Essential Phone, available now
As someone who worked in a large OEM company releasing tons of smartphones, I'm actually impressed it only took 100 people to getting this out. I presume there was an incredible amount of sleepless nights, as this is no easy task.
To be fair though, Sprint is one of the easier carriers to work with after T-Mobile. I can't imagine them releasing a phone on AT&T or Verizon, as their process is grueling. I guess since they're selling an unlockcked version of their phone, it doesn't really matter to power users. However, most sales for smartphones are from contracts sold directly from carriers so it'll be interesting to see how they'll do in the market with their current strategy (similar to One Plus One).
Props to them though. It's not just about carrier certification. Releasing a smartphone is a long complex process. Some engineers at Sprint were briefly talking about how great the phone was, so I have high hopes.
Give me software updates for 7+ years, then we'll talk about buying your $700 phone. Lasting hardware means nothing without lasting software.
In the meanwhile, I'll keep buying $120 phones (Moto G4 with Amazon Ads FTW) and keeping them for ~2 years until they break or software updates stop. Even though as a Catholic (Laudato Si, Rerum Novarum) it kills me to waste all those materials every couple of years and be part of the environmental degradation of our planet.
You want fixable and well designed, long software updates, and a good price?
Buy an (old) iPhone.
I've got a 5S -- still perfectly fast for what I use it for (email, youtube, brokerage account, general internet, some small games), and is getting OS updates and security patches until IOS11. It's $120 on eBay; a new screen can be had for $13, a new battery for $11. it's solidly designed and there's a gigantic field of accessories and apps.
Maybe titanium and no bezels are worth a price premium, but there's no way it's worth a 5x increase in price.
I admire the gumption of making a new phone.
But controlled obsolescence kills me. The real feature that improves in phones the past few years for me is the software and apps, not the hardware.
My wishlist:
- Give me a lighter, snappier OS. Not something clunkier and slower and uses more ram, gpu/cpu (aka battery life).
- Actually support updates to the things for longer than 2-3 years.
- (Not related to this phone) Use stock android, unless you're removing bloat. Why? Because inevitably there's going to be apps. What I want is a nice flat surface that includes wifi, bluetooth, and nice API's and permissions for those apps to plug into.
- The biggest feature you can give me on a phone? Battery life, Replaceable battery, Data/Cell reception, Speaker/Microphone quality.
- SIM card that's easy to get out.
- Actually, Dual SIM's.
- Support for carriers globally.
- And physical keyboards. Something for SSH'ing with.
> Every year, like clockwork, manufacturers make “design tweaks” and launch new features and products that work well if you choose to stay in their ecosystem. You buy their phone, TV, speaker, and fridge with the promise of simplicity, but more and more often, this is a way to force loyalty.
Good thing they're not doing that!
> We also plan to release new wireless accessories (like our snap-on 360º Camera) every few months. That schedule ensures that the latest technology will always be in the palm of your hand without having to replace your phone. These accessories will also work with other products like Essential Home.
Spoke too soon.
> Your phone is your personal property. It’s a public expression of who you are and what you stand for.
No, it's really not. It's literally just a tool I use for communication.
Pardon the tangent, but here's a quote from their website:
> There’s a reason titanium is used to build rockets and replace bones. Unlike aluminum, which is what most phones are made of, titanium doesn’t scratch, dent, or bend.
The reason why titanium is used to replace bones is not its strength (though it certainly doesn't hurt). It's because titanium is the most biocompatible metal and has a capacity for osseointegration. Meaning the bone around it will fuse with the titanium.
I found it off-putting that on the home page, the 2nd section about the phone was an interview with the founder with exposition on his intentions.
Seems unnecessarily narcissistic--tell me about the phone and it's features first and sell me on your product.
At this point, the only thing I care about is whether or not they plan on releasing quality software updates in a timely manner for a reasonable amount of time...
Why would I spend $700+ on a phone with a dubious fate when I can spend $230 on a Moto G5 Plus and have Lineage OS running on it in no time, for a long time?
