Engineering Validation Test Production (EVT)

July 2024

E.V.T. Production

Having made over 250 Light Phone III prototypes, our June/July Engineering Validation Test (E.V.T.) production was a success. These looks-like, works-like prototypes are assembled with all the intended materials and final manufacturing processes to ensure everything works as expected. There are some things we'll continue to optimize of course, though we are happy to report that there were no serious flaws and that our schedule is still on track.

The samples look great and are getting very close to the final product. We were also able to finalize the polarizer for the front glass which helps seamlessly blend the screen with the surrounding painted glass for the upcoming Design Validation Test (D.V.T.) production.

Engineering Validation Test Prototype Demo (July 2024) from The Light Phone on Vimeo

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The Light Phone III Engineering Verification Test Prototype Demo

The software shown is a demo app we created to test some hypotheses about the architecture of the LightOS on the new device. We wanted to explore gestures like swiping and texting as we keep working on getting the LightOS ready to support the Light Phone III. The UX refinement is a work in progress.

Light Wheel & Bumper...

We have been experimenting with the wheel size and bumper design since our initial prototypes. We'll share more about the wheel as we finalize this aspect of the phone's design for the upcoming D.V.T. production. One goal of the E.V.T. production was to give us a variety of wheel options to run through different drop testing environments, as well analyze the general feel of the user experience and aesthetic.

CNC Machining

CNC machining is the process of turning a metal block into the final structure of the Light Phone III. This incredibly precise process allows for the degree of customization we need - things like the slits for antennas sitting flush with the body or the wheel and it's bumper. It is an 8-step process of CNC machining to get the full design details of the Light Phone III body. Each button and the wheel are also individually CNC machined to achieve the same level of precision. All of these parts are made using recycled aluminum.

Assembly Line

While it is expected that there will be some minor problems in any first-production run, our initial production was fortunately quite smooth. It took place in Shenzhen, China, and our engineers were all present to help with tweaking and optimizing the line. Operators were getting up to speed and familiar with the product. We created a variety of fixtures and line testing machines for the antenna, camera, speaker/microphone, and buttons. One cool note is this production does use both the black PCB and battery.

Next Steps...

These phones are being distributed amongst our engineering and software teams. These teams will be working on drop testing, antenna tuning, speaker tuning, early camera tuning, LightOS software development, mechanical button optimization, and some certification preparation (government and carrier level).

Some things we are going to keep working on for the upcoming DVT (Design Verification Test) include:

1. Finalizing the bumper around the wheel design and general performance of the wheel itself
2. Begin camera/image tuning process
3. Reduce the battery door vibration when playing music through loud speaker (speaker tuning still a work in progress)
4. Optimize the two-step camera shutter button for even more tactile push
5. Improve alignment of screws on battery door
6. Tweak the color on front speaker grill
7. Refine the SIM tray door which isn't sitting flat currently. SIM injector hole will also be painted black going forward

Software

We've been working hard behind the scenes to prepare all aspects of the LightOS and dashboard experience to support the new device. We are using this opportunity to take everything we have learned from building the Light Phone II and improve it as much as possible from the very beginning. This includes a lot of planning, upgrading things like the React Native version, optimizing a lot of existing features as well as reworking the call architecture. This will bring reliability and performance improvements to both the existing Light Phone II and the new Light Phone III, which share the same LightOS. We are really excited to deliver the best LightOS experience.

We look forward to sharing our progress here as we continue to finalize the phone for mass production later this year. We'd love for you to be a part of the journey.

Pre-Order the Light Phone III ($499 limited time offer)

And to anyone who has committed their support of the project with a pre-order, we sincerely thank you! It's been such a joy to see the excitement everyone has for the new phone, and our team cannot wait to share it with you.

Joe & Kai on June 11th celebrating the announcement of the Light Phone III

Playing with an idea for printing a little note on the PCB below the battery...