The Light Phone II review – 3-weeks with this pragmatic dumbphone

There’s a particular promise made by minimalist technology, like the Light Phone II, that rarely survives contact with daily life.

It sounds good on paper — fewer distractions, more presence, a calmer mind — but the reality often collapses somewhere between a missed WhatsApp message and a train platform with no ticket app.

Back in 2015, I was living and working in New York City.

My job in media was hectic, my weekly schedule was: work, eat, sleep, repeat.

When I came across the Light Phone Kickstarter campaign that same year, it was like a calling card for a calmer existence.

I supported the campaign, but it would be another two-years until I received my Light Phone (September 2017).

After a few months of using the original Light Phone, I reluctantly had to switch it out for a "smarter" phone that had a few more practical features, like checking email and having access to some sort of maps.

The original Light Phone simply lacked the practical features that I needed to survive in the city, primarily because of its market positioning as a secondary phone.

Fast-forward to 2026, and it's my "dumbed-down" (limited apps, grey scale theme, etc.) Samsung Galaxy S24 that is now going up against the Light Phone II – the second iteration launched in 2024 that comes packed with a few more features.

I spent three weeks using the Light Phone II as my primary device, but I wasn’t chasing novelty. I was testing a claim: are the trade-offs worth it?

This is my experience....

What is the Light Phone II, and what does it do?

The Light Phone II, made by Light, is probably better understood as a deliberately limited smart device.

With the Light Phone II you get:

• Calls and texts
• An E Ink display
• Podcast player
• GPS directions
• Calendar
• Notes

Light Phone II – Black/Light Gray

Buy now for $299

The Light Phone II does not have:

• Social media
• Email
• Browser
• App store

The home screen of the Light Phone II is deliberately boring, although incredibly aesthetically pleasing for those seeking a calmer phone experience.

You can add tools like directions, podcasts, and a calendar — but every one of them is finite, static, and intentionally dull. There’s no infinite scroll. No algorithmic feed. No background buzz.

The E Ink display is slow. The interface is sparse. Nothing about this device invites lingering.

That’s the point.

Week One: Friction, what friction?

The first week with the Light Phone II is where most people decide whether they’ll keep it.

Not because they miss social media — that urge disappears surprisingly quickly — but because the phone exposes how much modern life assumes instant access.

You notice it when:

• You need to plan meetings more clearly
• You check opening hours before leaving home
• You stop “just in case” messaging
• You accept that you won’t always be reachable

Texting feels awkward at first. The keyboard works, but it doesn’t reward verbosity. Messages become shorter. More direct. You stop composing — and start communicating.

There’s a mild, background anxiety early on. What if I need something right now?

BUT, that question fades faster than expected.

Week Two: Is it love?

Somewhere in the second week, the Light Phone II stops feeling like a decision you’re making, and starts feeling like the default.

You don’t reach for it absent-mindedly because there’s nothing there waiting for you. No notifications stacking up. No sense of falling behind.

Calls regain their weight. If someone rings, it matters. If they don’t, you don’t wonder why.

The E Ink screen plays a bigger role here than you might expect. It changes how your brain treats the device. You don’t browse it. You use it, then put it away.

This is where many people realise something important:

they weren’t addicted to apps — they were addicted to availability.

The Light Phone quietly removes that pressure.

Week Three: Will I continue using the Light Phone 2?

By week three, the fantasy either collapses — or the system clicks.

Here’s the truth that makes or breaks the Light Phone II: it works best when paired with a secondary device at home.

Banking. Two-factor authentication. Travel admin. Getting work done on the fly.

These things still exist. The difference is where they live.

Instead of living everywhere, they become situated. Done at a desk. On purpose. Then left behind.

This is where the Light Phone II becomes genuinely powerful. Not as an escape from modern life, but as a tool that stops modern life leaking into every moment.

During work hours, I found myself consciously carrying my iPad Pro (WiFi-only model), in case I needed to dip into a coffee shop to quickly get something done.

But with the Light Phone II, you adapt, and you're better off for it.

The key features of the Light Phone 2:

Battery life is excellent — two to three days comfortably.

Call quality is solid and dependable.

Texting is slower, but that’s intentional — and ultimately welcome.

The hardware itself fades into the background. It’s light, pocketable, and oddly calming to hold. There’s no slab anxiety. No sense that your attention is being siphoned away.

This phone does not ask to be checked.

Who the Light Phone II is perfect for

If you’re already considering this phone, chances are you fall into one of these camps:

• You want a phone that stops dominating your attention
• You’re comfortable doing admin on a separate device
• You value mental quiet over convenience
• You don’t want to quit technology — just renegotiate it

If that’s you, the Light Phone II doesn’t feel like a compromise. It feels like alignment.

The verdict

After three weeks, the biggest change wasn’t screen time — it was mental space.

The Light Phone II doesn’t make life easier in the short term. It makes it quieter in the long term. And for people already leaning toward buying one, that distinction matters.

If you’re reading reviews because you want permission to step back — not disappear — this is the rare product that does exactly what it says, provided you meet it halfway.

It won’t change your life overnight.

But it might give it back to you, piece by piece.

Light Phone II – Black/Gray

Available in both black and grey.

Buy now for $299

Published by The Quiet Web — pragmatic guides for calmer, more humane technology.