People are checking their smartphones an estimated 8 billion times every single day, about half of them beginning when they first wake up, a November 2017 study finds – and that's just in the United States. It's the center of our connected universe, but for every benefit there's a tradeoff in time and attention.

That's where Light, a company co-founded in 2014 by Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang, sees a market niche. Light was born as an alternative to the mobile technology that siphons off people's time, attention and money, with phones designed to do only what some people really need. "Light believes that tools can respect us, can empower us to be our best selves and appreciate our lives more," the designers explain.

So they built the Light Phone – and the next-generation Light Phone 2 – to serve the choices of people who want basic smartphone-like services without the social media distractions, ads and too many apps. They want the sleek aluminium case, and the look and feel of phones from Apple and other designers, but they don't want the dated flip-phone style. They do want phone and text service, and some basic features like an alarm clock and the capacity for GPS directions, but they don't want a device in control.

The original Light sold to 10,000 customers with just one function: to make calls. This new version has about 2,800 preordered through Indiegogo, and it's redesigned to do a few things well but that's it. It's 91mm by 55mm, at a 6.5 to 7.5mm thickness and weighs an estimated 80 grams. The operating system is proprietary (very much a modified Android) and it runs on a Qualcomm processor, with a standby battery life of up to 5 days. With a black and white matte screen and e-ink display, it's attractive too.

But why? Well, there are still about 2 billion feature phone users across the globe (Light plans three different distribution zones for its new model) and a half-billion new "not-smart" phones are sold each year. They are the best alternative for spanning the digital divide in some nations, while providing access to most-needed services. They're also an option for people who can't afford a vast array of features and services they don't really need, even if they live in places where the tech infrastructure supports them.

In developed nations, the simpler phones – Nokia and other makers have versions too – are preferred for different reasons. High on the list are parental concerns. For an older child who's just started driving, there are more limits on what might distract them. For younger kids, there's no way to access social media while on the go, making it easier for parents to supervise who, how and why they're connecting.

The Light Phone 2 isn't really meant for kids though. It's designed to improve quality of life for adults, and can work as a second phone you take instead to dinner, a day outing with the kids, or when you just want the uninterrupted solitude of a long woods hike with the dog. At work, it can boost productivity by decreasing the distractions and placing boundaries around them. For people concerned about privacy, or the environmental footprint of their devices, or even the cultural impact of living in a world where every moment is captured and shared and needs approval? Light may be the less-is-more answer.