Remember when the smartphone just meant that a phone had internet connectivity and an app store? Thats literally how we described the first smartphone but that criteria is long-gone. Phones today are REALLY smart almost too smart. They have powerful processors, complex algorithms running the cameras, and are almost all filled with at least one form of an AI assistant that goes above and beyond what voice assistants could do 10 years ago. Phones today are deadly smart and that might just be scary to some people.Theres no denying that smartphones are incredibly useful, but theres a case to be made for phones that just retain the bare basics. After all, you wouldnt be able to accidentally add a journalist to a group chat discussing national war plans if you had a secure dumb phone, right? Well, for people who want a phone that does exactly what it needs to do without being a powerful, data-guzzling, soul-sucking, time-wasting, addictive slab of metal, the Light Phone III is the latest dumb-phone on the block. Building on over a decade-long legacy, the much-awaited third edition of the phone comes back with some design refinements, including a black-and-white OLED screen instead of the e-ink one from previous generations, and now even a camera that gives you more of a phone experience without necessarily feeling like a compromise. TikTok and Instagram not included.Designer: LightThe e-paper screen is gone, replaced with a 3.92-inch black-and-white OLED display. Its sharper, faster, and more legible in any lighting, which might sound like a small thinguntil you remember how sluggish and washed-out the previous screen could get. Navigation is now snappier, typing is less of a chore, and the interface feels less like a prototype and more like a statement.Internally, its grown up too. The bump to 6GB of RAM (from just 1GB in the II) makes everything smoother. A Qualcomm SM4450 chip powers it, paired with 128GB of storage, which is overkill for a phone that wont let you install TikTok or stream Netflix. But its welcome overkillenough headroom for basic tasks like messaging, navigation, music, podcasts, and taking the occasional photo without freezing mid-action.Yeah, theres a camera now. Just one. And it doesnt try to be clever. No HDR. No night mode. Just a fixed focal length and a two-stage shutter button like the ones youd find on an old Canon PowerShot. Its more about documenting than capturing content, which feels radically refreshing in a world obsessed with perfect angles and AI touch-ups.The form factor itself is a callback to a time when phones fit in your hand and your jeans pocket. Its about the width of an iPhone but shortercompact enough to text one-handed, substantial enough to not feel like a toy. Its also heavier than the Light Phone II, thanks to a larger, user-replaceable battery and a more premium build. Thats rightuser-replaceable battery. Try finding that on any mainstream phone these days without grabbing a heat gun and a prayer.Theres a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button, stereo speakers, a USB-C port, and an NFC chip for contactless payments. The GPS uses Here instead of Google Maps, which means it actually honors your privacy instead of mining your location history. Thats a pattern hereevery feature feels intentional, stripped down to its most ethical version.If the budget iPhone 16Es price made you squirm, the Light Phone IIIs $799 price tag should really sting. Thats nearly three times the launch cost of the Light Phone II, and even with the $599 pre-order deal, its clearly not for price-conscious buyers. But thats also kind of the point: the Light Phone III isnt trying to compete on specs or price. Its offering a different contract entirelyless screen, fewer distractions, more peace. For a price that a small subset of people will pay just so that they can stay connected without their device collecting bucketloads of data on them for training/marketing purposes.The post This $799 Phone Wont Steal Your Time or Your Data Meet the Light Phone III first appeared on Yanko Design.