Production Validation Test (P.V.T.) | The Light Phone
Production Validation Test (P.V.T.)
January 2025
Production Verification Test
In early December we completed our initial P.V.T. production run and spent the following weeks in Taiwan testing the phone and packaging with our manufacturing partner. We're excited to share that everything went well! We just kicked off the second P.V.T. production late last week in early January. These phones are made exactly as we plan to produce the Light Phone III in mass production, and we're thrilled with how they look and feel.
We were also able to add antenna band 77 before our P.V.T. further improving reception and coverage.
Timeline Update
We know everyone is as eager as we are to get their new phones - below is our latest timeline for that roll out.
The regulatory certification process is about 2-4 weeks behind schedule since our previous update. We do not foresee any critical issue here, but it has been a slower process than we'd like. This means that mass production will kickoff for all phones after the Chinese New Year. The earliest pre-orders will now be getting their phones in early March, and fortunately, we will be able to ramp up much faster than we previously planned for so that we can still deliver all current outstanding pre-orders by the end of April, if not earlier.
Hardware Testing
We took the latest P.V.T. phones to Taiwan to run through a variety of final testing to ensure that the phone can withstand years of use. These tests include everything from drop testing different heights and angles, bending & twisting the phone, to testing all of the buttons and ports for repeated use. Here's a little video showing some of that process:
Light Phone III Hardware Testing from The Light Phone on Vimeo
This is a case of 10 phones in their packaging being dropped at a variety of different heights and angles.
Light III Packaging
In thinking of packaging that could be reused and serve a real utility beyond protecting the phone, we partnered with the Japanese brand Toyo Steel to create a custom toolbox for the phone that is itself a tool for a better life. The steel toolbox can last forever and be used in so many different ways; storing pencils, jewelry, a sewing kit, fishing lures, camping essentials, or just mementos.
This steel toolbox (model T-152) fits with Toyo’s existing system which are able to stack or fit inside the larger toolboxes perfectly. We plan to offer these on our store as well.
We’ve tried to eliminate all plastic, wrapping the phone itself in a paper sleeve as well. The entire package will need to be shrink wrapped to prevent any moisture in transit, but everything else is paper/card stock. There is a SIM pin included as well as a braided 1m Light branded USB-C cable. Here is a video of the full unboxing experience:
PackagingUnboxing from The Light Phone on Vimeo
Image Tuning
We worked with our image tuning partner to conclude the objective tuning with P.V.T. - this means that the camera is passing all of the benchmarks in the lab that we set with them last June. We've been testing the camera ourselves over the past few months and are now in the final stage which is subjecting tuning in which we've shared specific notes for subtle changes that help make the photographs feel the way we'd like. These changes are quite subtle, things like color shifts to white balance and exposure in certain situations. We have specific prototypes with a special camera tool to log more information about each photo we are taking.
We created a separate post with sample images, click here to see more sample images.
Directions Testing
One reason we made the Light Phone III slightly larger and with an OLED display was to significantly improve the directions/map experience. We spent a lot of time in the past two months on the refreshed directions tool. We've been able to upgrade how the device gets location information using various sensors now possible with this new phone, and it is performing really well so far. We've also reworked the tool's interface around a new dynamic map view which makes the tool much more practical to use. We've been testing all around the world as our team was traveling during the holidays. Looking forward to showing demos of this in the next update.
Accessory Prototyping
We have been working with a supplier on a custom slim case for the Light Phone III. The case is made from 100% recycled plastic (TPU). We wanted to make sure the case was also recyclable so it is made from a single material. We have identified a potential partner near our office than we can recycle old cases with when they reach the end of their life.
Below are some photos of the prototyping process. We have been exploring a variety of colors, while exact color offering is TBD, we’re hoping for more than less. The current soft mold prototypes felt a little too thin so we've been reworking the tool and experimenting with getting the right balance there.
We've created a custom matte glass screen protector for the Light Phone III as well as a USB-C to aux port dongle option. Going forward we'd like to explore other accessories such as different battery covers. We have had some conversations with other brands like Lemur interested in making custom accessories for the Light Phone III as well.
Next Steps
Getting all of the certifications necessary is a priority we've been pushing hard on so that mass production can kickoff without further delay. We've been getting as much of the carrier specific certifications complete as possible ahead of time simultaneously to regulatory certifications.
We'll continue to work on getting all of the existing tools updated for Light Phone III and polishing the interface in progress, things like further optimizing keyboard to adjusting the spacing and font sizes throughout. Our next update will focus on the LightOS itself.
Thanks for reading this update, we're so excited!
You can still pre-order the Light Phone III for the limited time discount of $599.