Essential Phone in Halo Gray – 128 GB Unlocked Titanium and Ceramic phone with Edge-to-Edge Display

The Essential Phone has a lot of polarizing views. I will try to give an updated and honest opinion. I am a tech junkie and review phones as a hobby. I try not to spend more than $400-500 on devices and sometimes much less. I feel that spending close to $1000 for a device I will keep for maybe a year is a waste of money. I also find it a lot harder for companies to offer a truly great device in the mid range price bracket than the top end. It is easy to dazzle when money is not an issue yet even then most devices fail in one way or another. Can the Essential phone really compete with the big guys and are all the negative reviews true? Should I buy a PH-1 when the company is developing a PH-2? I will attempt to answer these questions and more.As with any company the first device you make can have some issues and when it is your first time making a smartphone even if you are the founder of Android it doesn't mean that you are immune to screwing up. What determines success is not failure but a willingness to never give up and to do your best to solve problems and take responsibility. So a lot of the reviews on this phone were rather negative. Some of the claims a little over the top and the price while not iPhone X expensive was not cheap during its initial launch. All of this caused a lot of dissatisfaction, specially since the software was not polished and prone to bugs.Fast forward to now April 2018, several months- almost a year after initial release and a few price drops later and how does the Essential phone stand up? The price fluctuates between $500 and $400 depending on the model and sales that are going on. Personally I feel the $500 price is reasonable and should have been the release price and then successive models you could gradually add features and increase the price. By starting the price lower than they did I think a lot of the reviews would have been a lot more forgiving. You have to take a bit of a loss just to get people to try something new. Oneplus and Xiaomi understand this and it has propelled their success. That being said for $400 this device even in 2018 is a real value.Design-form factor and feel.I want to start my review by saying I am very critical and had pretty high expectations. I am not unreasonable though and do not expect everything to be perfect specially at the price I paid. I have to say I absolutely love this phone. The longer I own it the more I love it. I can't say that for all the devices I have had. The build quality is really excellent. The Titanium and ceramic with Gorilla glass 5 just feel great. The fully immersive display and smaller form factor really are the future. Any device with large bezels and chins instantly seems old. Ergonomically the size really makes a difference. I have had large devices like the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 with large chins and a 6.4" display and even though I loved the screen and battery it was just too big to hold and felt akward in my hand. One of my needs since my near vision now sucks is a larger screen and 1080p is fine for me at least I thought. I do prefer Amoled panels but a good LCD is fine. So the screen on the Essential phone even with the notch is one of the best ips lcd panels I have used. It does have some visable banding in bright light which is annoying and makes the screen look cheap. That being said it is not a deal breaker and is not always visable. The phone is a lot smaller than my Xiaomi Mi A1 with a standard format and a 5.5" screen and yet the Essential phone has a larger screen-Awesome!! So the design of this phone obviously took some thought and it is not just a copy of an iPhone like so many other devices. I really like the industrial design and the lack of branding!!BrandingI think it is so important I am going to make a seperate paragraph. There is no branding on this phone anywhere. A bold move from a start up and extremely refreshing! Not even a logo-nothing. The design of the phone is really well thought out. The way it fits in your hand and the way it feels and looks all reinforce good design and high quality. So while I paid a very reasonable price it feels like a unique and high quality device. Did I mention there is not a word, logo, nothing anywhere on this device?? No one does that and it is so bad you have SAMSUNG or HTC or whatever printed in white on the front of your device in some case or some logo etc. I know some people really like the Apple logo but I feel like branding has become so out of control and people just want you to know they have something expesive so please see my brand here that tells you I am a success. I personally would rather people notice the unique design and feel of my device and ask me what brand it is since there is nothing on the device. Also I don't like being a walking advertisement. I really appreciate the lack of branding on this device.Call Quality and reception,I have T-mobile and Mint Sim in SOCAL and I have better reception than many other cell