They talk repeatedly about how their phone is so much better while still being affordable. Well, 700$ for a phone isn't affordable, especially in an age where a solid phone, excellent for 95% of your daily tasks, sets you back no more than 150$.
I don't get it, what's the draw here? Is it the accessories? A couple other phones already did that shtick, and the result was the same: release 3 or 4 gimmicky products and forget about it. They talk about maintainability, but there is no replaceable battery, no expandable storage... I don't get it, what's the draw?
At this price, why buy this instead of a Pixel?
To be honest I'm quite happy with my crap Moto G5 Plus phone. The screen and camera aren't that great, but hey at this price I won't complain.
Maybe I'm just buying into the marketing hype, but this actually seems pretty cool and I'm curious what the OS feels like.
> And while costs for such finely crafted materials are usually reserved for high-priced, out-of-reach goods, we've tried to make our phone as affordable as possible.
$699 may be as affordable as possible, but that doesn't mean it's not a a high-priced, out-of-reach good.
Freedom from everything except needing a Google account to turn the damn thing on.
at a $700 price point for two years of os updates and three years of security updates, it seems runner-up to iphones with four year (or more) timelines on os updates, maybe longer for security updates, for a comparable price point.
The comment about FaceTime made no sense. On iPhone you can use all the apps he mentioned. In terms of security, I trust FaceTime far more than I trust What’s App who, in their policies, make it clear some data is shared with Facebook. Using What’s App as a counterargument to FaceTime is rather strange to me. Signal maybe, but you can run that on iPhone just fine as well.
Random but, whenever a new company comes with a dot com that is a standard word, I wonder how much it cost them. I remember color.com going for something like a quarter of a mill. Essential.com has to be in that ballpark.
It is not available, it is still on preorder / reservation. What is the purpose of this blog post? Nothing seems to have changed in a couple months!
Not a single mention of the IP rating. For a device that goes with us everywhere in varied environments the IP rating is important for making a purchase decision. If moisture is able to get into the device it doesn't matter how durable the exterior is.
Is it just me, or does the selfie camera ruin the display? It comes so close to being bezel-less and ruins it with a feature I'll never use.
Really dont want to make a joke here but your user name doesn't go well with the title.
"your phone will always be secure and have the latest features."
Until 2 years passes...Apple supports their devices much longer than 2 years.
I'm not sure what to think of this: https://www.essential.com/about#team looking at the security team.
I never buy phones on contract and I don't live in the states, so it can sometimes be hard to compare prices. But isn't this a fairly similar price to a similar iPhone/Pixel/Galaxy ?
I mean, isn't this the price range for a premium phone and isn't this premium specced?
Except for the silly "Everybody should be able to afford craftsmanship" line, I am having a hard time understanding why people are flipping out about the price.
I for one welcome what looks to be a great premium phone with better software than most flagship phones.
Android is a funny ecosystem. Every month, dozens of new Android phones hit the market bringing new exciting features like a clippable 360 camera but still after 10 years, there is no policy in place for direct updates from the OS vendor (like with iOS or Windows Phone).
Sorry, I was a huge Android fan for many years but I just can't take an OS serious where 50% of billiona of phones out there won't get any updates because manufacturers don't get this managed. This is just insane.
Check out postmarketOS. It's porting mobile linux to a whole host of old smart phones. It's a relatively new (open-source) project, but has already progressed considerably. A lot of people (myself included) are excited about the possibilities of having a fully hackable linux phone.
I am not active in the porting side right now, but am prototyping a mobile computing device that runs pmOS. It's kind of a neuromancer style ono-sendai portable deck: A rectangular box (approx 11x29x3cm) that you can opem up and velcro your linux phone into and have a full-sized, stainless steel, porclean, or plastic mechanical keyboard and foldable mouse with slots for extra memory and battery life. It is designed to be as compact and as durable as possible, while staying true to the postmarket name by sourcing from reused materials whenever possible.
My hypothetical market is mainly highly mobile autonomous individuals residing in developing world megacities, but I'm interested to know what someone from the US or Europe thinks about the idea.
