The Essential Phone (officially Phone or PH-1) is an Android smartphone manufactured, developed and marketed by Essential Products. It was designed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin. The phone was officially unveiled on May 30, 2017.
The Essential Phone has a titanium and ceramic body, with an edge-to-edge display protected by Gorilla Glass 5. It features a dual-lens camera setup, one of which is a dedicated monochrome sensor for black-and-white photography. Accompanying the phone, a 360-degree camera can be attached to the top of the device.
Video Essential Phone
History
Pre-release
Bloomberg reported in January 2017 that Andy Rubin, co-founder of the Android operating system acquired by Google in 2005, was preparing to announce a new hardware company called Essential, with the first hardware product being the "Essential" Phone.
The phone first appeared in a tweet by Rubin, posted on March 27, 2017. In a quote of the tweet, Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt confirmed that the phone would run Android. A few days prior to the official announcement, Essential tweeted an image of what appeared to be a 360-degree camera attached to the smartphone.
The Verge exclusively announced the device on 30 May, hours ahead of Rubin's onstage announcement at a technology conference.
Maps Essential Phone
Specifications
Hardware
The Essential Phone has a titanium and ceramic chassis, with a display featuring Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It has an edge-to-edge display with an unusual 19:10 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. It features a dual-camera setup, with two 13 MP cameras, one of which acts as a dedicated monochrome sensor, allowing for improved black-and-white photography. Its front-facing camera is an 8 MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture lens, while the rear-facing cameras have an f/1.85 aperture lens. It will be available in "Black Moon", "Stellar Grey", "Pure White", and "Ocean Depths" color options. Accompanying the phone, a 360-degree camera can be attached to the top of the device, and a charging dock accessory is also available. It has a USB-C connector, but no 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The second Click Connector device will be a charging dock.
An accessory with a headphone jack is being developed.
Network compatibility
The Essential Phone is compatible with the four largest wireless carriers in the United States, but the exclusive carrier partner is Sprint. In Canada, Telus is the exclusive carrier partner.
In July 2017, it was reported that Essential was seeking to bring the Essential Phone to other markets, including the United Kingdom (with a possible partnership with EE), Japan, and Europe.
Software
Essential Phone runs Android, without any modifications. It has an unlocked "bootloader", potentially allowing for a significant developer community wanting to further customize its software.
Rubin published a blog post on August 16, 2017, promising two years of Android updates and three years of monthly security patches.
Issues
Availability delay
Rubin announced on May 30, 2017 that the Essential Phone would ship in approximately 30 days, i.e. June 2017. This estimated timetable was not met, however, without Essential responding to media queries. In mid-July, Rubin sent an email to potential customers outlining carrier certification and testing as the current progression point, with an expectation of devices shipping "in a few weeks". After a series of delays and lack of an exact release date, Best Buy put up listings for the Essential Phone, which went live on August 17. On August 9, 2017, Rubin announced that the phone was in mass production, and that information about the release date would be revealed in the next week. The Essential Phone was then confirmed to start shipping by the fourth week of August, according to an email sent by Rubin to customers. It began shipping in batches by August 25.
Customer data leak
On August 29, 2017, reports emerged that hundreds of customers who ordered the Essential Phone started receiving e-mails from an @essential address. The e-mail contained an official-looking request for a "photo ID" of the customer to "verify information to complete the processing of the recent order" . Essential later tweeted that they are aware of and looking into the recent e-mails received by some customers and that they have taken steps to mitigate & will update with more information soon. An apology was given personally by Rubin and one year of LifeLock was offered to affected customers. It was mentioned in this post that around 70 people were affected. Some customers' drivers' license were leaked over e-mail as well. Customers affected by the data leak will get the phone for free.
Touch issues
Some handsets are facing a display touch scrolling "jitteriness" issue. Essential said that they are working on the issue and a software patch will be released soon.
Trade secret lawsuit
Keyssa, a startup specializing in wireless data transmission owned by Nest co-founder Tony Fadell, filed a lawsuit against Essential, accusing them of trade secret theft. The company says it was in talks with Essential for roughly 10 months to help provide the technology behind connecting Essential's new Android phone as well as their planned future products. Essential was looking to incorporate a Keyssa-developed microchip inside the Essential Phone to help in the functioning of their modular accessories, but later turned to another similar company, SiBeam, to produce the microchip. Keyssa says Essential stole its proprietary technology, as the non-disclosure agreements signed that protected the two companies' meetings had prevented Essential from using those trade secrets to make commercial products.
Keyssa has not been compensated for Essential's use of this guidance and know-how. We are pursuing this action because our attempts to resolve this matter through discussions with Essential have not been successful.
Reception
Critical reception
The Essential Phone received generally positive reviews. Much of the criticism was directed towards the camera performance, and the omission of a headphone jack.
Wired positively noted its design, battery life, performance and stock Android, but disliked the camera, and built-in speaker. They gave it a score of 8/10.
Engadget praised its build quality, edge-to-edge display, performance, battery life and clean build of Android 7.1.1, but criticized the screen's brightness, the lack of a headphone jack, and water resistance.
iFixit gave the phone a 1 out of 10 in terms of repairability, as it is almost impossible to open the phone without freezing, and ultimately breaking it.
CNET noted that despite Essential's claims about the device's toughness, it can still suffer from dents during normal use, and the screen may crack if dropped from a height.
TWIT praised the design, specs, and OS, but noted that the phone's screen cracked during normal usage (not dropped), and criticized the performance of both the camera and a camera accessory.
Sales
Shipments of the Phone in its first month since launch have been very low, with only around 5,000 units estimated to have been sold through Sprint.
Due to low demand, Essential later cut the price of the Phone from an initial US$699 to a more "reasonable" US$499. Customers who purchased the Phone earlier, with the original price, could avail a US$200 "friends and family" code, which can be used to purchase the 360-degree camera module, or another Phone.
Successor
According to designers at Essential, the PH-2 is in the works.
See also
- Comparison of smartphones
- Motorola Moto Z, another modular phone with a 360-degree camera accessory
References
Further reading
- Android Central -- Essential offers a sneak peek at its camera capabilities
External links
- Official website
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