Essential was founded by Andy Rubin, one of the creators of Android. Essential Phone works on all major carriers incl. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile and features a beautiful edge-to-edge full display, titanium enclosure and a scratch-resistant ceramic back.
The Great
- No logo
- No pre installed bloatware
- Stunning design
- Decent specs
The Not
- Accessory port needs to prove itself
- Missing many features
- A total fingerprint magnet
- No headphone jack
- Battery life is merely OK
- No photo or video stabilization
The Conclusion
This is a decently powered Android with out all the stuff that makes us roll our eyes at Android. With no logos or identifying markings and a bevels less screen it looks unique. At half the price of most other premium Androids this is a steal at $499
Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, made waves earlier this year when he released the $500 Essential Phone. According to Rubin, the purpose of creating the Essential Phone was to address some of the problems people have with smartphones such as getting rid of “planned obsolescence”, having an open ecosystem, and premium build quality without the premium price.
Its Hipster Cool Design
The titanium body and ceramic back, coupled with this unique all-display front design really do make for an attractive phone. I’m sure some of you still hate that front camera notch at the top, but it has never really bothered me. While there is a solid black block of bezel at the bottom of the phone, the way the display carries all of the way up to the top front curved corners offers a uniqueness that no other phone really does. This is one of those phones that just looks cooler than everyone else’s. With no logo, company or identifiable markings it is the ultimate hipster design and it works.
The Screen
Of course, the display is the star of the device. Despite the Essential Phone’s small size, the display is an impressive 5.71-inches in a 19:10 form factor. It has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,312, making it very sharp. It’s a beautiful panel, though it could use a little more brightness. You can’t see individual pixels whatsoever and the colors are vibrant and accurate.The only down note is it has an LCD instead of an OLED display, meaning you’re not getting the same black levels and bright colors as you’re getting with the iPhone X or Galaxy Note8.
What the Camera Mod
There is a camera addition you can buy. it lets you capture you world in complete surround with the world’s smallest 4K 360 degree Camera that is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 . There is also no need for any dongles or chargers. Connects to Essential phone’s magnetic connector. The modular camera is neat, and magnetically clicks to the phone perfectly, but you have to keep track of it and keep it on you at all times to use it. And chances are you won’t. Also, 360-degree cameras haven’t caught on yet. The biggest thing is that the camera isn’t quite as good as other high-end smartphones. Even if the specs dual 13MP system sounds exciting, it wasn’t that impressive and there was no setting that resembled a portrait mode, either.
The Quick Specs
- 5.71-inch 2,560 x 1,312 19:10 with rounded corners
- Snapdragon 835
- 4GB Ram
- Camera: Dual 13MP rear (RGB + monochrome), f/1.85 lens rear, 8MP front
- Battery: 3,040mAh, 27W fast charging
- Operating system: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
The Final Thought
The Essential Phone legitimately feels different from any other smartphone I’ve tested in 2017. It’s heavy, in a good way, and has a beautiful edge-to-edge display that’s bigger the iPhone 8 Plus’s. The phone is fast, built with the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, and runs like a top-tier smartphone. Its Android OS is bloatware-free, which, as a lover of the original Google Pixel, I found refreshing.
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