Oh ya, one more thing, the profits go to pmOS, to scale up a re-wilding project, and to getting these hackable linux devices into the hands of children forced to work in the supply/waste chain of electronics manufacturing.
> Your phone is your personal property.
Oh, come on! It runs android. My phone and data belongs to google.
I think Andy Rubin is brilliant, but the more I read about the Essential phone and its history the more I think Rubin just got used to having a super high degree of control over his phone over the years, and doesn't feel comfortable not having a seat at the manufacturer's table anymore.
All of the attempts at differentiation seem muddled. It's upgradeable, not locked in, except the accessories use a proprietary docking system. It's high end, but that's an incredibly competitive space.
I would be shocked if this company last more than 5 years before acquisition/absorbtion.
I can imagine phones that could differentiate against Google/Apple... something super low end spec wise, that sips power and has a new OS built for speed. Maybe. I still think a Web Phone is a good idea. Maybe focus on niches like an exercise phone.
But... Any of this is extremely hard. Rubin just seems to be trying to beat Google at their own game, which I don't see going well.
On the surface, doesn't look too different from Moto Z, at least in conception of modular accessories.
On the other hand I can't charge and use an earphone at the same time which I often do during long journeys.
And I don't know how much impact will be transferred to the inside parts or the screen in case of a fall since it's not aluminium body or plastic (or this aspect is irrelevant?). But a slight fall the aluminium of iPhone SE takes one more dent or a tiny cut.
Plus, ceramic shatters on impact usually as does glass. Maybe I am missing something here. Hopefully they have done something to make it not too slippery. My iPhone SE keeps slipping and for the love of keeping the size and look as it is I haven't yet started using a case.
Though the clean and sleek look is very good. Hope it succeeds. Though I won't be waiting for it. I've moved to iOS and it's beyond my price and size range for a smartphone anyway.
It literally has a hole in the screen... I thought of that as an april fools day thing
Who can think of this as a good idea is beyond me
All these phone hardware manufacturers say their phone is better than the rest by adding extra. TBH none of the extras are really needed for a common person.
A common person uses the phone for "hello, how are you?" and social netowrking, games and some productivity. Anything more one would get a GoPro.
I have an iphone 6 and albeit its rather slow at times and receive iOS updates as the latest phones to an extend.
The android phones in the market takes about a year for an android update to be out in the market and one would have to be really lucky to get the update.
The phone manufactures in general can claim that the materials used are from the asteroid or whatever but the phone is actually limited by the OS & electronics capability
Not sure how Essential Phone is going to change any of this.
If you are buying an Android phone, I am not sure why you wouldn't wait for phones officially supporting Project Treble . For example , Nexus 6p will get Android O, but without Treble.
Treble is the framework which could potentially make 0-day Android updates possible.
"And once you turn it on, you’ll find that there are a limited number of preloaded apps and no duplicative services."
This means every single required bloatware app Google requires in order to maintain their monopoly. And literally nothing else.
"Premium materials and true craftsmanship shouldn’t just be for the few. [...] we've tried to make our phone as affordable as possible [...] you can get an unlocked Essential Phone for just $699"
By what standard is this affordable?
Ok, so he starts with a link to his 6 beliefs, I click it, read them then proceed to read the rest of the post, which contains the 6 beliefs again... I do like them though, except for the last one ;). Seems like a nice phone, but it doesn't seem particularly better then my OP3. They talk about freedom yet it's just Android right? Everything straight to Google right? What's so different from OP and the Nexus devices which also get updates and are minimal Android? That screen is nice, 128 GB is also nice. But other than that, I'm not really feeling it.
Selling but not shipping. No word on actual ship dates on any of the three linked sites (direct, Best Buy, or Sprint) unless I'm looking in the wrong place.
Edit: Sprint is currently estimating August 28 on their shipping page.
Does it have an Ingress Protection (like IP68) rating? Isn't mentioned
Interesting bits:
- Dual cameras on back with depth estimation
- True monochrome images (digital B&W photography!)
