Less Is More With The Light Phone


It happens every September.

Apple trots out its latest iPhone model. I initially guffaw at the price and features. What kind of schmuck needs Apple Pay! Then, a few weeks later, I’ll find myself hightailing it to an Apple Store on the release date to make an impulse upgrade.

In fairness, my birthday is Sept. 24, so it’s pretty easy to rationalize the need for a new iPhone.

This year, however, I am resisting the allure of facial-recognition technology and a camera apparently as strong as the Hubble in favor of something lighter. I’m keeping my iPhone 6S, but I’m considering a second phone.

The Light Phone is a beautiful and simple solution for those who want to get away from the barrage of push notifications, emails, text messages and social media apps now and then. It’s a phone — and only a phone. It allows you to be reachable at the phone number you already claim, and it allows you to place phone calls. If your iPhone is necessary for productivity during the week, the Light Phone is there for the weekend you don’t need to be accessible in 43 different ways.

The Light Phone drops on Oct. 30 for about $875 less than the forthcoming iPhone X. It won’t be able to recognize my face, but then again, neither does my refrigerator, and we get along just fine.