A new device from one of the creators of the Android software will go on sale in the US this month, the first smartphone to be released by tech firm Essential.
The product is the first to be released from Android’s Andy Rubin, who invested in the Essential company through his tech investment firm Playground. The device runs on the Android operating system and is priced at $699 in the US – but will it be Essential enough to break into the crowded smartphone market?
What is it?
The Essential Phone has a 5.71-inch 2560 x 1312 edge-to-edge display, one of the largest edge-to-edge displays on the market. Essential are calling the design ‘Full Display’, which has a 19:10 aspect ratio – sightly larger than its competitors.
The phone also doesn’t feature a logo, which allows for maximum screen display but may put off some users who look for a brand when buying technology.
The Essential phone is made from a combination of ceramic and titanium, making it harder to crack or break should it be dropped. Colour choices are ‘Black Moon’ or ‘Pure White’ , with ‘Stellar Grey’ and ‘Ocean Depths’ shades launching soon.
For those looking for a good camera offering, the Essential has dual 13MP f/1.85 rear cameras, with one colour lens and one monochrome one.
The phone also comes with 128GB of storage as standard, making it a much better option than Apple’s 32GB standard size.
However, what will come as a disappointment to some users is that the designers have followed Apple’s lead and removed the headphone port.
When is it available?
The phone is set to be available in the US by the end of June, with models already available to preorder. However, there has been no talk of when the phone will enter the markets in other countries.
The smartphone market has become increasingly crowded of late, making it difficult for brand new entries. Samsung currently has the largest share of the smartphone market, with 21 percent of global sales, according to analyst firm Gartner. Apple maintains its 14 percent slice.
The phone is not the only device to come from Essential; the company have announced that they will “soon” sell Home a standalone assistant similar to Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home.
In a blog post published on 2 May, the company’s software systems architect Manual Roman said: “Ambient OS runs in your home and leverages your home network as much as possible. For example, it can interact with many home automation devices directly without having to go to the cloud.
“Furthermore, it keeps user data locally whenever possible giving users more control over their privacy.”