Light Phone III | The Light Phone
a tool for a better life
Introducing the Light Phone III.
A phone designed to give you the tools to flourish as the most thoughtful & intentional version of yourself.
We know how difficult it can be to go against the grain of a culture that seems ready made to distract you, that's why we created The Light Phone III, making it easier to go light.
Whether you daydream about a digital detox, want to pay more attention to your toddler, or are buying your very first phone, the Light Phone III is a tool for a better life.
We future-proofed this phone so that we can provide meaningful software updates without asking you to upgrade to a new product. The Light Phone III adds a metal frame, USB-C, fingerprint ID, a flashlight, 5G, an NFC chip, and a clickable wheel.
We’ve also added a camera, but… in our own way. Taking inspiration from our favorite point-and-shoot film cameras, it has a dedicated two-step shutter button, with center focus and a fixed focal length.
Offered in a single model more compatible internationally.
made to last
Do we really need a new smartphone every single year? Can our phones last five years? Ten years?
Planned obsolescence remains an outrage to us. With software we will continue to support our products as long as we can, and now we've worked to improve repairability with an accessible battery and easier to replace screen & USB port. The Light Phone III uses Sony SORPLAS recycled plastic for the battery cover and speaker grill.
how it works
The phone itself is unlocked, and it's up to you how you want to fit it into your lifestyle. Most of our users use the Light Phone as their primary phone, often with a much cheaper service plan. Some users swap their existing SIM between their phones while others prefer a unique number for each phone.
A speaker grill provides the depth to allow for optimal acoustics. It boasts large ergonomic metal buttons, including a dedicated two-step camera shutter, half-press to focus, full press to snap a photo. Always there for easily accessing the camera. The wheel quickly controls the screen's brightness, and clicking the wheel turns on the flashlight in a pinch. The physical form of the phone represents the features it supports.
custom matte display
The Light Phone III retains the calm simplicity of the black & white interface on its larger matte OLED display. An update that delivers significant improvements to performance and overall usability without adding needless distractions.
We made a custom wider display that is optimal for texting and the simple tools of the LightOS.
LightOS
The Light Phone III is built around a user-customizable menu of optional tools. All of the tools are custom-designed for our LightOS to ensure a thoughtful experience.
Available tools currently include: Alarm, Calculator, Calendar, Directory, Directions, Hotspot, Music, Notes/Voice Memo, Podcast, Weather, Authenticator (2FA) and Timer.
We’ve also recently launched a developer program for community-built and open-source tools, making it an even more robust ecosystem for intentional & trustworthy technology across both hardware and software.
We're on a Mission...
By pre-ordering the Light Phone III you also become a part of our community. We will continue to share progress updates and surveys to make sure we are designing the phone with your priorities in mind. Help us make this the best possible Light Phone and create an alternative to the tech monopolies.
Honest Pricing
A Light Phone respects you. Our business model is honest and transparent: we sell phones that provide you with utility. You are our customer. There are no third party apps sneakily taking your data.
For some of our more advanced tools (like Directions, Directory or Voice-to-text) that utilize other platforms' technology, the cost to offer that function privately is included with the phone. It is never subsidized by your personal data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
Pre-orders are available for $899 unlocked or starting at $59/month with a two-year Light Service plan contract. The pre-order price does not include tax or shipping.
NOTE: Outside the US, sales tax/VAT/customs or duty charges may be required upon delivery.
The phone itself is unlocked and requires an active and compatible plan. We have optional plans starting at $25/month (+ tax). Because most of Light Phone uses very little data, our users have tended to save on monthly phone plans regardless of which carrier they choose.
What are the features?
At its core, the Light Phone III is a simple phone with a camera and some optional tools available. All of our tools are built around intentional use.
Currently those include an alarm, timer, calculator, calendar, directory, directions, notes/voice memo, a simple music & podcast player, weather and an authenticator (2FA) tool. We will continue to roll out more features like this with our ongoing software updates, always optionally and never pre-installed.
We’ve also recently launched a developer program for community-built and open-source tools, making it an even more robust ecosystem for intentional & trustworthy technology across both hardware and software.
There is not currently a music streaming tool for platforms like Spotify, or a way to call/message with other platforms like Signal or WhatsApp. There is not a Rideshare tool available, either. These features may be possible in future software updates.
The phone itself has gps, bluetooth, finger print ID, a noise cancellation mic, camera, flashlight, supports voice-to-text, and can be used as a personal hotspot.