- USB-C port
- Fingerprint sensor
- "full" display
Overall it's great to have a phone with foundational philosophy of keeping it clean, open and play with others nicely.
The biggest missing story is apps. Can I use Google Maps, Drive, Gmail, Now etc? Out of the box? Will Google Play Store be fully supported? Without all these apps, phone is just beautiful thin brick. Also, burning question is how this would stand up against Pixel.vNext which seems to have many (but not all) of same philosophies.
Ugh
>You deserve a phone that can resist the trials of everyday use. That’s why we made Essential Phone out of titanium and ceramic. These materials are harder, stronger, and more resistant to dents and scratches than the materials that make up most smartphones. And while costs for such finely crafted materials are usually reserved for high-priced, out-of-reach goods, we've tried to make our phone as affordable as possible.
I almost feel how hard he is forcing his engineer self to sound "markety"
Why are new phones still a thing that people hype over? Until they significantly allow me to do something new that I can't do on any other phone it is just more of the same.
First review: They liked it.
Things I learnt: It uses an LCD(screams, I like AMOLED) and has no waterproofing. An update for the camera was pushed right before the review was release which improved it greatly. Seems like a good $500 phone not a $700 one to me.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/18/16165040/essential-phone-...
Does anyone know if these phones will work with Project Fi?
display damaged from factory, no waterproofing, no jack, no SD card, no track record regarding update
no thanks, you are better off with flagship Samsung S8 which cost less
trying to use reputation of someone who was last time around Android in times of Jelly Bean release and who just copied iOS and completely changed original idea after release of iPhone, doesn't seem like that good idea for people who know facts
Timing could not be any worse. iPhone 8 will be out next month so even the people considering buying Essential will at least wait it out another month to see how the iPhone is. And by then, the spotlight will be turned towards the iPhone and people will be less excited about Essential. They needed to release this months ago, as far away from September as possible
This looks like a 'nice phone' but is nothing like as interesting to me as Maru (https://maruos.com/).
Of course the reason I'm not running Maru right now is that the used Nexus 5 I bought was a gigantic POS. This phone, plus Maru, would be fantastic.
Essential Phone will get guaranteed Android OS updates for 2 years and will get monthly security updates for 3 years, so your phone will always be secure and have the latest features.
that's when I stopped reading. does "always" mean "2 to 3 years"?
in any case, AFAIK, that's no better than the Google Nexus/Pixel phones.
Are there any reviews out? From what I can tell reviews are either embargoed or review phones haven't been sent out.
If they really made it well, it would come with a declared lifetime.
What it has is a 2 year $99 extra warranty, on top of a $699 price.
I'm sure it's a nice phone, but I cannot unsee that stubby chubby.
Probably a really nice camera though. Other than the look of the camera I would consider this phone.
Edit: Oh, it's an add-on. So it's like we're going back to the old Danger Sidekick days when they had that little camera dongle.
Essential has any clause like the one mentioned here?
https://www.xda-developers.com/one-class-action-lawsuit-agai...
This phone looks pretty slick, but I really wish it had a headphone jack. My 6p has some issues and needs replacement, and I want a flagship phone with a close-to-stock Android OS. The pixel 2 is ditching the headphone jack, it doesn’t seem like there are any other good choices.
If you are in Canada, Telus is the only carrier selling them: https://www.telus.com/en/on/mobility/phones/essential
How much different or better is the $700 Essential than the $60 BLU [1]?
1: https://www.amazon.com/BLU-R1-HD-Exclusive-Lockscreen/dp/B01...
I wonder how well this stacks up against the phone Red is making[1], where the add-on functionality is a major selling point.
Images of the site don't load here. The video of the phone falling on the ground does, some other images do also, but a lot of the page is gray or black or blue spaces where I imagine pictures should be.
I replaced my iPhone 6 with a NextBit Robin for $120! The camera isn't as good, but I love the rest of the phone. I'd rather spend $120 now and see what else is around in 1 year than $700 on this
They tout the magnetic attachment points as making it easy to add new hardware accessories.
