The 3's auto-shut off was a nice feature, but it also complicated things and the rest of the programing just didn't work for me. I really like the intuitive, practical and easy operation of the Freedom with the choice of ramp down or ramp up. I have never had a problem with the Freedom turning on in my rather overstuffed pocket, YMMV. If it's a real problem, try using the signaling mode. Changing back just means holding it for 4 seconds. For storage, there are a number of ways to prevent it from exhausting the battery inadvertently, linked at the www.dougritter.com/dr_photon.htm page, choose the one that works best for you. In the end, the Photon 3 is a dead end and the Freedom got the new twice as bright LED. As such, the Freedom was, to me, the best choice.

Ultimately, the products I am developing are products that I personally want, but are unavailable. If we're lucky, others find them appealing, but I don't pretend to be designing the perfect solution for everyone.

Hope this answers your question.