I find it amazing how these phones fail to get some very basic features right, like repeating all songs or even viewing songs by artists. My dumb Nokia phones could do that 15 years ago with their S40 software. Similar with lack of calendar/contacts syncing etc. While the minimalism is appreciated, these seem almost unusable in their current form, seems like they're trying to reinvent the wheel.
Event recent Nokia dumbphones from S30+ series - despite the fact that S30+ is crap with many features dropped - are better than the ones mentioned here.
Im alittle forgiving of Mudita and Lightphone's preloaded apps as you can just install another media player, but for me that'd drag me down a rabbit hole of customizing and changing things, and it'd defeat the purpose...
I adore my LightPhone 2, but texting on it is such a pain sometimes :/ I really want a Mudita Pure but it seems like it still has a lot of issues in North America. I am hoping the uptick in interest in the minimal phone space improves development. I yearn for physical buttons on my LPII every day.
The terrible texting and lack of music streaming made me leave the LP2 behind. A shame really because it’s almost the perfect phone for me. The Punkt. and the Pure are also so close to being good enough but just fall short
Th light phone 2 was such a dream to use. It felt so unintrusive and nice. The thing was definitely the battery time as the device is so small, meaning a tiny battery. Yea sure, we're not meant to use it, but if I chose to listen to a podcast or something, it would go flat really quick
As always, great video Jose. Appericiate all your expertise and comparison. Thanks to you, I've had my light phone since July and I love it! (Also, just to add that LP does now have a repeat daily option on alarm tool since the last update. I just tap the set alarm and there is an option to turn repeat daily on/off. Not dayspecific, but definitely helps!)
LP2 is slowly winning me over with their constant updates. Still holding back on buying because I wanted tactility but I can't help but be impressed that they seem to keep pushing forward. I may end up springing for it just for support reasons.
These videos are awesome and have helped me trim down and distress my life. A Nokia 2670 has become my daily driver. Text, calls, and limited web. For everything else I use an iPad 5. As a street photographer smart phones are my kryptonite I spend far to long on social media.
Punkt owner here. I bought it for Signal which does not work because they don’t maintain it (and keep Pigeon source code closed despite of GPL3 licence). I’m still satisfied, it’s a good "deconnection" phone and battery life is way better without Signal.
Exactly the Kind of review i was looking for. Thank you! I appreciate you making this content. It was immensely helpful in my research for a simplistic device.
Love my Punkt MP02. Have it as a second device. Have a basic plan on it and I just forward my iPhone calls and texts to the MP02 when I’m out and about. If I need any more than just staying in contact, I use my iPhone. No bugs, no issues, works better than expected. Battery lasts about 14 hours with mild use. USB-C charges it up super quick. I just plug it in when I’m in the car and when I get home. 💪🏻
After using the light II for a year I gave it up because of poor sound quality and reliability. I like the concepts, but I just can’t get over the poor quality of the sound and constant drop calls or rebooting. If you’re looking for a simple phone that works and works really well the Wisephone is probably the best option other than that size.
Love the comparison thank you for the video! as a new owner of the light phone 2 I'm enjoying its simplicity. There are some downsides which I'm trying to get over and curious if the punkt mp2 would work better for me
I owned the Punkt MP02. Very stylish, very comfortable to use. Too few "tools" and too many issues with hardware and software. Had to send it back after getting a pixel torn screen ): Personally, I really wanted it to work with Pidgeon (but you cant have Signal on multiple devices when connected to Pigeon) so that kinda killed the usability for me. Planned on using a new iPod touch for navigation and music etc with the hotspot feature, wasnt able to test this idea unfortunately.
I plan on getting the punkt in the future but still keep my iphone with me. I want to use my iphone much less. I use it for like 7 hours a day. But it would still be useful for maps, internet if needed
Thanks for showing off the predictive text on the MP02. Been struggling to really see it in action in other videos. Great comparison, this helps me a lot!
If you open the back of the Mudita open. There is a sticker that says do not remove. Remove that, there is nothing behind it. It DRASTICALLY improves reception on the device. Someone on the Mudita forums just tried that and it works. It works for me too. You should test that out on your device Jose
@@JoseBriones Other question I had was about sim cards. So the current sim I have is a 3g one. So when I make a call etc it uses 3g. Do you think it would make a difference if I switched to a 4g plan? Will that further improve the ability of the mudita to stay connected?
@@JoseBriones reason I ask is I am wondering I cannot access volte because this provider does not provide it ..wondering if I switched to a 4g LTE plan if this would improve the reception of the phone even more
@@JoseBriones Although after seein your light phone update video I am very tempted to just pull the trigger, that team really is better than any other dumbphone company at consistently improving the phone
I just want one of these with full android app support. There's just too many tokens, banking apps and so on that are needed, even you avoid social media
I remember old me looking up e ink phones ages ago and being hyped about the mudita, either way I still cant find a compromise, if I were to put my sim on a s30+ device since it wouldn't sign into WhatsApp it would still work on my secondary smartphone, but theres no hotspot enabled s30+ device, the punkt does but $$$ and the mudita does that but cabled...
