The phone flashlight is barely adequate for some uses, but like a lot of stuff on a phone has some serious compromises. YMMV if that matters to you. For me, I find it’s really hard to hold a phone when I need a flashlight and hit where I need the light, whereas a more traditional flashlight doesn’t take up an entire hand exactly - you can grip it with like 2 fingers or in your teeth, or under your arm etc. Hard to describe but try it without getting the phone to thing you’re trying to turn the flashlight off. (I might suck at using smartphones though).
But worst than that, it’s got a really short throw and isn’t that bright. It might be me just getting older, but I’ve found a “real flashlight” like a “real camera” makes a world of difference. I have some cheap Anker one I got as a gift which is like 10 times brighter and throws probably 100 times as far as my smartphone. I have to imagine new “high end” ones are much better.
I also recently got a “improved phone light” off of tech dirt and I probably overpaid, look on Temu to save money. But it clips to my SAK, or keys, it’s a lot brighter, it has a fold out stand and a magnet and is pretty tiny.
Again - if you don’t ever curse out your phone as a flashlight, then you don’t need any of this, but if you regularly do (or just want to save your phones battery for something other than being a flashlight) - check some of these out.
The phone flashlight is barely adequate for some uses, but like a lot of stuff on a phone has some serious compromises. YMMV if that matters to you. For me, I find it’s really hard to hold a phone when I need a flashlight and hit where I need the light, whereas a more traditional flashlight doesn’t take up an entire hand exactly - you can grip it with like 2 fingers or in your teeth, or under your arm etc. Hard to describe but try it without getting the phone to thing you’re trying to turn the flashlight off. (I might suck at using smartphones though).
But worst than that, it’s got a really short throw and isn’t that bright. It might be me just getting older, but I’ve found a “real flashlight” like a “real camera” makes a world of difference. I have some cheap Anker one I got as a gift which is like 10 times brighter and throws probably 100 times as far as my smartphone. I have to imagine new “high end” ones are much better.
I also recently got a “improved phone light” off of tech dirt and I probably overpaid, look on Temu to save money. But it clips to my SAK, or keys, it’s a lot brighter, it has a fold out stand and a magnet and is pretty tiny.
Again - if you don’t ever curse out your phone as a flashlight, then you don’t need any of this, but if you regularly do (or just want to save your phones battery for something other than being a flashlight) - check some of these out.
If I know I’m going to need a flashlight, I pop on a headlamp for free hands. Phone for impromptu use.