phones I have used. Usually I am in a bad reception area where I live and my call quality and reception is excellent with the Essential phone. I was worried because of a lot of negative reviews but it is not an issue for me. This phone is also capable of wifi calling!!SAR level,This phone has very low SAR rating. For those concerned about RF exposure this is a great device!!Software,Stock Android or as close to it as possible is my favorite type of software on an Android device. I hate skins like touchwiz or HTC sense, etc. Even Moto with no notification led I don't like. I think Essential has done a great job keeping things simple but again really well designed. I have the latest April 2018 security patch and Oreo 8.1. Very happy. I know they had some delays but many other companies still don't have Oreo or it is at 8.0 etc. The software is very lean and does have some nice customizations. If you want themes and tons of added apps included by the OEM then this device is not for you but if you like to run just one app, not three versions of the same thing and like to be able to uninstall or disable any app on your phone then this device is perfect!! Lets just say the software has matured on this phone to the point that everything seems stable and fast-even the camera!Sound,There is one mono speaker at the bottom. It is one of the loudest mono speakers I have heard but it lacks any type of bass and can be a bit harsh. I would really like to see better stereo sound on phones. This gets the job done and is louder than a lot of phones but it doesn't impress me. One area where I think they could improve the quality. Sound level is good.CameraI am not a professional photographer but I like to take decent shots of my life on my phone. This phone has a great camera in my opinion. It is not an Apple or Samsung camera which are some of the best but it is a good camera that works. The app doesnt crash for me and for the price I paid I am very happy with it. It could be better but I really find nothing to complain about here.BatteryEven though the battery capacity is not very large-3080mah the battery life is pretty impressive. This device is more efficient than many devices I have used with larger batteries. I would have preferred a 4000mah battery but I can't complain and actually like the battery life on this device.Other Specs,It is 2018 and now the Snapdragon 845 is here. Many flagship phones have 6-8gigs of ram. I would certainly like 6 gigs of RAM as ram does help future proof the device and 4 is good but 6 is best right now and 8 is a bit overkill. So does this device have what it takes for 2018? I think it does. Sure it may not have the 845 and 6 gigs of ram but the SD 835 is a very good chip, one of the best from Snapdragon in a while so the 845 while being a bit faster is not a major upgrade. Since we are running stock android the ram is good. The 128 gigs of internal fast ufs 2.1 storage is really nice-you don't need an sd card with 128gigs of internal storage and it would slow everything down on this device. Should you buy the PH-1 since the new model is in the works? I would say yes if you don't pay more than $500. Because even if they come out with a new model it will cost more and you can still sell your device for a good amount and be able to upgrade. Or you may just keep your extra money and enjoy an awesome device that is unique in a crowd of copycats.Final Thoughts,Is this a perfect phone? Are there things I would change? I don't think any phone is ever perfect. There are things I would change. However as the device stands now for the cost now I can safely say it is one of the best value and most unique devices available in the Spring of 2018. Even though it may not be the newest release it feels as new as any other device because they were so ahead of the curve. There is also a lot of what I want in a device and little to nothing I don't.Don't believe all the negative reviews and opinions. Have realistic expectations and find the device at a good price and you might just be pleasantly surprised by how good it really is. I love the color led near the top edge of the device. The braded nylon cables and quality power adapter that matches the color of the phone and the packaging were all a nice touch.In my opinion this is one of the nicest phones I have owned in a long time regardless of price. Sure there are some changes I would like to see but for a first device they ever made Essentail really hit this out of the park. I can't wait to see what they do next. Despite the fact there is no branding they have made me a fan of their brand. If they can support this device with continuous quality updates for a long time and not just ditch it after they release a new phone and deliver on their founder's vision then they will make me a customer for a long time. I really like what they are doing and have done. If you are on the fence and are considering other devices I would highly recommend you give the Essential phone an honest try. You can always return it if you don't like it but you may just end up really liking it!!

