Essential Phone

107 'Essential Phone' stories May 2017 - February 2018

See All Stories

essential phone

After hinting at a new device, Andy Rubin’s start-up, Essential, announced the Essential PH-1 (Phone). Unlike other OEMs, Essential is all about keeping only the essential aspects of a smartphone. This means almost-stock Android, no pre-install bloatware, and quality materials such as titanium and ceramic to make up the handset.

Learn More About the Essential Phone

Essential Phone First Impressions: A fast, well crafted phone that might steal you away from the Pixel 2 [Video]
Essential vs Note 8: How does the newbie compare to Samsung’s latest & greatest
So, what’s the deal with the Essential Phone’s camera? [Gallery]
Review Roundup: Essential Phone has fast software, excellent hardware, but low-light camera performance as bad as the app icon

Full hardware specifications for Essential’s Phone:

Essential Phone	Specification
Android version	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Screen size	5.7-inch LCD
Resolution	2560×1312 pixels
PPI	505 ppi
Primary camera	Dual 13MP cameras (color + monochrome), f/1.85, phase-detect + laser auto focus
Front camera	8MP, f/2.2
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 2.45GHz octa-core Kyro 280 CPU, Adreno 540 GPU
Storage	128GB
Expandable storage up to	N/A
RAM	4GB
Battery	3,040mAh (nonremovable)
Ports	USB Type-C
Weight	185 g
Dimensions	141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8 mm
Other features	Rear-facing fingerprint sensor, modular accessories
Color options	Black Moon, Pure White, Stellar Grey, Ocean Depths
Carrier availability	Sprint, Unlocked
Base price off-contract	~$699
In-box accessories	USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter, USB-C charging/data transfer cable, fast charging wall adapter

Essential Phone in ‘Halo Gray’ lands on Amazon for $449 w/ Alexa built-in, pre-orders open now

Ben Schoon Feb 16 2018 - 10:12 am PT

While Essential hasn’t sold a ton of units with its first device, the PH-1, it’s still trying to make itself known. The most recent attempt was adding some stunning new colors. Yesterday’s reveal of those new colors brought a higher price tag along with them, but now you can get one of them cheaper through Amazon.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone available in three new colors this month, ‘Ocean Depths,’ ‘Stellar Gray,’ and ‘Copper Black’ for $599

Ben Schoon Feb 15 2018 - 10:05 am PT

The Essential Phone is one of the best looking phones on the market today, and now it’s launching three stunning new limited edition color variants.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone picks up first Android 8.1 beta w/ fixes for janky scrolling issues

Ben Schoon Feb 14 2018 - 11:34 am PT

The Essential Phone had a lot of hype surrounding it. But at launch, there were several reasons it turned out disappointing. Now, after a failed Oreo upgrade, Essential is releasing the first beta for Android 8.1 Oreo.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential teases new ‘Ocean Depth’ Phone variant, coming February 15

Justin Duino Feb 13 2018 - 1:54 pm PT

When the Essential Phone was launched, we got a look at three different color options: black, white, and teal. At long last, it appears as though Essential will be launching the ‘Ocean Depth’ variant on February 15…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Less than 90,000 Essential Phones were sold in the company’s first few months

Ben Schoon Feb 12 2018 - 11:38 am PT

Essential Phone Android 11

Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone launched in the latter half of 2017 with a lot of hype behind it, but it proved to struggle in some major ways. While the company has made major improvements since the phone’s debut, it hasn’t exactly translated into sales, as new numbers may prove to be disappointing.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone picks up another camera update, this time with major HDR improvements

Ben Schoon Feb 8 2018 - 6:45 pm PT

Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone received a lot of flack at launch thanks to a poor camera, but the company has made major changes over the past several months to improve things little by little. Today, though, Essential has launched its latest camera update with huge improvements to HDR.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone

Essential Phone picks up February security patch just a day after Google’s Pixel

Ben Schoon Feb 7 2018 - 6:41 am PT

Monthly security updates have been put out Google for a couple of years at this point, but most Android OEMs still haven’t gotten with the program and often delay these updates for months. Essential, however, has been pretty quick, and recently, its reflexes have gotten even quicker…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential ditches Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade for PH-1, will skip to 8.1 due to ‘stability issues’

Ben Schoon Jan 30 2018 - 4:01 pm PT

Despite its flaws, the Essential Phone is the underdog I want to succeed, but roadblocks have been coming up left and right. Today, a couple of months into testing Android Oreo for the PH-1, Essential has decided to skip directly to 8.1.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone gets another camera update w/ app shortcuts, stability fixes & optimizations

Ben Schoon Jan 27 2018 - 10:20 am PT

The Essential Phone has improved a lot since its debut, and become much more appealing thanks to a massive price cut. However, its Achilles Heel is still its camera, especially the camera app itself. Over the past few months, the company has released several updates to improve this camera, and now, another is rolling out.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Re-Review: A few months later, the Essential Phone finally nails down the essentials

Ben Schoon Jan 22 2018 - 1:09 pm PT

Earlier this year I reviewed the Essential Phone, the first product to come from Andy Rubin’s startup of the same name. At the time, it was a $700 device trying to compete directly with the rest of Android’s flagships in one of the most memorable years in quite some time. There were a lot of great phones in 2017, and the Essential Phone simply fell through the cracks.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone Android 11

Essential has resources ‘specifically committed’ to fixing touch latency on the Essential Phone

