Light Phone 2: A More Value Added Light Phone
You do not need smartphone all the time. Sometimes you want to take the outside life in and that too without really being disconnected with the basic phone functions like calling or sending text messages. Well, Light which is a Brooklyn-based startup gave it a serious thought and came up with their Light Phone just nearly two years ago. After the huge success of the first device the company now came with a smarter successor with some more value additions while sticking to its commitment to deliver a basic and stripped-off mobile experience. So, we have got Light Phone 2.
The Light Phone 2 and its predecessor
From the outside, the Light Phone 2 rather looks every bit similar to its predecessor. The real difference only comes to the fore when you turn on the screen. The earlier LED display for reading text coupled up with physical button spaces now has been replaced by a complete touch-sensitive E-Ink display.
But if you think introduction of the touch-sensitive screen is a shift from the company’s commitment to stick to basics, you are wrong. The new screen is certainly not going to host any smartphone app, but it will allow you access to a handful of frequently needed tools like an alarm clock, messaging, a navigation system, etc.
There is a considerable difference in regard to the pitching of the two products. While the original and first Light Phone was mainly pitched as a “second phone” beside your smartphone Light Phone is more complete allowing you to stay clear of smartphones at times without compromising on basic features and tools.
It is equipped with a lot of handy tools
While with every new smartphone running on iOS or Android complexities are mounting up as the devices are getting feature rich and multifunctional, the user experience often suffers tremendously at the hands of multiple apps contesting one with the other for drawing attention and more screen time. We often feel ourselves caught among the battling apps.
Sometimes, when you just want to cut off from this overwhelming app ecosystem and just want to stay content with the basics of communication through a handheld, your smartphone seems way too heavy with features and functions. This is when Light Phone comes to rescue.
The OS of the Light Phone comes loaded with a few must-have tools, and the device offers physical buttons to scroll through the toolbox that can be customised for your use. The device comes with a typographic interface allowing you to access different tools at ease. Simplicity and ease of communication make the core of this phone. It allows you dialling a number instantly, sending text messaging or finding a contact.
Unlike the unused or rarely used volume of features in any modern smartphone, the tools provided with this phone do not cause any distractions at all. Moreover, with the introduction of 4G connectivity and E-ink screen in the new Light Phone 2, you can easily access and navigate through these tools.
Some of the key tools and features provided by the new Light Phone 2 include the following:
- Alarm Clock: It doesn’t go into sleep with your smartphone.
- Ride Sharing Partnership: It connects with a ride sharing app to help you reach home.
- Playlist: It allows you creating and playing a playlist of your preference.
- Directions: It helps you navigating through any area with clear directions.
Features and specs
Let us have a look at the key specs of Light Phone 2.
Dimensions: With just 91mm x 55mm size and 6.5-7.5mm thickness it is extremely lightweight and handy. It weighs approximately 80g.
OS: It runs on a special modified Android version called LightOS.
Connectivity: It is equipped with all prominent connectivity types including 4G LTE, Wifi and GPS.
Memory: It is loaded with 1 GB DDR3 RAM and 8GB inbuilt eMMC memory.
Sensor: It is equipped with the Proximity sensor.
Battery: It comes with 500mAh battery which is enough to make it live for a day with moderate use.
Color: It would come in two primary colours such as Black and White.
Processor: It is powered by a heavy-duty Qualcomm MSM8909W processor.
Display: It comes with touch-sensitive E-Ink display.
SIM Card: It comes loaded with Nano SIM
Language support: It supports only English for communicating the device interface.
Price and availability
The Light Phone 2 launched its Indiegogo campaign on March 1, and in just a day it received 170% funding amounting to nearly $423,000. The company plans to ship it from April this year with a $400 price tag. But you can grab the phone now for only $250 from Indiegogo.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.