Andy Rubin, the man who gave us Android, is back with Essential Phone - but is it worth it?
Andy Rubin, the man behind the Android revolution, is here to make his splash in the mobile phone market with his company's first offering – the Essential Phone.
For what it's worth, Rubin has claimed the Essential Phone will be all that a premium Android phone was meant to be, and a quick look at the phone gives strength to his argument.
The Essential Phone will start retail in the US for $699 ( approx Rs 45,000), but with no news on availability for the rest of the world, we don't expect the phone to find its way to India anytime soon.
However, that does not change the fact that this new smartphone is an Android enthusiast's ultimate dream. With a minimalistic design scheme, bezel-less display, support for modular attachments and top-of-the-line specs, the phone looks to be an absolute winner.
Here are five things to know about the Essential Phone.
Flaship killer specs
Rubin's phone comes with specs that would help it take on flagships from established manufacturers. The phone is equipped with a 64-bit Snapdragon 835 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM. It comes with 128GB storage.
The package is powered by a 3,040-mAh battery that is placed under the hood.
Dual camera setup
The phone comes with an 8-megapixel camera at the front, capable of shooting really crisp pictures, but where it really excels is the dual camera setup at the back. The setup features two 13-megapixel cameras with the first used as a colour sensor while the other is a monochrome sensor which will be used to adding more detail to the images clicked from the first sensor.
The combined product of the efforts of the two sensors creates stunning looking pictures.
The cameras also get f/1.85 aperture lenses and an autofocus system that uses laser contrast, and phase-detect AF. As per the company, the setup will be capable of shooting 4K videos at 30fps.
Design scheme
When it comes to the design, the phone focuses on keeping it clean and simple. The Essential Phone's body is held together by a titanium frame that the company claims makes it more resistant to scratches and drops than other phones in the market.
At the back, it comes with a ceramic sheet while the front of the phone flaunts a beautiful a 5.7-inch edge-to-edge QHD display with a 19:10 aspect ratio that is protected using a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 sheet.
Modular phone
The Essential Phone is being marketed as a modular phone with support for multiple accessories which will be connected using two magnetic points that sit next to the phone's camera at the back. For now, only a 360-degree camera has been announced for the the smartphone, but more attachments are expected in the future.
The company is claiming the camera to be the world’s smallest personal 360-degrees action camera and has priced it at $199 (approx Rs 13K).
Interesting features
The phone also brings with it a lot of other interesting features, but at the same time misses out on a few that could have added to its appeal. For starters, the phone boasts of nice additions such as a next-gen USB Type-C port and wireless charging capabilities, however, the trade-off sees it skip on a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a micro sd expansion slot. There is also no mention of the phone being water-proof.