After months of rumors and teases, Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android, has announced the Essential Phone. In fact, Rubin called out the very OS that he created, saying the following:
For all the good Android has done to help bring technology to nearly everyone it has also helped create this weird new world where people are forced to fight with the very technology that was supposed to simplify their lives. Was this what we had intended? Was this the best we could do?
Still, the Essential Phone does run Android, as there really aren"t any viable alternatives on the market, being that Apple doesn"t license iOS to OEMs. But Rubin is aiming to solve some pain points, promising that users won"t have to have anything on their phone that they don"t want, the ecosystem will be open, and that the phone will "evolve with you."
The most noticeable feature on the device though is the display. There"s very little bezel space at all, only leaving some space at the bottom of the handset. The 5.71-inch 19:10 display (2560x1312 resolution) even wraps around the front camera.
And for $699, you get the other top of the line specs that you"d want from a flagship phone. It has Qualcomm"s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset, along with 4GB RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage.
The rear camera has two 13-megapixel f/1.85 sensors. Similar to Huawei"s P10, one of them is monochrome, which should offer better low light performance. It has a hybrid autofocus system, which combines phase detect, contrast, and laser autofocus.
It also offers modular accessories that connect to pogo pins on the back. There are two accessories so far, but the one above is a charging dock. There"s also a 360-degree camera that you can attach to it.
You can pre-order your Essential Phone right now for $699, which includes shipping. There"s also a bundle that includes the 360-degree camera for $749, which is normally $898.
Source: The Verge