Items tagged with essential phone
Things over at Essential have been relatively quiet since the company's original smartphone launched two years ago with a Snapdragon 835 SoC and one of the very first appearances of a notched display. While the original Essential Phone PH-1 has long since been discontinued, CEO Andy Rubin made it clear that a successor was in development and we're seeing the first fruits of those labors with what is called Project Gem. Rubin tweeted a number of images of the elongated smartphone, which is not quite like anything that we've seen before. The display has an especially tall and narrow display, which Rubin admits is a "radically different form-factor". Looking at the various images and video...
Read more...
Andy Rubin and crew expected big things when they started Essential and created a smartphone that aimed to be different from other devices on the market, but things didn't go their way. Consumers didn't flock to the new company the father of Android created, and sales for the phone were poor. In May of this year, Essential announced that it had canceled its second-generation phone and was considering a sale. Fast forward a few months and Essential had announced layoffs, despite having delivered the headphone accessory that it had promised for its smartphone. Today, Essential has now announced that it isn't making the Essential Phone anymore but there's perhaps still hope. The upside for fans...
Read more...
Most people thought that Essential was dead and had probably given up hope of getting the Audio Adapter HD dongle for headphones that the company had been promising for a long time. Things haven't exactly been smooth at Essential with the Essential Phone not selling well and the company announcing back in May that it was canceling its second-generation smartphone and considering selling itself. Last month Essential laid off 30% of its staff, and with those layoffs, any hope of the promised Audio Adapter HD launching dimmed. However, today we learn that Essential has launched the Audio Adapter HD as promised. The adapter launched yesterday and owners of Essential phones were hungry for the little...
Read more...
When the father of Android, Andy Rubin, left Google and later launched Essential Products, the world expected big things. The launch of the Essential Phone proved that just because you are the father of the most popular operating system for mobile devices doesn't mean people will flock to your new products. The Essential Phone was essentially a flop with the device moving less than 90,000 units in 2017. The phone launched with a massive price tag, but discounts were piled on the device as time went by, with the latest discount coming in August when the device was a mere $224 during a special Amazon deal. Now we're learning that Essential Products has laid off about 30% of its workforce according...
Read more...
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, right? Andy Rubin and his company, Essential, are taking that advice to heart after the company's first generation Essential Phone failed to disrupt the smartphone market. Essential is not finished building mobile devices. The company's next phone will take another stab at disrupting the competitive landscape, this time by leaning heavily on artificial intelligence. AI seems to be the go-to technology these days. Google's recently introduced Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, for example, leverage AI to help combat against spam calls. And practically every smartphone these days has some sort of digital assistant, be it Siri, Bixby, or whatever. According to...
Read more...
Are you looking for a relatively inexpensive Android device that is not a piece of junk? You are in luck! Over at Amazon, you can score an Essential Phone for a just $279.99. The Essential Phone has a list price of $499.99, so you are saving nearly half on this deal. How long the sale last, though, is anyone's guess at this point. The version that is on sale is the unlocked model in Halo Gray. Note that this is for the phone only—it does not come with the 360 Camera add-on or Essential HD Earphones, which are available in separate bundles that cost $479.98 and $358.01, respectively, at the time of this writing. At this point, there are obviously newer handsets on the market. However, this...
Read more...
You can bet that Essential in its current form is not what Andy Rubin and his team initially had in mind. The company happily trotted out its Essential Phone only to see the device tank on the market and sell fewer than 90,000 units in all of 2017. The poor sales of the device have reportedly led Essential to stop development on its second-generation smartphone and to consider selling its assets. The uncertainty in what will happen to the company hasn’t prevented Essential from following up with one of the more anticipated accessories for its smartphone. Essential has now confirmed the coming of the second of its attachment accessories for the smartphone and this one is a wired headphone...
Read more...
Andy Rubin is the father of the Android operating system that powers hundreds of millions of smartphones around the globe. Rubin broke away from Google and eventually wound up at a new company called Essential Products Inc. The company's first smartphone was the Essential Phone and it flopped massively. Reports indicate that the Essential Phone sold fewer than 90,000 units in all of 2017. A person claiming to be familiar with sales claims that Essential has sold about 150,000 units to date. Reports have surfaced that things are bad enough over at Essential that the company has stopped development work on its next smartphones. The sources also claim that Essential has hired Credit Suisse Group...
