Smartphones are ubiquitous in our lives: we rely on them to navigate unfamiliar surroundings, look up information, and stay in touch with people with an ever-growing collection of apps. A new, minimalist phone is designed for people want to eliminate all that clutter, but still remain reachable.
The size of a credit card, The Light Phone is about as stripped down as one can get: it can receive and make calls, store up to nine numbers, and tell the time. That’s it. No texting, e-mail, or anything else. This also isn’t a bluetooth accessory that pairs to a smartphone: users open an account and install an app on their existing smartphone, which forwards calls to and from the device. It also means that users don’t need to worry about maintaining a second number.
The Light Phone has an unlocked SIM card, and operates on a 2G GSM network (users will need to pay five dollars a month for service). According to the company, it will last for three days on standby mode, and runs a “stripped down version of Android.” It also comes in black and white.
The phone was first launched on Kickstarter in 2015, and shipped the first batch of devices to backers back in January. Non-backers to the project can now preorder their own for $150. The phone is expected to ship at the end of May, but it’s only available in the US at the moment.
