I will preface this review by first saying that it is absolutely a positive 10/10 review. Even though I am choosing a different basic phone in the end. I will also say that never did I think I would be posting a phone review let alone becoming so interested in technology (or rather the lack thereof) but here we are…
Last week I received my Light Phone II (the light grey international model). I had been reading about this phone for the past year or so and loved the idea of it and the entire ethos of the company even more. The Light Phone is one of the most basic phones you can get. There is no web browsing, no apps, no email. It is a phone for texting and calling and the company even says right in the box that it is a phone to be used as little as possible. This was exactly what I was looking for. I want to be able to check my email via our computer once in the morning and once in the evening. I check in on Instagram once a week (also via our computer). My intention for making the switch to a ‘dumbphone’ was to greatly reduce distraction in my every day and to set this example for my daughters (who were becoming far too fasincated by even just the presence of my iphone). So the Light Phone seemed like the perfect solution and it is. In a way. The concept of owning a ‘light’ phone / dumbphone is the solution that I have found in order to be more present and connected in my day to day life. But the actual way that it works turns out to be less ideal in a practical sense for me. Although I love the aestehtic of this phone and the ethos of the company, here are the ways that it doesn’t work for me and why I have decided to switch over to a basic Nokia instead…
As I am in France, I need to be able to text in French. The texting (on a really nice no blue light ink screen I may add!) does not support this (nor does it support voice to text in French)
While it is a really lovely simple looking phone, I worry about it surviving the way that I handle my phone (not carefully) or what would happen to it if (when) my daughters get their hands on it. I need something more solid and resistant.
Battery life. It does not hold battery as well as I would like. When thinking of being out for the day far from home with my daughters in the car for example, it is important to me that I have a reliable phone in this sense for safety reasons.
Impossible to use the one app that I want to use (WhatsApp) which is not really a fault of the phone itself but rather something I overlooked when choosing it. My brother, my parents and my best friend do not live in France and I talk and message with them a lot which I would like to continue doing or at least know that I could easily connect with them in any urgent situation.
In saying all of this, I would still highly reccommend this phone! Its just not the one for me at this point in my life. Instead, I will be switching to a basic Nokia which does have WhatApp (but none of the rest). It also has a battery that lasts for days and can be dropped and roughly handled!
I will let you know how the Nokia goes… until then, here are some good links to check out:
https://dumbphones.pory.app/
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60763168
And some lovely words from TechLess
The Techless Manifesto
We believe technology is a gift - an incredibly powerful one.
It has the potential to bring us together, keep us connected, and free up space, so we can deepen relationships and invest in people.
But, for many of us, this power has been hijacked.
Flashing screens feed dopamine highs. Instant gratification destroys discipline. A thousand shades of explicit content enslave our brains (and, often, the helpless victims involved). And the very device meant to delight and support us has taken us captive. It screams for more, and we oblige.
On top of this, our data is being used, abused, and exposed. Our homes and children are overcome by uninvited influences. Our self-control is taxed by the endless stream of brain chemicals. Our self-esteem has plunged into a black hole of bullying and comparison.
And our relationships are suffering.
We find ourselves over-indulging, keeping secrets, and turning away from the people we love - the people we so desperately need.
How is it that the more we consume, the more we are consumed? And the more connected we are, the more disconnected we find ourselves? Is it addiction? Compulsion? Gluttony? Sin? Brain chemistry? Manipulation by big tech?
Whatever it is, we need a break. We need space to breathe; a release from the onslaught; a chance to look up.
Heres to looking up xo