Android creator unveils the Essential Phone

What if one of the founders and original creators of Android created his own smartphone hardware? That’s just what the Essential Phone is from no other than Andy Rubin.

With a specific model name of Essential Phone PH-1, this smartphone is ready to take on the vast market of Android-powered handsets even with Google’s own Pixel. There are a number of things different with the Essential Phone starting with its materials — glass, titanium, and ceramic. The body is crafted from titanium, not aluminum like other smartphones in the market, with a smooth ceramic back and a tougher Gorilla Glass 5 front.

The display is also the main attraction with its 5.71-inch 19:10 aspect ratio and radiused corners. It packs a Quad HD resolution but the front facing camera sits in its top center. It’ll join the likes of Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6, and Xiaomi Mi Mix for having an impressive screen-to-body ratio.

The rest of the smartphone is at par with the top performing devices including a Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB RAM, and 128GB UFS 2.1 storage. It also joins the dual rear camera wagon with 13-megapixel RGB and Mono sensors partnered with a hybrid (contrast, laser, and phase detection autofocus) focus systems.

The phone doesn’t have expandable storage and a 3.5mm headset jack although it will support a system of accessories and modules. At the back is a magnetic connector in the form of two dots to let you snap on modules like the Essential 360 Camera.

Essential Phone PH-1 specs:
5.71-inch Quad HD LTPS LCD @ 2560 x 1312 pixels, 503ppi
Gorilla Glass 5
2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
4GB RAM
128GB UFS 2.1 storage
13MP f/1.85 Dual RGB + Mono Hybrid AF rear cameras
8MP front-facing camera
4G LTE-A
Wi-Fi 802.11ac w/ MIMO
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner
Quad microphones
Gyroscope
Titanium body w/ ceramic back
3040mAh battery w/ fast-charging
Android 7.x Nougat
141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8 mm
185 g

The Essential Phone will be available in black, gray, white, and a dual-tone model. Reservation is already open, not a pre-order, with a price tag of USD699PHP 41,021INR 59,240EUR 666CNY 5,088 or about Php35k when converted.

Daniel Morial

This article was contributed by Daniel Morial, a film school graduate and technology enthusiast. He's the geeky encyclopedia and salesman among his friends for anything tech.

http://www.yugatech.com

4 Comments

el gato says:

8 years ago

“a price tag of USD699 or about Php35k when converted”
not likely… like the case of an asus laptop model with base model starting a ~500$ and sold locally for ~45000php… ;)

the buying public should be aware that direct conversion is meaningless since retailers do not follow it. almost all products and services in the philippines have 12% VAT. added to the final price are the profit margin of distributors and authorized resellers.

the only close to direct conversion are the price points of intel and amd cpu.
amd/nvidia gpus and other pc parts, OEM laptops/desktops, and other electronic gadgets sell a lot higher than SRP in the u.s. when directly converted.
- Reply

Daniel Morial says:

8 years ago

It’s just a conversion, not a local price.
Carl Lamiel says:

8 years ago

We also discussed in a 2010 post how local players price gadgets for the Philippine market here: http://www.yugatech.com/toys-gadgets/how-your-gadgets-are-priced-in-the-philippines/
archie says:

8 years ago

“It’s just a conversion, not a local price.”

This.