Ben Schoon Jan 18 2018 - 6:58 am PT

The Essential Phone is easily my favorite piece of Android hardware of all time, but the phone, unfortunately, has a few big issues that make it tough to recommend. One of those is touch latency, and now Essential has confirmed that it’s actively working on fixing that.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential’s awesome chargers and headphone adapters are now for sale starting at $15

Ben Schoon Jan 15 2018 - 6:18 am PT

The Essential Phone may not be the best phone you can buy today, but it’s certainly one of the best in terms of hardware. The build of the PH-1 is unlike anything else, and the company extended that attention to detail to its accessories as well. Now, those awesome accessories are for sale on their own.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone picking up second Oreo beta w/ bug fixes and more features from 8.0

Ben Schoon Dec 21 2017 - 3:26 am PT

Andy Rubin’s Essential has been working hard on bringing Android Oreo to its first device, the PH-1, and that process kicked off with a public beta last month. Now, the company is pushing out the second beta for Android Oreo.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone: PH-1 to add EIS, Project Treble, double tap to wake feature in coming updates

Ben Schoon Dec 14 2017 - 7:21 am PT

Despite underwhelming sales, Andy Rubin’s startup Essential isn’t playing games when it comes to updates. In the company’s latest Reddit AMA, it discusses the latest features coming to the Essential Phone, and there are some fun goodies in store…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Play Store loosely reveals that around 50,000 Essential Phone units have been sold so far

Ben Schoon Dec 13 2017 - 6:23 am PT

Essential Phone

Andy Rubin’s startup Essential produced a gorgeous first device in the PH-1, but it’s been plagued by camera complaints and high pricing since launch. At one point, it was believed by some that only 5,000 units had been sold, but the actual number is about ten times that…probably.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential’s AMA sheds light on second generation Phone, Portrait mode & Oreo beta updates, more

Justin Duino Nov 29 2017 - 7:33 pm PT

Essential Phone

This morning, news broke that Andy Rubin, founder of Essential, would be taking a personal leave of absence from the company following a report about misconduct while at Google. Despite this news, Essential went ahead with its bi-weekly Reddit AMA and announced several new updates coming to the Phone and future development…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential VP talks Android Oreo updates, camera improvements, and working at Google in interview

Ben Schoon Nov 21 2017 - 7:37 am PT

The Essential Phone is one of the more impressive devices to come from a startup in recent memory, and a big reason for that is the talent behind it. Andy Rubin’s company is full of capable team members, and one of those is VP Rebecca Zavin. Recently, she answered some questions about the company and its products in an interview.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone camera updated w/ stability fixes and 60FPS monochrome video mode

Ben Schoon Nov 17 2017 - 12:42 pm PT

Andy Rubin’s Essential produced an incredible piece of hardware in the Essential Phone, but its camera was a deal-breaker for many. Now, following some major price cuts, Essential is still working to make that camera better, and that’s reflected in the latest update.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Android 8.0 Oreo is now available in beta for the Essential Phone

Justin Duino Nov 14 2017 - 3:04 pm PT

Essential Phone July patch

Even though Oreo has barely taken a hold in the latest distribution numbers, that doesn’t mean companies aren’t working hard to upgrade flagships to the newest version of Android. Earlier this month, Samsung announced that users could beta test Oreo on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Now, Essential is doing the same by providing an early beta build of Oreo for its handset…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Latest Essential Phone update adds fingerprint gestures, improved touch response, and more

Ben Schoon Oct 30 2017 - 1:44 pm PT

I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with the Essential Phone, but one of the big problems I have had with it has been the lack of features in the software. All the little touches on the Pixel are what makes the experience lively, and Essential has lacked that. In its latest update, though, that’s being fixed a bit.

Expand
Expanding
Close

In midst of Pixel 2 XL issues, Essential Phone gets a permanent price cut to $499

Justin Duino Oct 22 2017 - 5:28 pm PT

In the world of Google, it was huge news when Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android, announced that his new startup was going to be releasing a near-stock Android smartphone. While in our review we found its hardware to be fantastic, the poor camera performance really made it hard to recommend the $700 smartphone to most consumers. Essential seems to have heard these complaints and has lowered the Phone’s price tag down to $499 permanently…

Expand
Expanding
Close

The ‘Pure White’ Essential Phone is finally available for purchase

Ben Schoon Oct 12 2017 - 6:37 am PT

Despite some missteps, I think the Essential Phone is a pretty solid device, and it’s looking to get better as we go forward. Now, over a month after the phone started shipping to customers, the “Pure White” color variant is available for purchase.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone to pick up Oreo, fingerprint gestures, Night Mode, lag fixes and more in coming OTAs

Ben Schoon Oct 9 2017 - 3:32 pm PT

While it’s far from perfect, I’ve been enjoying my time with the Essential Phone over the past several weeks quite a bit. Despite the stock Android build, though, the experience hasn’t been perfect, and Essential has been working hard to fix it. In its latest Reddit AMA today, the company answered quite a few burning questions from fans, so let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Essential Phone update makes big promises for camera quality and speed improvements

Ben Schoon Oct 5 2017 - 11:00 am PT

Since its release, the Essential Phone has been my daily driver and I’ve been enjoying it a lot. However, its biggest flaw is still an issue — the camera. As good as mobile cameras have gotten, it’s become hard to excuse a sub-par camera on an expensive flagship, but Essential isn’t giving up just yet…

Expand
Expanding
Close