I wonder if the magnetic attachment points will demagnetize your credit cards if you have them both in pocket or your purse?
I'd pay a lot of money for the latest android with stock root. I thought this was that but it's not. It's some kind of forked android with no version. Does it even have Google apps?
> Premium materials and true craftsmanship shouldn’t just be for the few.
At that price point, bollocks.
From the title and this subheading I was expecting something around 300, or at the very least sub-500, but nope.
I'd be interested to see how reliable this will be. I just want a smartphone that won't freeze/reboot/slow to a crawl seemingly always at the worst possible time.
Anyone else remember that magnetic accessory connection port? Seems like a killer feature if done correctly. Or just another "Moto Mod" style feature that went wrong...
Android w/out bloatware is not an "essential" OS. Let me own my OS and I'll think about spending $700 on hardware specs that I can get for $200 elsewhere.
I've already got an HTC One M7 that I've had since 2013. It works perfectly and seems able to continue for another 4 years at least. Why do I need this phone?
As phones become more and more powerful, the EOL dates should be longer and longer. Why restrict it to 3 years? Apple supports iPhones for about 5(?).
"We guarantee software updates for 2 years"
Damn you Android guys have it bad. Apple pushes the software updates down your throats years after purchase.
The battery is too small, only 3040mAh. Just want a phone that lasts a full day of heavy app usage. No way this is it with that sized battery.
Serious (non-troll) question: How is this phone not (at best) merely incrementally better than, i.e., Google's Pixel?
I'm still holding out for Ocean Depths.
> 5.71"
Nah. I don't get why manufacturers stopped releasing 4" phones. Seems like a perfect screen size to me.
It's just another high end phone with fancy features. I would like to see more reviews and its usability.
I am seeking a dual SIM variant that supports all bands of AT&T and Sprint. This does not currently exist.
I imagine Essential will get sued by those with big patent portfolios if they become in any way successful?
At Essential we don't promise simplicity... in fact we guarantee it will be incredibly difficult!
I don't care for Android or IOS. Does anyone know of a phone that runs plain old Linux?
No promises made about privacy even in a honey-talking PR piece, which is interesting.
No dual sim :( That's basically the #1 feature I want to look for in a next phone
How could this be 10X better than products in the already crowded cell phone market?
Ctrl+F "Removable battery" : 0 results.
Verdict: pass.
No guarantee of software support for 3+ years either.
It's amazing for me to see that Apple, once lightyears ahead with the original iPhone, is now being overtaken by small companies with features such as bezel less displays, wireless charging, high bandwidth data coupling etc.
Of course we'll have to see if Essential can actually deliver on their promise...
Can someone explain why this is not just another mediocre $700 Android phone?
Sounds like oneplus. 700 dollars (540 sterling) is bit steep actually.
Someone knows if this smartphone uses a custom version of Android?
What OS does it run? What type of SDK does it provide?
Umm...we need another Android smartphone, why?
$700 and no headphone jack? what courage!
No 3.5mm headphone jack, never buying.
Oooh titanium. That's next level.
I'm getting a Piphone, myself.
Anybody have or try one of these?
Will it work in Europe?
$699? Why so expensive?
haha 'essential' and 700$? No.
Android again?
I was hoping this was a modern flip phone :(
i bet microsoft acquires them
No headphone jack!
NEXT...
all i can see are fingerprints
too expensive
Now we'll know exactly how many Andy Rubin fanboys there are in the world. Why would anyone else buy a $700+ phone from a startup which might not even be there next year? My prediction: a few tens of thousand units will be sold mostly in the US, darn near zero anywhere else.
> Devices shouldn’t become outdated every year.
> Essential Phone will get guaranteed Android OS updates for 2 years and will get monthly security updates for 3 years.
That's honestly not much of an improvement, and I'm not aware of any current phones that are outdated after a year (unless you're one of those gadget fanatics who has to have the most cutting edge phone).
