Andy Rubin's Essential phone unveiled with unique edge-to-edge screen
Andy Rubin,
co-founder of Danger and Android, has a new company - Essential. Today, it
introduced the PH-1, though we have a feeling most people will call it just the
“Essential phone.”
It has a unique
screen and a unique camera setup, it also flaunts a bit of modularity. The
screen is an edge-to-edge “Full Display” with rounded corners, not unsimilar to
the Xiaomi Mi Mix. But look at the selfie camera - it cuts into the middle of
the notification area!
The screen has a
19:10 aspect ratio - wider than 16:9, but not as wide as the LG G6 or Galaxy
S8. It is an LTPS LCD measuring 5.71” in diagonal and promising 500nits of
brightness (with better than 1,000:1 contrast ratio). The resolution is a touch
under QHD, 1,312x2,560px.
The camera on the back uses a combo of of
13MP sensors - one RGB, one monochrome. The color sensor is behind a bright
f/1.85 lens and with help from the mono sensor, it offers telephoto, bokeh and
13MP “true monochrome” modes. Laser and phase detect autofocus is available.
Both the main camera and the selfie cam can record
4K @ 30fps video, 1080p @ 60fps and 720p @ 120fps. Speaking of, the front
camera has an 8MP sensor (16:9) with an f/2.2 aperture for its hyperfocal lens
(i.e. fixed focus).
But notice the two pins to the right of the
camera - this is where accessories snap on. The first is a 360° camera that
features dual 12MP sensors behind fisheye lenses (210°) and 4 mics for
immersive video (3,840 x 1,920px @ 30fps). There’s also the Essential Phone
Dock, which features a magnetic connector and can charge the phone. Other
accessories will be launched in the future.
The Essential phone is built around a
titanium frame, which is tougher than aluminum and will not scratch or bend
when you drop the phone. The back is ceramic, the front is Gorilla Glass 5. Two
color options will be available at first - Black Moon and Pure White - with two
more joining them later on, Stellar Grey and Ocean Depths.
We guess now we can talk about the rest of
the hardware. The phone is fairly compact at 71.1mm wide, but rather hefty at
nearly 185g and features four mics of its own, plus stereo speakers
(loudspeaker + earpiece).
It’s powered by Snapdragon 835 (with 4GB of
RAM and 128GB storage, no microSD slot). It will run Android, naturally, but it
has been retouched by one of the OS’s original creators. The connectivity is
interesting with USB-C, plus those accessory pins, but no headphone jack. Also
the battery is a bit smaller than we would have liked at 3,040mAh.
Finally, the price. The Essential phone will
set you back $700 (no carrier contracts) or you can pay $750 to get that 360°
camera bundled in. But note that for now registrations are US-only and there
isn't even a hint of an availability date.
Follow us on Twitter
Like our page on Facebook
