peterxjang

Author here - I haven't tested using calls with my phone off, my understanding is it should work if you have wifi-calling enabled (from the first footnote here https://support.apple.com/en-us/108300, there's a discussion here where people got it to work https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252472503?sortBy=best). You are correct though that the phone needs to be turned on to send and receive text messages, I'll update the article accordingly.

And I agree with you that AirPods connecting to the wrong device is incredibly frustrating. It happens to me when I have my phone with me when both my phone and watch are unlocked, but it doesn't seem to happen at all when my phone is locked and under my desk. You can also turn off AirPods automatic switching, but not sure how well that works if you want it on between the watch and a laptop but not a phone.

Definitely a solid option. From what I understand it's not perfect for messaging (based on reviews like this https://thesweetsetup.com/mindfulness-monday-light-phone-rev...), but I haven't tried it myself. The Apple Watch seemingly would be worse for typing messages, but as I mentioned the voice dictation is surprisingly accurate now - I've been able to send lengthy messages with ease. Still, the Light Phone can be the better choice depending on your needs!