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Minimalist phones and dumbphones · Light · United States

Light Phone III

Pre-order Sold to US buyers No Google

Ships with: LightOS

Touchscreen · 3.92" · 6 GB RAM · 128 GB · 1,800 mAh · 124 g · 106 × 71.5 × 12 mm

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026

What it can and can't do

Light describes the Light Phone III as "a simple phone with a camera and some optional tools." You add or remove tools from a dashboard website on your computer, not from an app store on the phone.

As of Light's tool status page (updated Sept. 15, 2026), the tools are:

• Alarm, calculator, timer, notes and voice memo, calendar
• Music and podcast player (your own files and podcasts, not streaming services)
• Directory (search for businesses) and Directions (turn-by-turn navigation using GPS)
• Hotspot, so you can share the phone's data with a laptop or tablet
• Album, Rideshare (Lyft and Uber), Weather and an Authenticator for two-factor codes (Light Phone III only)

Messaging is ordinary SMS and MMS texting through your carrier, including group messages. Light says there is "not currently" a way to use Signal or WhatsApp, and no Spotify-style streaming, though "these features may be possible in future software updates." Light's developer page says it is building "our own Signal tool" (no date given, as of Oct. 15, 2026). Light says the phone "will never have social media, internet browsing, email, news, or ads."

The phone also has a fingerprint reader, NFC chip and front camera. Light says NFC (for a possible digital wallet) and front-camera video calls "are not yet available" and depend on future software updates. The interface and keyboard are English only.

Light opened a developer program in summer 2026, with a software kit (SDK) it also used to build its own Weather, Authenticator and Rideshare tools. In October 2026 it opened submissions for a community Tool Library of "Light-approved tools, created by the community," installed from the dashboard website, and says the library will "go live in November." See "Apps and Google" below for Light's planned Developer Mode. [1][3][4][5][6][8]

Specifications

Where it is sold and how to get one

Light sells the phone directly from its own online shop. As of Oct. 15, 2026, it is a pre-order: Light says a new order "is expected to deliver in late December 2026" and that pre-ordering "reserves your place in line." The price is $899 unlocked, before tax and shipping, or from $59 a month with a two-year Light Service contract.

Light ships outside the US too; its shop notes that "outside the US, sales tax/VAT/customs or duty charges may be required upon delivery."

Before you buy, note Light's return policy: it says it can "only accept returns for defective phones," and it does not accept returns for lack of carrier support if your carrier is not listed as compatible. Orders canceled before shipping are refunded in full. [1][3][7]

Will it work in the US?

The Light Phone III is one model for the whole world. Light publishes these 4G LTE bands (frequency ranges a phone can use): B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B14, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B29, B30, B38, B40, B41, B42, B48, B53, B66, B71, plus 5G bands including n2, n5, n25, n41, n66, n71 and n77.

For the United States, Light's compatibility checker (checked Oct. 15, 2026) lists these carriers as working: Light's own service, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon ("certification in progress"), Noble Mobile, Mint and US Mobile ("Light Speed only").

It lists these as not compatible: Sprint, Google Fi, Cricket, Spectrum, Red Pocket, Xfinity, H2O, Consumer Cellular, US Cellular, Metro by T-Mobile, GCI, Straight Talk, PureTalk, Patriot and Tracfone. Light says many partner carriers (MVNOs, smaller brands that rent a big carrier's network) are not supported even when the parent carrier is.

The phone takes a nano-SIM and an eSIM (a built-in digital SIM). Light calls eSIM a "beta" feature and says it is "NOT yet working with Verizon, pending certification."

Light's own US plans cost $25 a month (unlimited calls and texts, 1GB data) or $45 a month (unlimited data, slowed after 22GB), plus tax. Light Service is only for the US and Canada. You don't have to use it. [7][9][10]

Apps and Google

There are no Google apps and no app store, and you can't install Android apps from Google Play. As of Oct. 15, 2026, the tools on the phone come from Light, added from its dashboard website.

What Light says is coming (Light's stated plans as of Oct. 15, 2026, not yet released):

• A community Tool Library of tools that other people build with Light's SDK and Light reviews. Light says it will be live in November 2026 and that "this is not an app store; the tools will be shared freely in the Tool Library."
• A Developer Mode in the dashboard. Light's developer page says it "will allow you to side-load whatever APK you'd like" (install Android app files yourself), but warns that apps not built with its SDK "may not work well (or at all) on the Light Phone III due to the screen size, or lack of GMS certifications" (GMS is Google Mobile Services, the Google layer many Android apps rely on).
• Its own Signal tool, which Light says it is building with the same kit.

Some tools use outside services behind the scenes. Light says its Directory tool uses the Google Places API, "like with Directions or voice-to-text," with Light paying for it, and that "there is no user identifiable information ever shared." You can connect a Google calendar to the Calendar tool. [4][5][6][11][12]

Software support

Light ships software updates as LightOS versions. Its change log lists LightOS v582 on Sept. 15, 2026, which added the Rideshare tool, after updates in March, June, July and August 2026. Light has not published a fixed number of years of updates on the pages we checked. In its launch post, Light says it will "continue to sell, support and service our older models." [13][14]

What's different

• Black-and-white interface on a 3.92-inch matte OLED screen
• A two-step camera shutter button: half-press to focus, full press to take the photo
• Battery is 1800 mAh, behind a removable battery cover; Light says it plans to offer "replacement batteries for users that feel comfortable swapping themselves," or its repair service can do it
• USB-C port doubles as the headphone port (no 3.5 mm jack)
• IP54 rating for dust and water

[1][14][15][16]

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