A Normal Person’s Guide to the Essential Phone, theMost Hyped Gadget of the Summer

In the public of smartphones , the Essential Phone has been anxiously anticipated with the reverence we should probably spare for Kendrick Lamar albums . Why ? Andy Rubin , the God Almighty of Android , is behind the whole matter . After ditching Google in 2014 , Rubinran off to open a bakery(YUM ! ) , but he ’s returned to the world of widget to “ inject passion back into smartphones , ” whatever that means . It ’s not even out yet and people are call his raw devicethe anti - iPhone .

Can the Essential Phone deliver on the promise to rewire the way we think about speech sound ? Why would anyone gravel with this affair when there is already a crowded field of satisfying devices ? After months of hype , we ’ve finally had the prospect to try the twist , albeit , only for a few hours . Here ’s what you need to recognise .

Who the hell is Andy Rubin?

call Andy Rubin one of the forefathers of the modern smartphone would n’t be exaggeration . He got his start as a robotic engineer for Carl Zeiss AG before head off to mould for Apple in 1989 . ( It was at Apple where Andy was first give way the nickname Android . ) afterward , he establish Danger Inc , which was creditworthy for the legendaryT - Mobile Sidekick . That companionship was later gain by Microsoft . Then , in 2003 he start Android Inc. where he work out on the mobile atomic number 76 that would get buy by Google in 2005 . From there , Google and Rubin took Android , which was in the first place conceived as an operating system for digital cameras , and turn it into the most democratic OS on the satellite . In 2014 , Andy Rubin left Google to open a bakeshop , while also working on an brooder for hardware inauguration , which is where Essential Products get its starting line .

What is the Essential Phone?

The Essential Phone is the handset devised to fix everything Rubin and histeam do n’t wish about the current state of technology , which is a pretty gallant goal . But in actuality , the Essential Phone is a smartphone that runs Android Nougat 7.1 with a 5.7 - inch screen and a titanium and ceramic body .

Why is there so much hype?

See the section on Andy Rubin above . But if you need more , it ’s because without even ship a individual gimmick to customer , Essential Products has already generated a valuation north of $ 1 billion . Amongst the caller ’s many openhanded investor are Amazon and Chinese internet giant Tencent .

How much does it cost?

The phone starts at $ 699 , or $ 749 if you opt for the pile that includes the 360 - degree camera mod .

What else do I get for all that money?

The phone sport pretty received specs for a advanced Android flagship , including a Snapdragon 835 CPU , 4 GB of RAM , and a USB - C port wine for charging and information transfer . One nice thing about the Essential Phone is that you get 128 GB of onboard storage standard , which is double what you get on a nucleotide Galaxy S8 or LG G6 . However , since the sound does n’t have a microSD card slot , you wo n’t have the alternative of tacking on more storage later .

On the back , there ’s a fingerprint sensor , double 13 - megapixel television camera ( more on that later ) and a charismatic attachment organisation for attach mods . There ’s also a 3,040 mAh battery power the whole thing , which is actually a spot on the minor side for a earphone this size .

Then what makes this phone so special?

The first thing about the Essential Phone that catch your care is its design . Just look at it . The earpiece feature a atomic number 22 frame and a ceramic backplate that the team says is significantly more durable than the aluminum and glass soundbox you get on other handset . We have n’t tossed it at the sidewalk yet , but we ’ll report back .

What ’s really striking is Essential ’s tending to detail . The phone is almost minimalist to a break , but it ’s done in a way that makes other the design of other handsets look busybodied .

The phone also supports modular attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ons via a connector on the back , which theoretically , mean you may swop on different attachments to become your needs . But right now , there ’s only one mod that ’s actually been announced — a 360 camera mod — and we did n’t get it , so we ca n’t really say much about it .

image: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo

image: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo

Essential applies a light touch on the computer software too . It run pedigree Android , with fairly much no bloat . The only exception to that is that Tidal came pre - installed on our Sprint - brand limited review unit . Thanks , I hazard . Because it run stock , Essential should n’t have any trouble supplying users with the latest osmium updates , which ca n’t be said about a great deal of other Android devices .

What about those dual cameras in the back?

Mounted flush with the back of the phone ( which I must say is a overnice touch ) , the Essential Phone has what the company is calling the thinnest two-fold - camera module in the domain . In our abbreviated time with the earpiece so far , picture show look good , but not salient . The double apparatus is compile of a 13 - megapixel camera alongside a secondary monochrome sensing element which is imagine to help oneself the phone seizure better detail . However , there does n’t seem to be any way to play around with profundity of line of business the way you could on other dual cams headphone , which is half the reason you ’d desire dual Cam River in the first stead .

So is there anything missing?

For a phone with this much froth behind it , there ’s actually quite a few features hoi polloi might be gestate , but wo n’t get . There ’s no headphone jack or any variety of substantial water electric resistance , and you only get a single mono speaker mounted on the bottom of the phone .

The Essential Phone also does n’t support stock Qi or PMA wireless charging , which if rumors are correct and the iPhone goes wireless , would be another tap against it .

What is all this talk about an Essential digital assistant?

Rubin ’s plans do n’t just end with the phone . Essential is working on a whole range of products like theHome Base , which is supposed to be a different take on an Amazon Echo or Google Home . Essential is even run on a whole new operating system ( squall Ambient OS ) for the Home Base to run on , but both the OS and the Qaeda itself are still a ways out .

When is it coming out and where can I get it?

The Essential Phone is available for lodge now with shipments going out as before long as next calendar week . As far as carriers go , the Essential Phone will be a Sprint “ exclusive . ” But do n’t get played by the marketing , you will also be able to buy unlatched versions from Best Buy and Amazon . From there you may take the phone to any of the other carriers , as the Essential Phone patronise all the authoritative band for both GSM and CDMA networks .

Should I get it?

The Essential Phone is emphatically interesting , but is it better than a Galaxy S8 or an iPhone 7 ? No , maybe not . But we ’ve only had the telephone set for about a day . After getting to bonk it a little , the Essential Phone seems like it ’s more about simpleness than actually attempt to exchange the game or start any revolutions . But if you want to discover out what this thing is really alike to live with , determine back for our full review next workweek .

AndroidAndy RubinConsumer Tech

Get the best technical school , science , and culture news show in your inbox day by day .

News from the hereafter , have to your present .