Light, the startup behind the minimalist Light Phone, has unveiled the Light Flip, its first flip phone and the company's most affordable device yet at $299. Co-founder Kaiwei Tang, who previously helped design the Motorola Razr, said the move was driven by young users who love flip phones despite complaining about their poor build quality, prompting Light to pair its distraction-free software with a tactile, foldable handset for the first time. The launch marks a shift for a company that built its reputation on premium, feature-light touchscreen devices, betting instead on a cheaper, more colourful product to broaden its appeal.

The lower price comes from dropping the touchscreen, NFC reader and selfie camera found on the $799 Light Phone III, and from using plastic rather than aluminium, which also allows six colour options including yellow and pink. The Light Flip has a 2.8-inch internal OLED screen, no external display, a notification light, 5G/4G connectivity, a 12-megapixel rear camera, USB-C charging and support for both eSIM and physical SIM cards. Light is also piloting financing through Andrew Yang's Noble Mobile carrier, offering the phone on a $39-a-month two-year contract, and will ship devices from April 2027, backed by a "Flip Your Life" newsletter programme to help preorder customers adjust to using less smartphone.