Read more...
One of the reasons the Essential Phone did not perform better in terms of sales is because it launched at $699, putting it in competition with premium handsets from established players. It was just too pricey, despite an overall decent collection of hardware and features. Now the price is a lot more enticing—Amazon is selling the handset for $399.99, making it a pretty good deal for what you get in return. This is an unlocked handset with a 5.71-inch edge-to-edge Quad HD display, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip. Granted, the Snapdragon 845 has replaced the previously generation 835 at the top of the processing stack, but it's still a fast chip. The phone also boasts...
Read more...
Essential certainly didn’t get the reception the company dreamed it would when it launched the Essential Phone last year. The device essentially flopped with only 5,000 units sold on Sprint from launch through late September 2017. That hasn't stopped Essential from plugging away and trying to woo buyers with seemingly continual price cuts and new color choices. Three new Essential.com exclusive colors have been announced including Ocean Depths, Copper Black, and Stellar Gray. And now Amazon is getting its own exclusive color called Halo Gray (which you can purchase here for just $449 unlocked, if you so choose). Amazon's Halo Gray Essential Phone Exclusive With Alexa On Board...
Read more...
The Essential Phone was supposed to make a big splash in the flagship Android smartphone arena last year. After all, it was developed by the father of Android: Andy Rubin. However, shipping delays, early concerns over the phone's camera quality, and a high price tag hampered the Essential Phone's traction right out of the gate. Now, we're learning that sales of the smartphone have been downright dreadful. From its July 2017 introduction through the end of the year, only 88,000 units were sold according to IDC research director Francisco Jeronimo. To put that in perspective, Apple sold 22.39 million iPhones during the last quarter of 2017 alone. . @Arubin's @essential smartphone is still a...
Read more...
Cyber Monday deals are in the air, and that is especially true for the Essential Phone. Once billed as a flagship killer from Andy Rubin that had the chops to stand toe-to-toe with the best smartphones in the industry, the Essential Phone has essentially been left behind as flashier competitors like the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X have entered the fray. However, the Essential Phone does have one thing on its side at the moment: enviable pricing for a flagship smartphone. For Cyber Monday, Amazon is selling the device for the low, low price of $399 unlocked. That's an all-time low for the smartphone (if you don't count the Friends and Family discount code). What makes the deal at Amazon so attractive...
Read more...
Paying $699.99 for the Essential Phone? Ain't nobody got time for that. If you shelled out the full asking price of the smartphone on pre-order or early at launch, the bad news for you today is that the price of the smartphone has gone down again, with Best Buy chopping anther $50 off the asking price for the phone as it tries to move stock. With the additional $50 off, the smartphone is now selling for $449.99. The father of Android, Andy Rubin, and his company, Essential, certainly didn’t expect to be here with the fancy new device. The smartphone launched as a Sprint carrier exclusive, which was not a good idea. Pair a new device from a new company with the least popular major carrier out...
Read more...
The cost of an Essential Phone just keep getting cheaper. About a week ago, Andy Rubin and company slashed $200 off the price of the Essential Phone, knocking it down to $499. The price cut made it one of the more affordable flagships phones on the market, but on top of that, Rubin's outfit is running a promotion that saves buyers an additional $200 off the handset, bringing the cost down to $299.At $299, the Essential Phone can now be had for more than half off its original $699 price tag just a short while ago. Of course, there is a caveat. The additional discount is part of a friends and family promotion that Essential is running, and it requires a code that can only be obtained from having...
Read more...
Andy Rubin is the father of Android and he and his company, Essential, decided not too long ago to try and break up the Samsung and Apple duopoly with a new smartphone. Things didn't go so well right out of the gate. Now, Essential has decided to price their device more realistically, which could spark a new wave of interest from cautious consumers. Essential is selling the unlocked device directly on its website at a $200 discount making the phone $499. That is a much more appealing amount than the $699 launch price. The original price put the device right in line with other more established and popular devices making the Essential Phone a hard sell. This direct price cut on the smartphone...