I have an Alcatel 10.68 which I bought for 12€ and as fail to see any of these phones advantages over it. To me they are the equivalent of an overpriced chai latte from your local hipster coffee shop vs some good old filter coffee in a diner that gets you awake just the same.
This phone is for people who want beautiful phone that receive update and that thing can satisfied them. It's some kind of cash grab if you know how to market it well
Ive had a dumb phone for a few years now and definitely wont be going back to a smart phone. I had A Punkt MP01. It was ok but the sim chip kept wobbling cutting off calls, so I stopped using it. Also the power socket became loose. But it worked ok for over a year. The problem with the MP01 is that it couldnt block spam calls. I understand the MP02 remedies this. Now i am using a TT fone TT002 which cost £20 including charger. That is going quite well so far. I want to really stress that 'functionality' and 'features' are a problem NOT a solution. I just want a phone that makes calls and sends texts. It is amazing how hard it is to find a well designed phone. If any phone manufacturer out there would like to walk into a wall of money then please ask me to design a phone for you because none of the current dumb phones quite gets it right. My dream phone would look similar to a TT0002 or a 'Johns' phone but would function like an MP02. Hope that's of interest!
I had never heard of the Mudita Pure phone before this, but I just went to the website and I really like it! If I switch to a dumb phone it will likely be the Mudita Pure!
Hola Jose, primero que todo gracias por toda la información que nos brindas en cada video, se valora bastante. Quería hacer una consulta o si es material para un próximo video mejor aún: me interesa mucho el Light Phone 2, pero no hay disponibilidad de uso en mi país (de hecho, lo consulte con la misma gente de Light Phone). Entonces quería saber desde tu punto de vista que otro equipo seria lo mas parecido a usar un Light Phone 2 (no me refiero tan solo al hardware/software, sino también a la experiencia de uso), o quizas es preferible aplicar ADB a un smartphone, o quizás utilizar un antiguo smartphone como los viejos Blackberry o Nokia Series N. Saludos desde Chile!
Im really interestend in this phones, specially the Mudita. My only prob as of now its the bad reviews regarding signal so far. If it gets fixed I would love this phone indeed. I need my calls and messages to work all the time. Also... Does it work with Mint mobile? 😂 Mint mobile compatible dumb phones will be a great video to make ngl.
I like the phone but yes the signal could be better. I use it as a emergency or meditation type phone so i can leave my smartphones in the other room for awile 😂. I do keep it at home because its like a 90s antenna cordless phone.
the problem with all of these devices is the fact that they start minimalist then slowly add more and more features back into the ecosystem making it comparable to a smartphone when the original idea is to not have it be a smartphone
I honestly don't understand why one would buy any of these devices, being as expensive as they are, over a cheap dumphone. If the idea is them being super minimalist, thus you don't use your phone much, the same is true for a $30 nokia with no internet. And if you want a small number of extra apps, some dumbphones allow sideloading. So yeah, just don't really get it, as aesthetically pleasing as the devices are. If, for example, the lightphone had a reading app and a slightly bigger screen plus encrypted messaging via Signal or somesuch, to me it would combine utility and minimalism.
@@JoseBriones I don't know, I've had an old Nokia 150 for years - dropped it a lot, never had any issues with it, it just works - calls, texts, alarm, music, radio, only thing that's terrible is the camera. But I get what you're saying. :) Feels more like marketing (by those phone manufacturers) to me, but to each their own!
I wish some one would make a simple phone like these for text and phone calls BUT with hard wired option to use at home via internet modem whilst on airplane mode.. Basically, a phone & text device that has the option to operated without any microwave radiation.
Hey Jose, I need help. I broke my Nokia and am looking for a more long-term solution. I am unsure whether to buy the Light Phone, Punkt or a cheap Nokia. I live in Australia and am apprehensive to make an expensive purchase that may not work in my country. I need a dumb-phone that has good quality phone calls, signal that works in my country, no access to social media and an efficient hotspot (Maps would be nice, but not essential). I have heard the Light Phone has poor call quality and may not work in Australia and that the Punkt hotspot doesn't work. What would you recommend?
Thanks for this video! The Light Phone 2 seems like garbage. It seems to have slow refresh, clunky, less responsive controls, and boxy, unimpressive aesthetics. If you’re going to add music, and (crappy) maps, why not just get a smartphone? I like the MP02 and Pure
Good day sir Jose. I currently using a Blackberry phone as my only phone for phones calls and text messaging. I like your reviews on minimalist phones. How can I purchase the Light Phone? I live here in the Philippines. Is it usable here in the Philippines? Thank you sir.
eBay will be your only way. I don't know if it can work in the Philippines, but I'd assume it can get a 2G or 3G signal. Check the bands and see what's best.
tldr; * Pure has horrible cell signal due to low ESR which is really a non-starter for most people. * Punkt MP02 is *almost* perfect... but needs basic music playback badly (and maybe bluetooth?) * Lightphone is most featureful, but is slow to update on-screen and doesn't have signal app. I think the Punkt MP02 is the closest to being perfect... they just gotta solve Music (and maybe add some basic maps?)
