Imagine eliminating the smartphone from your life—the same device you’re using to read this article, check emails every five minutes, or scroll through Instagram. Our phones have become the custodians of many aspects of our lives, even private ones, and today, giving them up seems almost impossible. However, there is an alternative: it’s called Light Phone, and its innovations in design and approach promise a completely new attitude towards technology. Intrigued by this topic, we spoke with Edoardo, a millennial who has chosen to switch to Light Phone for years.

The Story of Light Phone

The story of Light Phone began on Kickstarter in May 2015, where over the years, the founders—Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang—shared the progress of their project. The two met during 30 Weeks, a Google incubator for designers. With years of experience in the mobile phone industry, they conceptualized this phone. The company’s tagline is, in fact, «your phone away from phone».

Light Phone II and III

Ten years after its debut on Kickstarter, we’ve reached the Light Phone III, following the sale of 100,000 units of the Light Phone II. While these devices have yet to reach the mainstream audience, the small company has managed to stay true to its values, maintaining a balance between improving functionality and respecting its original principles.

Compared to previous versions, the Light Phone III now features a large matte OLED display, continues to use the company’s dedicated black-and-white operating system, and includes new features like an NFC chip for contactless payments, Bluetooth, USB-C, and even front and rear cameras.

Abandoning the Smartphone

Although switching from a smartphone to a device like Light Phone might seem impossible to many, some have made this decision permanently. «The first thing you learn to manage when you no longer have a smartphone is the so-called FOMO [Fear of Missing Out],» says Edoardo, a millennial musician who has embarked on the journey of living almost entirely without a smartphone.

But how and why does one make such a decision? «I started noticing an issue with smartphones around June 2020, during the COVID era. I realized that excessive exposure to social media was detrimental to my mental health and emotional stability, probably because of the overwhelming amount of daily news about deaths and problems related to the virus,» Edoardo explains.