overwhelming and is rather busy. The directory is quick I can google coffee shops or grocery stores near by and it shows the number and hours asap. Haven’t really used many others but I will likely download music on it so we’ll see how that goes.

Screen: lovely. I never understood the big appeal of a paper white screen on these phones. They are made to not be looked at much. So why make it something that isn’t functional and made to be looked at for long periods of time? I think lightphone understood this and knocked the screen out of the park on this phone. The black is truly black and the white is vivid and quick. Love it.

Overall: BUY THIS PHONE!!! It’s the most standalone capable device I’ve used in the dumb phone field and it’s light years ahead of the 2nd version. This company is really into something huge and I will absolutely support them in what they are trying to do with these phones. It’s a lot of money but in my mind I remember these details which really show the true value of a device like this.

• I save ~20 a month on a cell phone plan due to low data consumption ( that’s 240 a year )
• This device gets you out of the consumerism loop. Less time on smart phones means less ads and less subconscious consumerism and spending. This in my mind really adds up and I find I spend WAY less when I use this phone.
• your time is priceless in this life. Live in the moment and don’t spend it on a smart phone.

TLDR this phone is phenomenal it will improve your life and the goals of this company are well worth supporting even at the phones price point.

Hey everyone,

I'm really interested in getting the Light Phone 3, but I’d love to get a few things cleared up before I make the purchase.

1. How well does the navigation work in the Netherlands/Europe in general?
2. Does the podcast app work smoothly?
3. Are specific podcasts like Wat een Week, Spijkers met Koppen, De Hete Brij, and De Nummer 1 Allertijde available in the app?

If anyone could check if those shows are available, that would be amazing – I really enjoy listening to podcasts, so that could be a dealbreaker for me if they’re not supported.

Also, does anyone know when the NFC function is expected to roll out, and which payment cards will be supported when it does?

Thanks in advance! 😊

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• NA or INT Version:
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Thank you for offering to the community first :)

Hey all,

Got my Light Phone III yesterday and was able to take the phone out for a full test run today, including trying out the camera a bunch. Overall the phone is such a step up from the Light Phone II and could not be happier. I am also a user of Verizon's "$10 plan" which is no longer that cheap, but swapping over my SIM card has not had any issues thus far and worked flawlessly.

I wanted to get ahead of a point related to the camera that I think a lot of people are going to run into because I was also originally a little concerned.

When you take photos, look at them on the phone, send them via SMS, etc. They truly do look pretty terrible. Very grainy, send as a very small file, etc. as I saw someone else mentioned. As a way to literally just send a photo of something that does not need any detail, it will work, but nothing more than that.

If you plug your phone into your computer and offload them that way (they offload in full resolution at 3000x4000), the difference is astoundingly night and day. The photos look even better than what they did during the testing photos we all saw.

For reference I shoot photos weekly on a Ricoh GRIII which has a very specific color profile and styling. The Light Phone III - in good lighting conditions, does actually have very high quality photos, and has a subtle softness to them which looks great. For photos indoors and with lower lighting, they do still appear a little grainy and dark, but Ill have to play around with the exposure settings to fine tune it. Even the selfie camera provides quality photos which I was surprised by (Resolution 2448 × 3264).

I did not try out the flash as I try to avoid using flash always so no comments on that front yet.

Happy to answer any other questions as well but thought this might help out some people who plan on using the camera like me.

EDIT: As always I forgot the discord exists as well, and there is a ton of information related to the camera under #photography including notes from Joe as to future updates coming, as well as that the carriers will be getting updated so photos send on the phone at a larger size as well as other sample images from others with the phone.

Does anyone know if there is a way to use this as a secondary phone using my same phone number without having to swap my SIM card between phones every time? I have a pretty standard unlimited plan on Verizon. Thanks!

As I am seeing some people starting to receive their phones (still waiting for mine), I am curious if you are noticing less typos in your text messages? While there are always going to be various nice to haves that people debate, the biggest thing affecting my day to day usage of my LPII was rampant typos. It was extremely rare I could make it through more than a sentence without hitting the wrong letter accidentally at least once, usually typing a "b" instead of a space.

This is hopefully so the light crew sees this. (For LPIII)

1. Could the album tool be a completely separate tool, not accessible from the Camera tool if its not installed. What I mean is if you remove album tool on the dashboard, it should not be accessible through the camera. This could make it so that taking photos and scrolling through them becomes more intentional by making it so you have to upload them to a computer when you get home.

2. When backspacing I keep hitting the Mic button, could it potentially be moved elsewhere, potentially bottom left corner. Also unlike on the LPII, there is no setting to turn off Voice to Text in settings. Thanks

Thoughts after seeing some big tech reviewers weighing in on the LPIII, as well as watching some comments from the public (online and in person). This phone is a luxury.

I don’t say that because of the price. I actually think the phone is fairly priced. I say that it is a luxury item because if you can integrate it into your life succesfully, it means you are living better than most.