To me, the point of it is changing your focus in life. I cut out listening to music a couple years back and usually drive in thought while in the car, or I myself like to sing. I kept myself entertained for a few hours singing on a long trip recently. Much more rewarding in my opinion. The reason I am even looking for a minimal phone right now was because I went camping recently and my smartphone died and I was without it for two days in the woods. It was very nice not even knowing the time, no gps or web or music. De-noisify your life, de-clutter it
Question regarding pigeon on the Punkt MP02. Has Pigeon always been unreliable or is that a recent (past 6 to 12 month) thing? Is Punkt actively trying to fix this to make it reliable with Signal? Are they spending time on their phone to make it better or is it just one of the lifestyle items they make and it gets lost in the shuffle? There are many reasons both for and against the Punkt phones. However if this is just a toy that they don’t focus on, I can’t ever see myself purchasing one.
Yeah. It has been like that forever tbh. They are not really updating it significantly tbh. They say this year they are going to work on it, but we'll see.
Quick update: since pigeon 2.0.14 mine has been flawless. Before that it was losing messages every so often (couldn’t see a pattern as to why) but I haven’t had that since.
I like my Light Phone 2. Nothing much to it, for me I don't take pictures so I don't care that it doesn't have a cam. I DO love that I can hot spot it. When I am out with my laptop.
There are a lot of other dumbphones you can buy, for example Nokia still manufactures them, and almost every of these other dumbphones has better features than these three mentioned here (not mentioning that they are usually much cheaper), so why the choice of these particular models? Except of those two specific features of LightPhone you mention, and Pigeon on the Punkt MP02, everything else is available in pretty much any dumbphone, and - as I said - usually with higher quality. Even writing SMS on a computer is a standard feature on any dumbphone that supports the GSM AT commands set (sad to say, the phone manufacturers seem to drop support for this from the new phones, for example new Nokias don't support it anymore), and there is even pretty universal software for this (like Wammu/Gammu) that works with any phone supporting this standard. So what's so special about these three phones anyway? (By the way, the "Meditation timer" on Mudita Pure is just a marketing gimmick; most other dumbphones have a timer too, only don't call it a "meditation" timer :)).
The issue is build quality and support. Most Nokia's nowadays have bugs and issues that Nokia does not fix anymore. With the Light Phone 2, for example, you get updates and support as part of the value. But I understand that for those with very simple needs, the $50 devices are great options.
A full charge on the Light Phone 2 will last you at most one day. Some people find this acceptable, but I expected a lot more from a device that is not running powerful hardware nor is it executing lots of system system programs the way a smartphone device would.
Honestly, I haven't received many spam calls since I got the Light Phone 2. But my experience is similar with Punkt and Mudita. I think you should look into your carrier (AT&T has been the best for me).
Hey Jose, I enjoyed your video. I placed an order on a light phone 2 for North America but I am wondering if it will work in case I travel to Europe. My carrier is Verizon.
But the Nokia 105 is not reliable, doesn't get updates if something goes wrong, and it's not for everyone. I understand that if you need calls and texts it's good enough. However, these phones are for those that need some niche apps without distractions. It all depends on priorities.
How do you find the battery life on the Light Phone 2? I'm hearing that the charge doesn't last with poor reception, which is what I'd be looking at (bad cell service area where I live). Thanks!
I have two questions for you. First, I live in a area of Idaho with very very little cell reception. The only provider we have in the area that has decent reception is inland cellular. Have you ever heard of that company or have any idea if either the lightphone or mudita pure would work with that company? Second, have you done any testing of how much electromagnetic radiation either the lightphone 2 or mudita emits? I have electromagnetic hypersensitivity and I’m trying to find a simple phone for calls and texts only that will help with that. I know the mudita is supposed to be designed to help with that but I don’t know if it will work in my area because of the cell provider. I would very much appreciate any help you can give me! Thanks!
@@lanedawson8484 electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not a real condition, and you wouldn’t be able to tell if the phone gave off higher or lower levels.
Does anyone with a light phone have experience with travel? I live in Estonia and do travel to Latvia and Finland with some regularity. It looks like different carriers are required in different countries. If I went to Finland and had the carrier that works in Latvia and Estonia, would I not have any service? What about when I visit friends in Oslo, where light phone is not supported? So curious about folk’s experiences!
