Essential Phone price cut to $650 (in Canada)

This week the folks at Essential appear to have given the Great White North a break on the pricing for their first Essential Phone. The pricing comes via Telus – which could mean that Telus is the one doing the chopping – and the final dollar amount is $650 Canadian Dollars – converted straight to USD today and the final price is right around $510 – which reminds me...

This price cut makes the device cost a whole lot closer to the current price in US dollars. Here, back on October 22nd, the Essential Phone's price was cut from $700 down $200, permanently. Once this $500 price mark was hit, the device became a lot more attractive to users looking for a top-level smartphone for a price well under 1K.

The Essential Phone is extremely thin and made with high-end, super fancy materials. That means it's not the most rugged device in the world – but you use cases anyway, right? I should be clear, though, in saying the Essential Phone is more up to the task of ruggedness than most.

Dimensions

• Height: 141.5mm

• Width: 71.1mm

• Thickness: 7.8mm

• Weight: < 185 grams

See why he Essential Phone is a huge work-in-progress

The cameras at the back of the Essential Phone were subject to some controversy earlier this year as they delivered not-so-fantastic results in photography. Updates to the smartphone since then have made the Essential Phone much more up-to-spec, so to speak. The back facing camera array appears as follows:

Rear Camera

• 13MP Dual RGB + Mono camera with image fusion technology

• 13MP True Monochrome mode

• f/1.85 lens

• Hybrid Auto Focus combing Contrast

• Phase Detect

• IR Laser Assist Focus

• Video at 4K 30fps, 1080p 60fps or 720p 120fps

Updates to this device have changed the results of its various features so much that we've delayed our final review more than once! Have a peek at the camera update promise as well as the Oreo Beta and touch fix.

Now that the device is priced well within the everyday consideration range, is it time to purchase? Or does another smartphone with a similar price strike your fancy?