Simcha says:

Switching to the Light Phone 3 in September of 2025 truly brought hours back into my day. I had hemmed and hawed about it for a long while and when my iPhone bit the dust, I didn’t want to just buy another one and keep moving forward in the same cycle. The Light Phone 3 does pretty much everything I need a phone to do - I can text, call, get directions, listen to music (uploaded via mp3) or podcasts (automatically updates when you “subscribe” to the podcasts you’re interested in), set timers and alarms, and take photos and video. That’s all there is to it! I used to find myself scrolling when I was on the bus especially and it never felt like a wholly satisfying way to spend time in transit.
Now, I find my transit time is spent reading, making lists, actually replying to text messages instead of putting them off, or just looking out the window and being.
While I do still have social media that I can access on a computer or iPad, having the separation of my phone as just a phone feels like a healthy barrier around my time and my attention.
For folks that need or want more rigidity and permanence than something like a Brick can provide, I would highly recommend a Light Phone.
Does it occasionally drop a text especially in a group chat setting? Yes, but if the cost of having more of my time and attention back is losing a text or two along the way, it feels entirely worth it to me.

For this month’s how-to, we’re sharing how a pivot away from smartphones can be key in reclaiming your time.

OR Unplugged’s Simcha shares below how the Light Phone was a game changer for them. Simcha has the Light Phone 3 which retails new for $899. They wanted to emphasize however that the secondhand market is rife with phones at below retail price! Simcha found their Light Phone new in the box on eBay for well-below retail price.

ORU How-To