The mudita pure is really beautiful in term of fabric design, but fairly overpriced, giving the cheap material used, poor ux choice, and poor functionnality (even if we want to bought it for having less of these). I bet a next version can become fairly better,
Hello, I have a question if you’re willing to help out. What is the oldest Nokia phone, and generation phone that can be used with AT&T if I only want the ability to make phone calls? I don’t even care about text messaging or Wi-Fi. 2G? 3G? Or am I doomed to have to go with 4G? Also, how about if I was willing to go with another carrier what would be the oldest Nokia phone? Thx to anyone
You have to go with 4G. Nokia 225 4G would be the only one I believe. 2G and 3G are essentially shut down in most of the country, so those phones won't activate. Speedtalk or Lycamobile seem to be still activating 2G, you can find them on Amazon and maybe you can use one of the older Nokia phones. But there are no guarantees.
Mudita Pure shouldn't be on this list. It's unusable device without cellular signal, and very bad speakers. Low SAR=no signal in most scenarios. Avoid it because actually this phone have only offline mode...
Email them. You can get one from them directly. It works with Airtel in India. I have someone testing other carriers like VI and Jio as well. I’ll report soon
I'm watching this clip in 30fps and 16million colors on a phone and I'm seriously contemplating about getting one of these? Brain, what is wrong with you😂
They are not the "best". You can pick up a basic phone for calls and texting for $20 or even $10 at any petrol station which is more reliable than any of these.
![Chlöe - Shake (Feat. Jeremih) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aDs_1ufpfv8/mqdefault.jpg)
Buy here: www.thelightphone.com/products?ref=josebriones
mudita.com
punkt.ch
I find it amazing how these phones fail to get some very basic features right, like repeating all songs or even viewing songs by artists. My dumb Nokia phones could do that 15 years ago with their S40 software. Similar with lack of calendar/contacts syncing etc. While the minimalism is appreciated, these seem almost unusable in their current form, seems like they're trying to reinvent the wheel.
It’s slowly happening. But I agree with your premise.
Event recent Nokia dumbphones from S30+ series - despite the fact that S30+ is crap with many features dropped - are better than the ones mentioned here.
Im alittle forgiving of Mudita and Lightphone's preloaded apps as you can just install another media player, but for me that'd drag me down a rabbit hole of customizing and changing things, and it'd defeat the purpose...
Hence the term Dumb Phone
Exactly, S40 phones were magical, it was the iOS of Old Phones, everything was perfect, the form and the function
I adore my LightPhone 2, but texting on it is such a pain sometimes :/ I really want a Mudita Pure but it seems like it still has a lot of issues in North America. I am hoping the uptick in interest in the minimal phone space improves development. I yearn for physical buttons on my LPII every day.
The terrible texting and lack of music streaming made me leave the LP2 behind. A shame really because it’s almost the perfect phone for me. The Punkt. and the Pure are also so close to being good enough but just fall short
It makes me sad that Mudita Pure has so much potential… But I bought my first LP2 in november and I’m loving it
Open source, but no instructions on how to hack on the device and flash a modified OS. As such, it'll never have a vibrant hacker scene.
Th light phone 2 was such a dream to use. It felt so unintrusive and nice. The thing was definitely the battery time as the device is so small, meaning a tiny battery. Yea sure, we're not meant to use it, but if I chose to listen to a podcast or something, it would go flat really quick
As always, great video Jose. Appericiate all your expertise and comparison. Thanks to you, I've had my light phone since July and I love it! (Also, just to add that LP does now have a repeat daily option on alarm tool since the last update. I just tap the set alarm and there is an option to turn repeat daily on/off. Not dayspecific, but definitely helps!)
Thanks for that :)
LP2 is slowly winning me over with their constant updates. Still holding back on buying because I wanted tactility but I can't help but be impressed that they seem to keep pushing forward. I may end up springing for it just for support reasons.
These videos are awesome and have helped me trim down and distress my life. A Nokia 2670 has become my daily driver. Text, calls, and limited web. For everything else I use an iPad 5. As a street photographer smart phones are my kryptonite I spend far to long on social media.
Punkt owner here. I bought it for Signal which does not work because they don’t maintain it (and keep Pigeon source code closed despite of GPL3 licence). I’m still satisfied, it’s a good "deconnection" phone and battery life is way better without Signal.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad it's working a simple device :)
Exactly the Kind of review i was looking for. Thank you! I appreciate you making this content. It was immensely helpful in my research for a simplistic device.
Love my Punkt MP02. Have it as a second device. Have a basic plan on it and I just forward my iPhone calls and texts to the MP02 when I’m out and about. If I need any more than just staying in contact, I use my iPhone. No bugs, no issues, works better than expected. Battery lasts about 14 hours with mild use. USB-C charges it up super quick. I just plug it in when I’m in the car and when I get home. 💪🏻
After using the light II for a year I gave it up because of poor sound quality and reliability. I like the concepts, but I just can’t get over the poor quality of the sound and constant drop calls or rebooting. If you’re looking for a simple phone that works and works really well the Wisephone is probably the best option other than that size.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Wisephone is a good option, I just hope they stick with them and update them more often.
