Andy Rubin, the co-creator of Android, announces the Essential Phone – a premium smartphone with top of the line specs and stock Android.
Essential Phone PH-1
The father of Android, Andy Rubin, recently unveiled the Essential Phone (Essential PH-1), an impressive smartphone packed with the top of the line specs and premium materials.
According to Rubin, they wanted to build a smartphone based on these principles:
- Devices are your personal property. We won’t force you to have anything on them you don’t want to have.
- We will always play well with others. Closed ecosystems are divisive and outdated.
- Premium materials and true craftsmanship shouldn’t be just for the few.
- Devices shouldn’t become outdated every year. They should evolve with you.
- Technology should assist you so that you can get on with enjoying your life.
- Simple is always better.
And the result was a smartphone that takes some of the best features from established brands, made from durable materials with top specs, and a clean OS.
Essential Phone PH-1 Specs, Price
The Essential Phone PH-1 features a 5.71-inch quad HD display with a 19:10 aspect ratio and a 2560 x 1312 resolution. It has an edge-to-edge screen that one-ups even the Galaxy S8‘s, as the display goes all the way to the top going around the front camera.
The phone’s body is made from titanium with a ceramic back. According to the company, titanium was chosen because it’s stronger, and does not dent, bend or scratch — thus eliminating the need for cases.
Under the hood, the Essential Phone PH-1 packs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, paired with an Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB RAM. It comes with 128GB storage (sorry guys, no microSD card slot here), a back mounted fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth v5.0, a USB Type-C port, and 3040 mAh battery.
As for the cameras, the phone has a dual 13MP main camera with a setup similar to that of the Huawei P9 and P10. It uses a color and a monochrome sensor to capture more light, resulting to improved colors and detail, even in low light. The front camera uses a 8MP sensor with the capability to shoot 4K videos.
Running the phone is the current version of Android 7.0 Nougat. Presumably it will be stock with no added applications.
Aside from the Essential Phone, the company also introduced the world’s smallest 360 camera. It adds a modularity aspect to the phone by mounting on the back via pins.
Essential Phone PH-1 Specs:
- 5.71-inch LTPS IPS Edge-to-edge QHD Display (2560 x 1312; 503 ppi)
- Gorilla Glass 5; 19:10 Aspect Ratio
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- Adreno 540
- 4GB RAM
- 128GB Storage
- Dual 13MP Main Camera w/ f1.9, PDAF, Laser AF, LED Flash
- 8MP Front Camera w/ f2.2, 2160@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps
- LTE Support
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO
- Bluetooth v5.0, LE
- GPS, GLONASS
- NFC
- USB Type-C
- Fingerprint Sensor (Rear Mounted)
- 3040 mAh Battery
The Essential Phone PH-1 will retail for USD699, and USD799 with 360 camera. It will first launch in the US. No news if it will be available in the Philippines. For more information about the device, check out the source link below.
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[source: Essential]
