Light Phone 2 Review 2024

If you’re looking for a straightforward phone that doesn’t constantly demand attention, the Light Phone 2 may be just the thing. Light Phone II sets boundaries, limiting you to basic activities like making calls, sending text messages, and using basic maps apps.

Also read, Wise Phone vs Light Phone: Which Minimalist Phone is Better?

Light Phone 2 Review 2024

Design

The Light Phone II is an unmistakably bland, blocky block of matte plastic slightly larger than a deck of cards. It measures 3.8 x 2.0 x 0.30 inches (HWD), weighs 2.8 ounces, and is available in grey or white.

The bland aesthetic is meant to encourage less focus on your Phone. That said, it’s also a product that will spark questions from your friends when you take it out of your pocket.

The power button and headphone jack are on the Phone’s top edge, while the menu and volume buttons are on the right. The bottom rail has a micro USB charging port and a speaker. Although the Phone is splash-resistant, it is unlikely to survive an accidental drop in water.

Despite its practical design, there’s little about the Phone’s design that’s ideal. It’s too short to fit between your neck and shoulder when talking on the Phone. The menu button is awkwardly located between the volume buttons.

Display

Keeping with the minimalist philosophy, the Light Phone 2 features a 2.8-inch front-lit E-Ink display with huge bezels. The sum of the bezels on each side is almost equal to the display size. The screen was bright enough to be used in direct sunlight but showed intermittent afterimages and uneven front lighting.

Storage and Battery life

The Phone has 8GB of storage space, but there’s no way to check how much space is available. Battery life is a little over 6 hours of talk time and about three days of standby time.

Since the Light Phone II has a micro USB charging port, it does not support fast charging. That means it only takes about one and a half hours to charge the battery fully.

Call quality

Because the Light Phone II is small, the microphone is farther from your mouth than on most phones when placed against your ear. Call quality is good, but noise cancellation is not good. In testing, the Phone picked up the background noise of the subway and passed traffic during many calls.

The earpiece speaker volume peaks at 86dB, loud enough to be heard in most situations, but the sound is quiet. The mids are over-represented, and we noticed some distortion in the upper-frequency range. It has Bluetooth 4.0 and a headphone jack, both of which are better options for audio.

Call/SMSCharges

Light Phone offers an unlimited talk and text plan on the AT&T network for $30 per month (including 1GB of data) and an unlimited talk, text, and data plan for $70 per month. However, we don’t recommend unlimited plans for hot-spotting because of the Light Phone II’s Qualcomm Snapdragon.

Cellular coverage is solid thanks to VoLTE support from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon in bands 2/4/12/13/17/25/26. That means band 66 (used by all three carriers) and band 71 (for rural T-Mobile customers) are missing. Although it has a built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio, the Phone does not support Wi-Fi calling.

Light Phone 2 Operating system

The Light Phone II runs Light OS, a straightforward version of Android. When you press the menu button on your Phone, the OS displays options for Phone, Messages, Alarms, and Settings.

You can also add podcasts, music, and map apps from your browser through your Light Phone dashboard. The company has long discussed options for integrating streaming playlists, a notes app, and a ride-hailing app, but as of this writing, none of these features are available. It also lacks almost all the accessibility features found on Android or iOS.

Podcasts are by far the best optional app. Log in to your Light Phone dashboard, search for your favorite podcasts, and instantly add them to your Phone. On the other hand, the recently released maps app is a mess. It goes into offline mode intermittently, and the E Ink display often refreshes when it needs to be rotated.

Music apps are even more problematic. It only supports MP3, not DRM. Most people will only pay for streaming services; the few who buy music will probably buy the lossless format.

Lite Phone only supports SMS messages. You can receive emoticons, but you cannot send replies. When you receive a photo or MMS, the photo and other attachments are delivered to the linked email address.

Hence, you only get a picture icon that leaves you wondering exactly what you missed until you use your computer or another phone.