Love the comparison thank you for the video! as a new owner of the light phone 2 I'm enjoying its simplicity. There are some downsides which I'm trying to get over and curious if the punkt mp2 would work better for me
I owned the Punkt MP02. Very stylish, very comfortable to use. Too few "tools" and too many issues with hardware and software. Had to send it back after getting a pixel torn screen ):
Personally, I really wanted it to work with Pidgeon (but you cant have Signal on multiple devices when connected to Pigeon) so that kinda killed the usability for me.
Planned on using a new iPod touch for navigation and music etc with the hotspot feature, wasnt able to test this idea unfortunately.
I plan on getting the punkt in the future but still keep my iphone with me. I want to use my iphone much less. I use it for like 7 hours a day. But it would still be useful for maps, internet if needed
@@Roshan_420 I wouldnt bother, just get yourself a lightphone 2
its not as stylish or as nice as the punkt but its actually functional.
Thanks for showing off the predictive text on the MP02. Been struggling to really see it in action in other videos.
Great comparison, this helps me a lot!
such an in depth video comparing and contrasting the devices. thank you for this. I really want to buy one of these for days when I need to get away.
The Punkt MP02 looks the best, but the Light Phone has Bluetooth music, so I gotta get that one
If you open the back of the Mudita open. There is a sticker that says do not remove. Remove that, there is nothing behind it. It DRASTICALLY improves reception on the device. Someone on the Mudita forums just tried that and it works. It works for me too. You should test that out on your device Jose
I’ll try when I get back to the USA
@@JoseBriones Other question I had was about sim cards. So the current sim I have is a 3g one. So when I make a call etc it uses 3g. Do you think it would make a difference if I switched to a 4g plan? Will that further improve the ability of the mudita to stay connected?
@@JoseBriones reason I ask is I am wondering I cannot access volte because this provider does not provide it ..wondering if I switched to a 4g LTE plan if this would improve the reception of the phone even more
@@JoseBriones Although after seein your light phone update video I am very tempted to just pull the trigger, that team really is better than any other dumbphone company at consistently improving the phone
@@JoseBriones Don't bother it does not make a difference. I thought it did but it does not. I decided to get the Light phone 2.
I just want one of these with full android app support. There's just too many tokens, banking apps and so on that are needed, even you avoid social media
I want that as well, Finger print security, banking, loyalty card storage and NFC are really important these days
Jose, you can set the LP2 alarm to recur everyday! Don't have to reset it. Thanks for the vid.
I remember old me looking up e ink phones ages ago and being hyped about the mudita, either way I still cant find a compromise, if I were to put my sim on a s30+ device since it wouldn't sign into WhatsApp it would still work on my secondary smartphone, but theres no hotspot enabled s30+ device, the punkt does but $$$ and the mudita does that but cabled...
I have an Alcatel 10.68 which I bought for 12€ and as fail to see any of these phones advantages over it. To me they are the equivalent of an overpriced chai latte from your local hipster coffee shop vs some good old filter coffee in a diner that gets you awake just the same.
This phone is for people who want beautiful phone that receive update and that thing can satisfied them. It's some kind of cash grab if you know how to market it well
Really well made both video and timestamp division! :D
Ive had a dumb phone for a few years now and definitely wont be going back to a smart phone. I had A Punkt MP01. It was ok but the sim chip kept wobbling cutting off calls, so I stopped using it. Also the power socket became loose. But it worked ok for over a year.
The problem with the MP01 is that it couldnt block spam calls. I understand the MP02 remedies this. Now i am using a TT fone TT002 which cost £20 including charger. That is going quite well so far. I want to really stress that 'functionality' and 'features' are a problem NOT a solution. I just want a phone that makes calls and sends texts. It is amazing how hard it is to find a well designed phone. If any phone manufacturer out there would like to walk into a wall of money then please ask me to design a phone for you because none of the current dumb phones quite gets it right. My dream phone would look similar to a TT0002 or a 'Johns' phone but would function like an MP02. Hope that's of interest!
I had never heard of the Mudita Pure phone before this, but I just went to the website and I really like it! If I switch to a dumb phone it will likely be the Mudita Pure!
Hola Jose, primero que todo gracias por toda la información que nos brindas en cada video, se valora bastante. Quería hacer una consulta o si es material para un próximo video mejor aún: me interesa mucho el Light Phone 2, pero no hay disponibilidad de uso en mi país (de hecho, lo consulte con la misma gente de Light Phone). Entonces quería saber desde tu punto de vista que otro equipo seria lo mas parecido a usar un Light Phone 2 (no me refiero tan solo al hardware/software, sino también a la experiencia de uso), o quizas es preferible aplicar ADB a un smartphone, o quizás utilizar un antiguo smartphone como los viejos Blackberry o Nokia Series N. Saludos desde Chile!
