The Light Phone 2 is a device that is designed to help you reclaim your attention by eliminating all the distractions of modern smart phones that seek to steal your focus. Here’s our unboxing and first impression of this minimal phone.
A phone apart
Today we’re unboxing the Light Phone 2, the successor to the original device that promises to help you be more intentional with your time by respecting your attention. It’s a phone that replaces social feeds with features, forcing you to get back to living in the real world, free of the screens that bind us.
Of note, this isn’t a full review, for that, be sure to check out our detailed write up where we tested the phone for two years against real world use.
Actually, I have a secret…this is my second, LP2. Whilst my first held up just fine in daily use, the screen took a hit at some point. Unfortunately, with Light having a smaller footprint than the Samsungs of the world, repairs are hard to come by, though the company does offer refurbished models for those whose phones have taken a tumble. They’ve also told me that they are working on a repairs program as part of their ongoing sustainability efforts
A few weeks later and it’s finally here in our studio; the Light Phone 2.
Unboxing and first impressions
The packaging is similar to the first Light Phone, this time designed to look more like a notebook or journal than a coffee table book. Perhaps this is a subtle hint at just one of the activities you could do if not glued to the screen of a smartphone.
Along the side there is a zip tab that we need to pull to open, and along the front and backside we find some simple branding, including the phase ‘a phone for humans’. Love that.
A product sticker reveals that this was made in China and designed in New York.
Turns out that the zip tab is very firm, and requires some force to open. The good news is that there’s little chance of the phone coming loose from the packaging any time soon, or it accidentally opening either. Once open, we are greeted with some more mindful messaging on the inside panel.
“The light phone is for going light. It is a choice.”
Flipping over to the other side we can see the phone in the middle section with what looks to be a user guide on the right. Inside the left side panel can be read some inspiring words from the company about intentionality; “The light phone is for going light. It is a choice. How will you experience your life today? Appreciate your time, life is right now. Much love, light.”
The right panel opens to reveal a quick-start user guide, conveniently printed right on the box. It covers all the basics including a diagram of the phone, how to insert the SIM and a link to both a longer form manual, Light Phone Dashboard to finish configuring your account and device, as well as a link for troubleshooting and support.
The middle section contains the phone itself, and a smaller box with the charging cable inside. Once that’s out, you can gain access to the SIM ejector tool. The provided cable is micro-USB, which was being phased out a few years ago when the phone was originally released, and today is very much superseded by the more versatile USB-C format.
What we have is a very petite phone, coming in just 78grams, less than 9mil thick and featuring an e-ink display that’s just under three inches.
Returning to the phone, it is pops out easily and is further protected by a thin layer of plastic film, which has the time and home icon printed on it, to give you an idea of the phone’s display before powering it on. Comparing it to the LP2 it is replacing, their don’t appear to be any noticeable differences. They are both the same dimensions with the same ports. In fact, the only cosmetic change I can see is that this newer phone is a deeper black. This helps reduce the contrast between the body of the phone and the screen, hiding the screen’s border in the process. It’s a better, less noticeable visual transition. It also comes in an off-white colour that the company calls ‘light gray’.
So, what we have is a very petite phone, coming in just 78grams, less than 9mil thick and featuring an e-ink display that’s just under three inches. On the left side is the SIM slot, the rear features some company branding and a removable sticker with legal markings, the right side has your up and down buttons, with a shortcut key in between them, which will take you to your installed ‘tools’.
On the front we have the e-ink display and above that a speaker grill and light sensor. Up top we have the power button and 3.5inch headphone jack. Hey, remember those? Finally, the bottom is where you’ll find the micro-USB port and microphone.
Some phones come with a little juice in them, ours did not and requires charging.
The Light Phone 2 is available for $299 USD at Light.
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