I purchased this phone when reviews were just so-so, but after the price dropped to $500, I figured I'd take a risk and purchased this phone. It definitely paid off, as I've been using this phone for over a month now, and I am in love with this device. I switched over to Android in August of 2017 after using iPhones for over 6 years. I needed a phone and purchased the Moto g4 play because it was the cheapest phone I could get that day. I got tired of the slow processor and limited RAM on that phone, but I didn't want to Shell out $700+ on a phone just to get the latest and greatest. When I first got this phone, it seemed quite buggy and would completely freeze up from time to time, but after many software updates, including camera app updates, this is my favorite device out of any I have ever used. I use this phone for everything, from streaming movies to doing homework to taking pictures, and I couldn't be more impressed. I love how there is no bloatware on this phone and no logos on it whatsoever. Here are the pros and cons of this device from my point of view:Pros:+No Bloatware - The Essential Ph-1 is as stock Android as it gets ((even moreso than Pixel phones). The launcher is the stock Android launcher (launcher3), which does not offer much in terms of customization. All of the apps that come with this device are needed to function properly, and you can customize your experience to suit your individual needs.+Bezel-less Design - Yes, there is a small bezel along the bottom of the screen, but I have found that it is actually beneficial for avoiding accidental screen touches.+Premium Feel - I have never held a phone that feels this good in my hands. I use a case when I am out and about, but I take it off while at home or work just to enjoy the feel of this phone. The smoothness of the titanium and ceramic coupled with the added weight of the phone make it feel special. Even the haptic feedback feels better than in other devices I've used. The vibrations are audible in silent rooms, but it has a great feel to it. Many of my friends with other Android phones like the feel so much that they will play with my phone just to feel the haptic feedback. It's small things like this that make the Essential phone truly enjoyable to use.+The Camera - While this phone started off with terrible camera performance, the many updates to the camera app have caused me to truly enjoy taking pictures. While its camera performance isn't as good as that of the iPhone X, I am able to take better pictures on the Essential Ph-1 than my coworker can on his Pixel XL(first gen). The front-facing camera performs better than any other phone I've used as well. With the latest camera app update, portrait mode is now enabled, and low-light image quality is greatly improved, which puts this camera near the top in terms of performance.+Magnetic Attachments - While there is only one out at the moment, more are said to come in the future. I use the 360 degree camera attachment quite often and am quite pleased with the results. As soon as you attach it, the camera app opens and allows you to take a picture or video. The results so far have been better than I expected.Cons:-No Headphone Port - While this is a big deal for some people, I only use Bluetooth for audio, so it doesn't bother me. It is an unfortunate compromise for some, but most phone companies are abandoning this feature, giving consumers little choice in the matter. If you want to use wired headphones, the dongle included in the box works well.-Lack of Waterproofing - While many newer phones are water resistant, the Essential phone forgoes this feature. This doesn't bother me for a couple of reasons: 1. I never use phones in and around the water, and 2. Water resistance can be compromised by scratches, dents, or cracks on certain parts of the device.-No Expandable Storage - This also doesn't bother me because I will never even fill up the 128gb of internal storage, but for those that would like this option, you're out of luck with this phone.-No Wireless Charging - While Essential is supposedly working on a charging dock that connects via the magnetic pins, it doesn't support wireless charging on the Qi standard, which is an inconvenience for those who are used to this feature.-Smooth Design - While it feels great to hold in your hand, the smooth design of this phone means that it will easily slide off smooth surfaces (like pants), so putting this phone on your lap without a case could lead to an unfortunate fall. Therefore, I would recommend using a case (or skin of you want to keep things minimalistic) in order to add some texture to the ceramic back.-Limited Selection of Device Protection - While there are more cases and screen protectors out now than a month ago, there aren't as many options as there are for other devices. There is one tempered glass screen protector that covers the whole screen without having a halo effect, but its weak adhesion allows the case to push it off. The limited selection of cases is mostly due to the limited amount of these phones initially sold, but Essential is partially to blame for claiming this phone doesn't need a case to withstand drops. There have been drop tests conducted with this phone that show the phone is not impervious to falls, so a case is a must in my opinion.While there are some downsides to this phone that may deter some people from purchasing it, the Essential Ph-1 is a truly great device, especially when you consider that this is the company's first phone. If $500 is too much for you to spend on a phone, and you live in the US, Sprint is currently offering the device for a great price ($25 down and $5 a month for an 18 month flex lease) if you want this phone but aren't sure you want to buy the device outright, and right now, they have a promotion offering the 360 degree camera free with a lease or purchase. If you are an Android enthusiast that isn't bothered by the cons presented in this review, this phone is definitely worth looking into!