ADB a un smartphone o el Nokia 225 seria suficiente. Tambien tienes la posibilidad de usar Symbian o Blackberry y esos serian mejores.
Im really interestend in this phones, specially the Mudita. My only prob as of now its the bad reviews regarding signal so far. If it gets fixed I would love this phone indeed. I need my calls and messages to work all the time.
Also... Does it work with Mint mobile? 😂
Mint mobile compatible dumb phones will be a great video to make ngl.
Any phone compatible with T-Mobile will be compatible with Mint. Check the dumbphone finder.
I like the phone but yes the signal could be better. I use it as a emergency or meditation type phone so i can leave my smartphones in the other room for awile 😂. I do keep it at home because its like a 90s antenna cordless phone.
when you added the contact on the light phone 2 i got a little bit of an eerie feeling lol
Love those minimalist phones. Punkt is my fav, but my choice for use would be the Light for the size and functions.
the problem with all of these devices is the fact that they start minimalist then slowly add more and more features back into the ecosystem making it comparable to a smartphone when the original idea is to not have it be a smartphone
The Sunbeam Orchid has turn by turn instructions with both maps and voice.
I honestly don't understand why one would buy any of these devices, being as expensive as they are, over a cheap dumphone. If the idea is them being super minimalist, thus you don't use your phone much, the same is true for a $30 nokia with no internet. And if you want a small number of extra apps, some dumbphones allow sideloading. So yeah, just don't really get it, as aesthetically pleasing as the devices are. If, for example, the lightphone had a reading app and a slightly bigger screen plus encrypted messaging via Signal or somesuch, to me it would combine utility and minimalism.
Support and updates. The $30 Nokias crash, don't have reliability and there are many problems that Nokia doesn't fix. You get what you pay for.
@@JoseBriones I don't know, I've had an old Nokia 150 for years - dropped it a lot, never had any issues with it, it just works - calls, texts, alarm, music, radio, only thing that's terrible is the camera. But I get what you're saying. :) Feels more like marketing (by those phone manufacturers) to me, but to each their own!
I just want Spotify or the ability to have music steaming. That's all these types of phones need and I'd be sold on them 100%
These "minimalist phones" have no business costing over 300 euros.
great walkthrough. thanks so much for doing these
Glad it's helpful!
What about using the SIM card from an existing phone ?
It should work on any of these devices.
Dumb phones are fine but i need a full keyboard man
I wish some one would make a simple phone like these for text and phone calls BUT with hard wired option to use at home via internet modem whilst on airplane mode.. Basically, a phone & text device that has the option to operated without any microwave radiation.
Love your vids so much! Thank you sir! Very helpful and always to the point. 🎉
It seems e-ink is in season. I work on computers often so I’ll consider the Mudita Pure once my Ketai stops working.
Do you live in the us? I got a ketai but can’t find a carrier that will work. I’m in orlando
@@jdcarling The 903kc has extended bands for international use. That’s the one I have
Design alone makes me want to get the Punkt.
Hey Jose, I need help. I broke my Nokia and am looking for a more long-term solution. I am unsure whether to buy the Light Phone, Punkt or a cheap Nokia. I live in Australia and am apprehensive to make an expensive purchase that may not work in my country. I need a dumb-phone that has good quality phone calls, signal that works in my country, no access to social media and an efficient hotspot (Maps would be nice, but not essential). I have heard the Light Phone has poor call quality and may not work in Australia and that the Punkt hotspot doesn't work. What would you recommend?
Have you looked into the Opel Touch devices?
Thanks for this video! The Light Phone 2 seems like garbage. It seems to have slow refresh, clunky, less responsive controls, and boxy, unimpressive aesthetics. If you’re going to add music, and (crappy) maps, why not just get a smartphone? I like the MP02 and Pure
Good day sir Jose. I currently using a Blackberry phone as my only phone for phones calls and text messaging. I like your reviews on minimalist phones. How can I purchase the Light Phone? I live here in the Philippines. Is it usable here in the Philippines? Thank you sir.
eBay will be your only way. I don't know if it can work in the Philippines, but I'd assume it can get a 2G or 3G signal. Check the bands and see what's best.
Thanks for the thorough review!
tldr;
* Pure has horrible cell signal due to low ESR which is really a non-starter for most people.
* Punkt MP02 is *almost* perfect... but needs basic music playback badly (and maybe bluetooth?)
* Lightphone is most featureful, but is slow to update on-screen and doesn't have signal app.
I think the Punkt MP02 is the closest to being perfect... they just gotta solve Music (and maybe add some basic maps?)
