Android Founder Andy Rubin Teases Bezel-Less ‘Essential’ Flagship Smartphone

Andy Rubin, the co-creator of Android and former boss of Google's Android division, is making progress on his new venture. He announced in January that he was starting a new company, Essential, and planned to released a high-end smartphone infused to the core with artificial intelligence. He also said it would feature a large edge-to-edge to display. Well, he provided the public with the first glimpse of the new smartphone, or at least part of it.

All that is visible in the photo he posted to Twitter is the corner section of the handset. However, that's enough to tease the bezel-less display, along with white text showing the time, remaining battery life, and network connectivity. We're assuming the phone is running a version of Android, though Rubin makes no reference to the operating system. He does, however, hint that it might nearly be ready for the masses.
As is often the case, a fair amount of amusement can be had by scrolling through the replies, both in the form of comments and a spattering of memes and animated GIFs. There is also an interesting theory that was posted in response to the smartphone tease.
A tie-in with T-Mobile is an interesting theory, though probably not the best route if Rubin is serious about competing with the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy devices for smartphone dominance. It's also worth mentioning that Rubin met with wireless carriers at CES to explore the possibility of selling the device. At the time, the only carrier mentioned by name was Sprint.

Beyond the edge-to-edge display and whatever AI technology Rubin and his team are cooking up, the unreleased phone is said to be a high-end device. It's also said to offer touch sensitivity and perhaps feature a sphere-shaped camera as an add-on accessory for 360-degree photography.