Going Light
Going Light
What a Light Phone is, Why I Got One, and What I Think of It
The Light Phone
I first heard about Light Phones from a person I follow on social media. A couple years ago, she felt that social media was taking too big of a place and too much time in her life. To be more intentional with her time, she got a Light Phone. So, I looked it up to learn more about it. A Light Phone is a basic phone using 4G LTE, with an electronic paper screen (think Kindle) that is easy on your eyes. I have Light Phone II, which has a few more features/tools than the first Light Phone. The tools on my phone are phone (text/call), alarm, calculator, directions, hotspot, music, and podcasts. No social media, no internet. It is designed to be used minimally. For more information, here is the website: The Light Phone.
Why I Got One
After learning about The Light Phone, I became interested in eventually getting one. I liked the idea of being more intentional with my time and being more deliberate with my social media presence. However, I had recently gotten my iPhone 11 and was making payments on it, so I didn’t want to rush into getting another phone just yet. Over the past couple years, I have toyed with the idea of getting a Light Phone, but never seriously until I had paid off my iPhone and was ready for an upgrade. The main factor in deciding to get one was that I can’t justify buying another smart phone. Earlier this year, I learned of some lawsuits against Apple, Google, Tesla and some other major tech companies over the use of child labor in the cobalt mines of The Democratic Republic of the Congo. These lawsuits were brought because of the deaths and severe injury of children in the mines. Cobalt and lithium are necessary for the making of smart phones, among other battery-powered modern technology. For us to have the smart phones and devices that we do have, and to have so many of them, and then to buy new ones every few years, that means children are being forced, with little to no compensation, to mine these elements under God-forsaken conditions. (Child Labor, Deaths and injuries). Upon learning this, I had no desire to buy a new smart phone. How could I justify buying something I don’t need when the companies making it are indirectly forcing children as young as six years old to mine the materials? I cannot. So I looked into the Light Phone again and prepared to buy one.
What I Think After Two Weeks
I’ve had my Light Phone for about two weeks now. A few people has asked for an update on what I think. So, here’s my initial thoughts and observations.
Setup: Directions are easy to follow. The few questions I had were answered by the Light Phone website for setting up my dashboard. I got an unlocked phone, but am still using my current provider. I just moved my sim card over to the Light Phone.
Tools: On the dashboard website, you can add or remove tools from your phone. You simply go to the dashboard and select which tools to add and then they show up on your Light Phone.
Battery Life: At first, it seemed like the battery life was short, however, I realized that because of how little I use the phone, the battery does last all day.
Screen: The e-ink screen is nice. It does respond a lot slower than I’m used to, but is consistent with the nature and design of the phone.
Music: The music tool requires you to upload songs to the phone, so I don’t have any music on there currently. I hope in the future they are somehow able to add Spotify or other music services.
Podcasts: On the dashboard, you can search podcasts to add to the phone. I was able to find several podcasts that I listen to and add them.
I thought that it was going to take a while to adjust to this phone, but it’s not that big of a deal for me. I like that when I’m at work, I’m no longer tempted to get on social media. I can, however, turn on my hotspot and connect my iPhone if I need to send a photo or check my email. I’ve decided to use my iPhone more like a tablet now. I have been using my hotspot on my breaks and on lunch which has also encouraged me to be more intentional with social media or games. When I can connect to wifi, I can use my iPhone however, except to text and call of course.
So, while I can still doomscroll, I find that I am much more aware of when I do and therefore, do it less. I also tend to get bored with social media quicker now that it’s harder to get on. I’m rather happy with my Light Phone and I’m looking forward to the changes it will bring in my life.
If you have any specific questions, I’ll be glad to answer them!