To me, the point of it is changing your focus in life. I cut out listening to music a couple years back and usually drive in thought while in the car, or I myself like to sing. I kept myself entertained for a few hours singing on a long trip recently. Much more rewarding in my opinion. The reason I am even looking for a minimal phone right now was because I went camping recently and my smartphone died and I was without it for two days in the woods. It was very nice not even knowing the time, no gps or web or music. De-noisify your life, de-clutter it
Question regarding pigeon on the Punkt MP02. Has Pigeon always been unreliable or is that a recent (past 6 to 12 month) thing? Is Punkt actively trying to fix this to make it reliable with Signal? Are they spending time on their phone to make it better or is it just one of the lifestyle items they make and it gets lost in the shuffle? There are many reasons both for and against the Punkt phones. However if this is just a toy that they don’t focus on, I can’t ever see myself purchasing one.
Yeah. It has been like that forever tbh. They are not really updating it significantly tbh. They say this year they are going to work on it, but we'll see.
Quick update: since pigeon 2.0.14 mine has been flawless. Before that it was losing messages every so often (couldn’t see a pattern as to why) but I haven’t had that since.
I like my Light Phone 2. Nothing much to it, for me I don't take pictures so I don't care that it doesn't have a cam. I DO love that I can hot spot it. When I am out with my laptop.
I’m either gonna wait for Pigeon to be far more stable and fix groups, or if the Light Phone 2 gets signal
you should probably mention the price as it's a big factor
There are a lot of other dumbphones you can buy, for example Nokia still manufactures them, and almost every of these other dumbphones has better features than these three mentioned here (not mentioning that they are usually much cheaper), so why the choice of these particular models?
Except of those two specific features of LightPhone you mention, and Pigeon on the Punkt MP02, everything else is available in pretty much any dumbphone, and - as I said - usually with higher quality. Even writing SMS on a computer is a standard feature on any dumbphone that supports the GSM AT commands set (sad to say, the phone manufacturers seem to drop support for this from the new phones, for example new Nokias don't support it anymore), and there is even pretty universal software for this (like Wammu/Gammu) that works with any phone supporting this standard.
So what's so special about these three phones anyway?
(By the way, the "Meditation timer" on Mudita Pure is just a marketing gimmick; most other dumbphones have a timer too, only don't call it a "meditation" timer :)).
The issue is build quality and support. Most Nokia's nowadays have bugs and issues that Nokia does not fix anymore. With the Light Phone 2, for example, you get updates and support as part of the value. But I understand that for those with very simple needs, the $50 devices are great options.
Consumerism never fails to amaze.
With those prices just buy a nokia dum phone😂😂😂
hey hose do you know when the f30 us google version will be out?
They are saying February, but there is no certain date as of now in my opinion.
@@JoseBriones thanks
A full charge on the Light Phone 2 will last you at most one day. Some people find this acceptable, but I expected a lot more from a device that is not running powerful hardware nor is it executing lots of system system programs the way a smartphone device would.
Mine lasts 2 days. It really depends on the signal in your area. Also, remember the 950 mAH battery. But yes, they should make more optimizations
Can anyone confirm if any of these phones work in Canada with Freedom Mobile?
My only issue with these phones, is that they are slow. Like shouldn't take that long for a keyboard to come up, or for things to register.
Which has the best call blocking and sma blocking? Do any allow for a range of numbers I.e. area to be blocked. This is a must due to spam
Honestly, I haven't received many spam calls since I got the Light Phone 2. But my experience is similar with Punkt and Mudita. I think you should look into your carrier (AT&T has been the best for me).
Hey Jose, I enjoyed your video. I placed an order on a light phone 2 for North America but I am wondering if it will work in case I travel to Europe. My carrier is Verizon.
It won’t work reliably. But it may work with SIM cards over there with 2G
thanks!@@JoseBriones
nice designs but for the price I would just get a basic nokia phone for a fraction of what these cost and have the same benefits
with all the problems that can come with it i like the punkt better then the two others
Yeah. Some prefer it. As long as people are aware, it's a good option. Just make sure that you are aware what you are getting into.
Yeah, I have liked the Punkt for a long time but I want e-ink. the shiny screen is a killer for me buying one.
Thanks for not saying things that don't matter fr
Very informative comparision.
Hello there. Any idea if light phone has capability or any plan to add an fm tuner? Thank you
Not at the moment
The main problem with these devices - price. You can buy new Nokia 105 for $25.
But the Nokia 105 is not reliable, doesn't get updates if something goes wrong, and it's not for everyone. I understand that if you need calls and texts it's good enough. However, these phones are for those that need some niche apps without distractions. It all depends on priorities.
How do you find the battery life on the Light Phone 2? I'm hearing that the charge doesn't last with poor reception, which is what I'd be looking at (bad cell service area where I live). Thanks!
Bad signal = Bad battery life. So about 1 day or so max.
@@JoseBriones Thank you.
