The minimalist Light Phone III is officially available for purchase<p>Light, the company behind <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/2019-09-04-light-phone-2-preview.html">a pair of minimalist handsets[/url], just released the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.thelightphone.com/light-phone-iii-specifications">Light Phone III[/url]. This is the perfect device for those who are tired of modern smartphones, with their easy access to doomscrolling and their abundance of <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/engadget-podcast-apples-genmoji-are-ai-disappointments-123031877.html">wonky AI tools[/url]. </p>
<p>The Light Phone III <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/light-unveils-a-new-minimalist-phone-with-a-black-and-white-oled-screen-163225012.html">features a sleek black-and-white OLED display[/url], which is a new design element. The previous models included e-paper screens. The big draw, however, is not what this phone has but what it doesn’t have. There are no third-party apps. There’s no access to social media, the internet or even email. It’s intended to be, first and foremost, a phone.</p>
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<p>It’s not completely bare. This model includes an embedded NFC chip for making payments, a bare-bones music player, a podcast player, a messaging app, a flashlight, voice notes, a calendar, a timer and an alarm. It also includes a simple camera system that was inspired by point-and-shoot models. There’s a two-step shutter button with center focus and a fixed focal length. The company calls it “genuinely fun.”</p>
<p>The Light Phone III has a navigation app, which is likely the most useful part of modern smartphones, but with a twist. The company paid for private access to navigational information, so Here (the mapping platform powering the app) has no visibility into where you go or what you search for.</p>
<p>Other specs include 6GB of RAM, up from 1GB in the Light Phone II, 128GB of memory and a newer Qualcomm chip. It includes a fingerprint ID on the power button, a USB-C port and some loudspeakers at the bottom. The battery is also user-replaceable, which is a huge bonus. It’s larger than previous generations and I find it to be pretty cute. It's around the width of a modern iPhone, but much shorter. This was on purpose, the company says, to make it easier to text while holding it vertically.</p>
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<p>There is a spot of bad news here. The Light Phone III costs $799, which dwarves the price of the second-gen model (though it is far more capable of a device). That said, you can still put in an order at the pre-order price of $599 for now — we'll see how long that sticks around for.</p>
<p><strong>Update, March 27 2025, 1:15PM ET: </strong>This story has been updated to note that the Light Phone navigation app uses Here, not Google for mapping. It also has been updated to note that the $599 pre-order price is still available for now. </p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-minimalist-light-phone-iii-is-officially-available-for-purchase-150056138.html?src=rssSource:
The minimalist Light Phone III is officially available for purchase