Read more...
It seems like just yesterday when Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone was released, promising to take on the big names in the Android smartphone market like Samsung, LG, HTC and Google. With its slim bezels and odd cutout around its front-facing camera, the Essential Phone definitely turned a few heads when it was first announced. However, not many people were particularly enamored with its $699.99 price. Well, if you were sitting on the fence because of the price tag, Best Buy has a deal that just might get you to make the final leap. The electronics retailer has slashed $100 off the price of the smartphone, bringing it down to $599.99. This is for an unlocked device, and you can take your pick from...
Read more...
When the father of Android, Andy Rubin, launched the Essential Phone recently, most of us expected great things. The phone certainly looks appealing with thin bezels and good looks. Last month the white version was delayed, but black versions were still shipping quickly. However, a new report has surfaced that claims Essential Products has sold a scant 5,000 units via Sprint since the smartphone launched there as an exclusive (which few were happy about). If you compare Essential to Apple and Samsung, the gulf is gigantic with both of those firms selling tens of millions of devices each quarter in the States. The 5,000 unit report comes from BayStreet, a company that tracks shipments of phones...
Read more...
One of the coolest things about the Essential Phone from Andy Rubin and crew is that it has a slick magnetic accessory connector that allows you to expand the capabilities of the device as accessories are launched. One of the worst things about the Essential Phoen for many people who like to listen to audio with headphones is that the device ditched the 3.5mm headphone port (which is a growing and annoying trends with smartphones). That means those fancy and expensive headphones or earbuds that you have been using won't work with the Essential Phone without an adapter. However, Essential will be offering up a new high-end audio accessory for that magnetic connector that will bring the 3.5mm...
Read more...
Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone has definitely gotten off to a rocky start. Following the flagship Android smartphone’s debut, Essential faced disappointing shipping delays, and more recently, a rather embarrassing violation of user privacy. Now, Essential Phone is being assaulted from another front thanks to a new teardown report from iFixit. Actually getting into the device proved more difficult than expected, as iFixit’s usual arsenal of sharp tools and heat guns were ineffective at [non-destructive] penetration into the Essential Phone’s frame. There are few visible seams (along with heavy-handed applications of adhesives), making it damn near impossible to get into the device using conventional...
Read more...
Andy Rubin, one of co-founders of Android, made waves after he left Google, started a new company called Essential Products, and then announced a new smartphone called the Essential Phone. Some of those waves subsided, however, when Rubin and company failed to launch the phone on time. Now a month and a half removed from when it was originally scheduled to ship, Rubin says the Essential Phone will be out in the US in a week. The upcoming release was revealed in an email sent out to potential buyers who pre-registered to receive more information and/or pre-ordered the device. Here is the full text of the email: Great news, your phone has been built! We now just need your payment details and we...
Read more...
Andy Rubin has a lot riding on his Essential Phone. First announced at the end of May, it was promised that the flagship smartphone would be shipping within 30 days. Well, June has come and gone, and we’re nearly finished with July and the phone still hasn’t shipped. What’s going on? Well, Rubin is giving an update of sorts on the Essential Phone through emails being sent to all of those that preordered the device. According to the email, there are some certification hurdles with regards to domestic (U.S.) and international carriers that is slowing down the release of the smartphone. Rubin goes on to say that the Essential Phone will begin shipping “in a few weeks”. At this point, it looks as...
Read more...
If you have had your eyes on Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone, we might have some bad news to bring you this morning. It is being reported that the Essential Phone will launch as a carrier-exclusive for fourth-place U.S. wireless carrier Sprint. Now before you get your pitchforks out, let us remember that you can still purchase the Essential Phone direct from Essential, and it will work on all four major wireless carriers. However, for those that don’t want to drop $700 on a brand-new smartphone all at once, your only bet is to get one from Sprint where you will be able to take advantage of any special pricing offers and installment plans to pay the device off over the course of 24 months. Most smartphones...
Read more...