I have two questions for you. First, I live in a area of Idaho with very very little cell reception. The only provider we have in the area that has decent reception is inland cellular. Have you ever heard of that company or have any idea if either the lightphone or mudita pure would work with that company? Second, have you done any testing of how much electromagnetic radiation either the lightphone 2 or mudita emits? I have electromagnetic hypersensitivity and I’m trying to find a simple phone for calls and texts only that will help with that. I know the mudita is supposed to be designed to help with that but I don’t know if it will work in my area because of the cell provider. I would very much appreciate any help you can give me! Thanks!
@@lanedawson8484 electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not a real condition, and you wouldn’t be able to tell if the phone gave off higher or lower levels.
Does anyone with a light phone have experience with travel? I live in Estonia and do travel to Latvia and Finland with some regularity. It looks like different carriers are required in different countries. If I went to Finland and had the carrier that works in Latvia and Estonia, would I not have any service? What about when I visit friends in Oslo, where light phone is not supported?
So curious about folk’s experiences!
화면 깜빡이는 거 빼면 ㄱㅊ은거같기도 ...
Does mudita ship to India ??
No. They are not producing them anymore
Since the mudita is no more produced, any leads where can i find used ones
eBay.
They have an outlet on their website
These are good ideas. But the money is just to much
white mobile looks nice but as a user or ui I would go woth black screen of punkt
Should have included Hisense a5 or a5 pro in the mix.
I wish a black and white screen with Symbian. Maybe I've got crazy
Will the medita pure show photos when connected to the dashboard?
It won’t as of now.
@@JoseBriones hello I just bought the medita pure but it refuses to connect to the media center do you have any ideas?
The mudita pure is really beautiful in term of fabric design, but fairly overpriced, giving the cheap material used, poor ux choice, and poor functionnality (even if we want to bought it for having less of these).
I bet a next version can become fairly better,
Great Video!!
Ridiculous prices for what they are.
Sure thing...
Do these have maps? That would be a massive oversight
Light Phone 2 does.
Hello, I have a question if you’re willing to help out. What is the oldest Nokia phone, and generation phone that can be used with AT&T if I only want the ability to make phone calls? I don’t even care about text messaging or Wi-Fi. 2G? 3G? Or am I doomed to have to go with 4G? Also, how about if I was willing to go with another carrier what would be the oldest Nokia phone? Thx to anyone
You have to go with 4G. Nokia 225 4G would be the only one I believe. 2G and 3G are essentially shut down in most of the country, so those phones won't activate. Speedtalk or Lycamobile seem to be still activating 2G, you can find them on Amazon and maybe you can use one of the older Nokia phones. But there are no guarantees.
@@JoseBriones thank you!
Nokia 2780 is 4g, too
Mudita Pure shouldn't be on this list. It's unusable device without cellular signal, and very bad speakers. Low SAR=no signal in most scenarios. Avoid it because actually this phone have only offline mode...
Do I have to download mp3 files to play music?
Yes. You have to own them somehow
There is a phone ny onyx. Anroid on e ink. Can u review?
I need that Light phone 2 but I'm unlucky to get one. Because I'm from India and it's not dispatchable to India. 😢
Email them. You can get one from them directly. It works with Airtel in India. I have someone testing other carriers like VI and Jio as well. I’ll report soon
@@JoseBriones Thank you. Hope I get one.
How's the battery on these things?
Light Phone 2 (1-2 days). Mudita (3-4 days). Punkt (2-3 days)
No excuse for micro USB in 2019. It had already been in use since at least early 2017.
I like these videos sofar
the feature you do not compare, suprisingly, is call quality
Punkt>LightPhone>Mudita
@@JoseBriones thank you 😀
I hate that light phone isn't compatible with metro PCS 😢
Just give me a QWERTY keyboard, email, notes, Spotify and gps. Numerical keyboards are far too basic
I wonder why HMD/nokia still not producing qwerty phones? create another Asha 210 with 2.8" screen and I will buy it
look up wisephone 2
Light phonèmes everything is more easy to use than the other once
Which has the best GPS?
The Light Phone is the only one with GPS
How about MyPhone from Philippines.
I'm watching this clip in 30fps and 16million colors on a phone and I'm seriously contemplating about getting one of these? Brain, what is wrong with you😂
Did you really not cover GPS?
Only the Light Phone 2 has GPS, so that's that. There would have been zero comparison between them haha.
How mach
Here in Brazil everybody uses WhatsApp to communicate. So without it a phone is not very useful.
we need minimalist phone with support rcs texting or messaging app
Not as easy as it sounds but I agree
They are not the "best". You can pick up a basic phone for calls and texting for $20 or even $10 at any petrol station which is more reliable than any of these.
Debatable. But we can't do that here in the United States, so it's very regional.
Các sản phẩm này có giá cực kỳ cao, tôi không hiểu?
Can you use whatsapp? The only reason is because 99% of people I interact uses this app
Not on these phones
This is dumbphone for hipster who refused to use $20 phone