Sending a text message with the Light Phone’s tiny E Ink keyboard can feel futile when you want to reply. Thankfully, modern text chat features allow you to dictate messages, which makes things even more helpful.

Light Phone 2 Price

The official website base price for the Light Phone 2 is $299. The Light Phone website offers international shipping. However, shipping costs and estimated delivery times may vary depending on location.

Where to Buy Light Phone 2?

Light Phone 2 can be purchased from the official thelightphone.com. The Light Phone 2 is also available through Verizon in the US.

Benefits of having Light Phones 2

• Instead of listening to music while running, you hear the sounds around you.
• Instead of relying on GPS, you get to know the map.
• Instead of texting, you can call people.

Conclusion: Is The Light Phone 2 Worth It?

Ultimately, the Light Phone 2 is best suited for people who can shell out $300. Despite its relatively affordable price, the Light Phone II isn’t sturdy enough for kids to use, and its keyboard is too small and fussy for older people or people with motor impairments. This is a luxury for those who can afford to disconnect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns the Light Phone?

Light was founded in 2014 by Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang, artists and product designers who met in Google’s Experiments program.

Is LightPhone 2 unlocked?

Yes, Light Phone II is an unlocked 4G LTE phone.

How long will the LightPhone 2 last?

The Light Phone II’s battery life is approximately 1-3 days of ‘light’ everyday use. Like a smartphone, talking for extended periods will drain your battery. Cell signal quality also affects battery life. The battery size is 950mAh.

Is the Light Phone 2 white or black?

Light Phone II is released in two colors: black and light grey. These two colors match the brightest and darkest shades of the E-ink screen display. The Light Phone II is not a “pure white” color like the original.

Does Light Phone 2 have Internet?

Light Phone II has Wi-Fi. It’s off by default. You won’t be able to browse the Internet on the Light Phone II, but Wi-Fi will speed up the rate at which you can sync your Phone with your dashboard or receive over-the-air updates.

What SIM card does Light Phone 2 use?

Light Phone II requires an activated and compatible nano SIM card. Locate the SIM pin in the packaging underneath the charging cable to insert the SIM. Insert the pin into the SIM slot on the left side of your Phone. When you feel the SIM tray pop out, pull out the SIM tray.

How many GB is Light Phone 2?

Light Phone II has 8GB of device storage space that the operating system, phone history, and various tools can share.

Does Light Phone 2 have music?

Light Phone II’s music tool is a simple one-playlist music player. Upload your audio files through the Dashboard website, and they will be converted, synced, and stored on your Light Phone II.

Do lightweight phones have GPS?

Once ready, the GPS will remain in this warm start state as long as the phone is turned on and can be used with the directions tool. Note: You can turn off GPS background priming in Settings > Preferences > Tools > Directions > ‘Enable GPS priming’ toggle.

Is the Light Phone waterproof?

Light Phone II has a water resistance rating of IPX3. This is defined as the product can be exposed to water up to 60 degrees without damage.

Can I take photos with a light phone?

Light Phone II does not display images. When an MMS (text name containing an image or photo similar to media) is sent to you, you will receive a photo icon indicating that someone has sent you an image or video. Below are the steps to automatically forward these messages to email.

Is the Light Phone an Android phone?

LightOS. The Light Phone II runs an Android-based operating system called Light OS, which Light developed. Consumers have found ways to jailbreak to access Android. Future iterations of Light OS will add more features and services, including music streaming, WhatsApp, and ride-sharing.

Can I put a SIM card in Light Phone 2?

The Light Phone II can be used as a secondary phone in several ways, depending on your needs. Swap SIM Card: If you have a default phone setup from a Light Phone II-supported carrier, you can insert your current SIM card into your Light Phone whenever you want to use it.

Does Light Phone 2 have Bluetooth functionality?

The Light Phone II includes Bluetooth (4.2), but it’s turned off by default.