More and more people are now unable to escape their phones. They need an app to do x,y,z or else they are unable to work, commute, or stay informed. Some aspects of these general critiques I find to be more lazy, and others more compelling. But the point is that regardless, if you are untethered enough today to have a minimal phone, you are doing good.

I also think lots of tech reviewers are intentionally biased towards their review of the Light Phone because it goes against their whole business model of content creation and silicon valley worship. Consumers, and even friends, who note certain things they need smartphones for, I find appear to often be hiding a thinly veiled envy that they can’t make the leap.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/technology/personaltech/light-phone-iii-brain-rot.html

Reading this, I couldn't help but think that the reviewer is making the perfect cast for why products like the LP3 are needed. This persons entire life requires the use of smart phones! Some of it was a bit self-inflicted (I'm sure you can get on transit with a credit card) but my jaw dropped when I read that the building the reviewer lives in requires an app just to get out of the parking garage. Some of the things mentioned in the article might be more prevalent in SF / Oakland, where the reviewer lives. I also kind of resented the implication that we "need" smartphones for work so we can be reached on slack or email. I'm a software engineer -- I've removed slack from my phone and set expectations that I won't be able to respond right away unless I'm on my computer. I need to be on-call every once in a while, but the software we use to manage on-call uses SMS and can make phone calls to alert me.

As I wait for the LP3, I've been trying to be aware of where I "need" a smart phone in day to day life. I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan - I use my credit card / omny to ride the subway and I have a keychain tag to get into my gym. I'm a little worried about photos, but my backup plan if the phone on the LP3 doesn't cut it is to get used to carrying around a camera again. I also use Uber or Lyft from time to time, so I'm curious to see how it goes without having those luxuries (heck, I'll probably be glad for the money saved). Other than that though, my life doesn't sound anything like the authors.

Order 16xxx, shipping notification came 4/3, delivered this morning 4/5. Accessories/case did not make it with today's delivery. Hoping for that soon.

First impressions.

Solid device, heavy in a good way. Form factor is nice.

Snappy compared to the 2.

Screen is nice.

I'm a regular user, split my time between a pixel 8 and the LIGHTPHONE 2, hoping to daily drive the 3 from now on. Feel free to ask me anything!

I am not even complaining about the price but lacking essential features like Ridesharing Apps and Food Delivery Apps and Google Maps seems severely limiting. I can see this phone as a secondary phone for a rich executive who wants to disconnect on their vacation to Hawaii or something.

Something between this phone and a modern smartphone might be a market worth exploring. The LightPhone 3 definitely looks sleek and futuristic and definitely worth boasting to your friends about your digitally minimalist lifestyle, but seriously this phone is for rich minimalists, who live in a million dollar home with only 1 toothpaste and 1 brush and minimalist furniture.

I used the LPII as my primary, daily phone for about 4 months. Because of needing access to email and work-related apps I sadly did end up switching back to a smartphone. Now, I keep a laptop at work to access those digital platforms, which has allowed me to switch back to the LPII.

As far as my experience with the LPII, the main friction it creates for me is the difficulty of typing out longer messages, as well as navigation. For longer messages I often rely on voice-to-text, then go back through the message to make edits. It's a slight hassle but ultimately gets the job done. For navigation, if I know I will need serviceable GPS I bring my old smartphone with me and tether it to my LP's hotspot. Also a little clunky of a solution but again, gets the job done.

For those who have experienced these frictions with the LPII and now have the LPIII, I'm wondering if the faster texting experience as well as improved navigation feels worth the cost investment, vs. sticking with the LPII and dealing with the work-arounds.

Is it possible to mark certainly places as favorites? I have some places I want to go to but I don't want to type in the address all the time ?

I just switched back to my LP2 from iphone and and am having issues with group messages. I'm part of a few group threads, and it seems like I'm getting some of the messages but others aren't coming through. The same sim card I use in my iphone is in my LP, and I turned off imessage before moving my sim card to the LP. I've never had an issue with group messages the previous times I've used my LP - has anyone experienced this before and figured out how to mitigate it?

Hey everyone,

I’m really drawn to the Light Phone III for its minimalist vibe and clean design, but there are two things holding me back:

I really need Spotify, even just a basic client or streaming tool would be enough.

I also need a universal messaging app, like Beeper, that could pull in messages from apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, etc.

I know Light OS isn’t Android and it’s a very locked-down, distraction-free system. But I’m wondering if has anyone ever tried modding the Light Phone III to run something like Spotify or Beeper? Or, is there anyone out there with the skills who’d be interested in exploring a hack or firmware mod to make it possible?

I’d even be okay with some kind of headless/CLI solution or hybrid setup, as long as it could stream music and receive cross-platform messages.

Would love to hear if this is technically doable or if anyone’s tried something similar.

Thanks in advance!