> we've tried to make our phone as affordable as possible.
$700 is affordable now? What world are we living in!? Silicon Valley, I guess?
> Simple is always better.
> we put nearly a year’s worth of development into making a camera that integrates into the body of the phone (without the tell tale camera hump)
Really starting to question their priorities at this point...
Maybe "essential" is the wrong word for what they're doing, because it seems like they spend a lot of time on things that aren't essential at all. Who needs a 360 camera? And who cares about a 1mm camera protrusion? And since when do we all agree that a 3.5mm headphone jack isn't "essential"?
wake me up when there is a phone that runs proper linux. with decent drivers.
if anyone told you that you would be using your own computer in "kiosk" mode with a root password you don't have, you would be laughing your ass off. but here we are, all using the 90s equivalent of a library computer.
I think this company gets a lot of things right. Frankly, some of their marketing really speaks to me, like this bit from the home page[0].
Your phone is your personal property. It’s a public expression of who you are and what you stand for.
Just because we played a part in making it doesn’t mean you should be forced to advertise that fact to everyone in your life. Now you know why we don't have any logos on the phone.
They've thoroughly outclassed Apple in this and a number of other ways. I think they've put a lot of thought into matching the thoughts and aspirations of customers, and if the phone is anywhere near what it's cracked up to be, it's probably worth the price.
No 3.5mm jack, no thanks.
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> Essential Phone will get guaranteed Android OS updates for 2 years and will get monthly security updates for 3 years, so your phone will always be secure and have the latest features.
Unfortunately, this is the maximum any vendor can promise to do right now, as anymore than that depends on the chip manufacturers and such to support their chips. So until Google changes that somehow by forcing manufacturers' hand, this will be the best we'll get.
Timing could not be any worse. iPhone 8 will be out next month so even the people considering buying Essential will at least wait it out another month to see how the iPhone is. And by then, the spotlight will be turned towards the iPhone and people will be less excited about Essential. They needed to release this months ago, as far away from September as possible
Hmm, a new untested phone with a fifth less battery than my current one and it isn't even waterproof.
Why should I care about this?
While this is truly an impressive project, both in engineering and vision, I'm probably not going to buy one. The main reason being that they chose to go with Android.
They had an opportunity to experiment with offering a FOSS mobile OS, but instead they chose to go with design-by-committee's poster child.
A little expensive IMHO.
I've dropped the iPhone a little more than a year ago. I got a Y6II for $179. Perfect performance, but didn't like Huawei's tweaks to Android.
I just got a Moto G5 Plus with nearly-stock Android and it's the best phone I've ever owned, and I paid only EUR 280 for it.
Someone knows if this smartphone uses a custom version of Android?
That's cool... it looks like an Android phone.
Ugh, I hate the branding. Smartphones are NOT essential. Fuckers.
Since no one else has, I'll take the piss out of this "hollier than thou" bullshit.
> Devices are your personal property. We won’t force you to have anything you don’t want.
Devices are your personal property. The SoC is still a proprietary trade secret, the baseband is still spying on you for the NSA, the GPU is still a closed blob piece of shit. No mainline driver support, bootloader is closed source, firmware is closed source. We own this phone, you don't.
> We will always play well with others. Closed ecosystems are divisive and outdated.
....
> Devices shouldn’t become outdated every year. They should evolve with you.
Devices become outdated because shitty vendors refuse to open source and mainline drivers for their components.
> Technology should assist you so that you can get on with enjoying life.
Technology should be trustable, and a device where you cannot tell if or when the microphone and/or camera are recording and being remotely accessed is anything but.
Not wanting to single Essential out too much here - every vendor goes on and on about how great this phone is for you, while holding as much of a vice grip over the operation of the device as possible to make sure you need to buy another one as soon as possible through planned obsolescence. It is just the stick up the ass language announcements like these use is really infuriating when the people making them know full well how much they are screwing you over.
The first actually open platform phone is the one that will have longevity. The rest are snake oil about how good they will take of you because you can't take care of yourself with your own software that you can trust.