We're getting closer and closer to the launch of Essential's first flagship phone. Emails are being sent out to some Essential Phone early adopters, saying that their phones will be shipped within the next week. We still don't have an official release date for the Essential Phone yet, but you have to imagine that it's coming up before long.
Andy Rubin's Essential, like many other start ups, needs funding from investors to get off the ground. Luckily for Rubin, there are quite a few high-profile companies looking to back Essential in its quest to break into the crowded smartphone market. Essential revealed its lineup of investors today, and some of the big names on the list include Amazon and Tencent.
The iPhone 8, Galaxy S8 (and Galaxy Note 8), Essential Phone, and Mi Mix (and 2) have a bit of competition in the Sharp AQUOS S2. This phone has a full-faced display, with minimal bezels, and a forward-facing camera set in its forehead. It also has a pair of cameras on its back lined up vertically, and a set of odd colors in casings to choose from. It's as if Sharp saw the playbook for every major smartphone brand and said, "yes, let's do ALL of this."
Smartphone makers these days seem to have two goals in mind. One is to banish (almost) all bezels. The other is to be the best camera there is. Some do it with two cameras, others with just one. The Essential PH-1, the much delayed smartphone from Android creator Andy Rubin, has gone with two and is now explaining the process that went into crafting what it naturally claims will be the best smartphone camera in town.
The Essential Phone may have missed Andy Rubin's first ship date promise, but the "Father of Android" now insists the smartphone is just a few weeks away. Essential made headlines back in May with its unusually notched OLED display, modular accessory connectivity, and the promise of near-unmodified Android. However, it then made a second splash - and not one the company was presumably hoping for - when it failed to arrive according to the original schedule.
Essential, founded, backed, and blessed by Andy Rubin, seems to be all about ambition. Whether such ambition translates in reality is perhaps the biggest question haunting the startup and its first product, the Essential PH-1 smartphone. It has now come to light that Essential is laying the groundwork to launch the phone in the UK this year, which isn’t at all surprising. What’s surprising is that it is pushing through even while the Essential phone remains absent in its first market: the US.
The Essential phone, via Android godfather Andy Rubin, made a lot of promises. An unbloated Android experience, fast updates, and, perhaps most important, a bezel-less screen that rivals both the Galaxy S8 and the still coming iPhone 8. Rubin also made a promise that the device would start shipping a mere 30 days after pre-orders have started. We’re now on day 33 without an Essential in any buyer’s hands, which doesn’t bode well for a very ambitious first try.
FCC sightings don't usually reveal as much juicy details as its TENAA counterpart in China, but they do at least hint at one thing: a device is close to being launched. That is definitely the case here with Andy Rubin's Essential PH-1 Android smartphone. Since we already know much about the device anyway, all that's really left for drooling fans is a launch date. And since it just appeared at the FCC, that date might be sooner rather than later.
The Essential Phone may have made a huge misstep, with Andy Rubin showing that, while he knows how to make a slick phone, he may be behind the curve on carrier sentiment. Launched to no small amount of fanfare in late May, the Android smartphone puts refined design, cutting-edge technology, and modular extensibility at the fore. However, the bad news chaser is the network it'll be an in-store carrier exclusive with.
In the world of consumer electronics these days, it seems like every week there's news about one company suing another over accusations of copying or theft. Essential, the new smartphone company from Andy Rubin, is now being gracefully welcomed into that world. Accessories maker Spigen has already accused Essential of trademark infringement over the name "Essential," and sent a cease and desist letter ordering them to stop using it.
It's only been a few days since Essential revealed its new phone to the world, but the company's plan for the future may extend beyond handsets and AI assistants. As it turns out, Essential is also holding a patent for a pair of augmented reality smart glasses. This may not come as a shock to many people, considering Essential CEO Andy Rubin's background at Google, but these AR glasses look quite a bit different than what we saw with Google Glass.
Rumors and insider tips have given us a generally good idea of what's to come with regard to Apple and Samsung's next hero devices. The Galaxy Note 8 and the iPhone 8 - or iPhone Pro, if you prefer - are rumored to come with displays that cover nearly their entire frontside. As for the Essential Phone - we found out earlier this week that Andy Rubin wants to bring the fight right to the doorsteps of both of the biggest names in mobile.