For the Light Phone III we've also added some hardware to support future features such as a potential digital wallet with the NFC chip or video calls/accessibility features with a front-facing camera. These features are not yet available, but will be enabled with future software updates.
While considering additional functionality for the Light Phone III, it's important to remember all of the features it will never have. The Light Phone III will never have social media, internet browsing, email, news, or ads. There are simply no infinite feeds.
The Light Phone III currently only supports an English keyboard/language on the device. You will still be able to view incoming messages in a variety of languages and characters. We are working to expand our language support, thanks for understanding.
When will I get my phone?
A new pre-order of the Light Phone III is expected to deliver in September 2026. The phones began shipping in March 2025 to our earliest pre-orders.
Placing a pre-order now secures your place in line for the next available phone. As we pre-sell out of our initial batches of Light Phone III, the estimated shipping date will reflect the current projected timeline for the next available phone which is now September 2026.
How does the camera work?
We've built the camera, like all of our tools, with intentional use in mind.
Unlike most smartphones, the Light Phone III has a dedicated two-step shutter button. If you have used some auto-focus point-and-shoot cameras before you will be familiar with this type of shutter in which you half-press to focus the image, and full press to snap the photo. It is a tactile and practical way to take photographs. Also, clicking the shutter button will quickly open the camera.
Though the LightOS interface is intentionally limited to black & white, the photos/camera will be in color.
The camera is limited to center-focus and a fixed focal length of around 28mm equivalent. The default image output is 12mp (4,000px x 3,000px), from a 50mp rear sensor. There is an 8mp front-facing camera as well.
There are a variety of reasons why a camera can be quite a handy tool, from documenting a moment, snapping references & inspiration, remembering a flyer or schedule, showing your spouse the options of towels at the store or for self-defense.
The Light Phone III can send and view images in text messages.
To learn more, check out our blog post about the process of building the camera tool and some sample images from the Light Phone III.
Will it work with my carrier?
We've created a compatibility checker website for you to see which carriers and regions will support the Light Phone III. We’ll continue to add carriers as we learn more.
We never intentionally lock the device in any way.
Technical specifications?
We've created this page for viewing the technical specs and line drawings of the Light Phone III.
Dimensions: 106mm x 71.5mm x 12mm
Weight: 124g
Network: 5G + 4GLTE
Display: 3.92” AMOLED (1080x1240)
Screen: Matte Glass
Port: USB-C 2.0
Camera: 12mp default image output
(50mp rear sensor / 8mp front sensor)
SIM: Nano SIM + E-SIM
Memory: 128GB / 6GB RAM
Battery: 1800 mAH
Sound: 2 mics (noise cancellation), 2 stereo speakers
Features: GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Fingerprint ID
Materials: Aluminum, Glass, SORPLAS Recycled Plastic
Chipset: Qualcomm SM 4450
IP Rating: IP 54
The Light Phone III does not have any expandable memory like with SD card slot. There is not a headphone jack, but the USB-C port can be used for wired headphones.
What is the battery life?
There are a lot of factors when considering average daily battery life, from quality of the signal to the amount of time with different tools. We have nearly doubled the battery from 950mAh of the Light Phone II to 1800mAh for the Light Phone III. It is, however, too early for us to estimate any precise battery life at this stage. We are confident it should last through a full day of normal usage, and hopefully much more.
Is the Light Phone III repairable?
We are still working on the details on which repair services we will be able to offer. We designed the Light III to be easier to repair than previous models.
We expect to be able to offer at least screen & USB port repair/replacement service and battery replacement options, both for purchase and as a service.
Who is manufacturing the phone?
Light III was designed in Brooklyn & Taiwan in collaboration with Foxconn. It will be assembled by Foxconn in mainland China, near Shenzhen.
You can see more about the process of making the Light Phone III on our blog.
What about Light Phone II?
We have no plans to stop producing or supporting the Light Phone II.
We will continue to add meaningful software updates, even adding new tools, and our next LightOS update is already in the works for the Light Phone II. We do not believe in planned obsolescence.
We don't see the Light Phone III as a direct replacement of the Light Phone II, but an alternative model we're introducing.
Light Phone II Trade-In?
Honestly, we do not yet have plans to accept trade-ins for the Light Phone II, as we didn't consider this a direct replacement of that model. We are not sure logistically how we could support such a trade-in model at the moment, but we have heard the interest and will investigate what we might be able to offer in the future. No matter what we may or may not offer for trade-ins in the future, we can always help responsibly recycle any old phones, Light Phones or otherwise.