This morning, Android co-founder Andy Rubin returned w/ his new vision for smartphone mobility w/ his new company: Essential. They announced their 1st smartphone w/ the Essential PH-1 along w/ a smart home hub, & a modular 360-degree camera add-on.
Essential's 1st offering is like a mesh of OnePlus w/ the Google Pixel and a dash of Moto Mods.
Kicking things off w/ the PH-1, it offers high-end features & specs like a ceramic & titanium unibody design w/ zero logos. It will be sold unlocked w/ a price tag of $699 which you can reserve today in Black Moon or Pure White colors w/ more colors coming later.
You got a large 5.71inch QHD display w/ 2560 x 1312 resolution + 19:10 aspect ratio and fewer bezels than the Galaxy S8, powered by a Snapdragon 835 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, running Android 7.1.1, a rear-facing f/1.8 13MP dual camera setup w/ RGB + Monochrome lenses (think Huawei's P9/P10), afront-facing f/2.2 8MP camera capable of 4K video, rear fingerprint reader, Bluetooth 5.0, no headphone jack, NFC,USB-C, a 3040 mAh battery w/ fast charging + charging pins, and support for all of the major carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, & Verizon).
Reserving a PH-1 will cost you nothing upfront.
Next up, we have their world's smallest 360-degree personal camera that will connect w/ the magnetic connectors on the PH-1. The Essential Camera weighs less than 35 grams and is armed w/ dual 12MP fisheye lens that records 360-degree video in 4K@30fps. It even has 4 mics for audio and 2 accessory power pins to power the camera separate from the PH-1. It weill ship alongside w/ the Essential Phone as you can buy together for an extra $50 or buy the camera by itself for $199.
And lastly, we have Essential Home, their take on a home hub w/ better privacy controls. You can interact w/ it using your voice or the touchscreen panel. The Home will be a touchscreen capable of assistant-like features like smart home tasks, playing music, setting reminders, etc. It is utilizing a custom Ambient OS that runs on top of Android. No word on pricing thus far, but this might be a contender if you looking to give the new guy a shot.
So here's everything Essential has for its initial offering. Who's buying?
