Kellen
We thought Andy Rubin would wait until later in the day to fully unveil the first smartphone for his new company, Essential, but he went ahead and dropped all of the news right now with likely plans for a public unveiling tonight. Either way, the Essential PH-1 is now official (along with a smart home hub) and all of the details are in the wild. Ready to know all there is to know about Rubin’s new phone, including price and availability? Let’s talk about it.
The Essential PH-1 is being sold as an unlocked top tier phone with a price of $699. You’ll find premium specs, ceramic and titanium body, an all-display front, no logos, a dual 13MP RGB + monochrome camera system, Android powering it all, and a magnetic connector for modular accessories, like a 360-degree camera. It has some familiar design aspects to others already on the market, but clearly stands out with that 5.71-inch QHD all-display front.
Under the hood you’ll find what you want, like a Snapdragon 835 processor, 128GB UFS 2.1 storage, 4GB RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C port, 3040mAh battery with fast charging, and connectivity on all of the major carriers, including Verizon. Full specs here.
Rubin wanted to build a phone that isn’t outdated in a year, so that’s where this magnetic connector comes in. The hope (obviously) is to create accessories that can build on a phone as you own it, or something like that. At this time, we are expecting the “world’s smallest 360-degree personal camera” as one that will connect (or “Click”), but there should be a wireless charging dock at some point too.
As I mentioned, the phone costs $699, but does work everywhere. As of right now, you can reserve the phone in either Black Moon or Pure White. Additional colors (grey and ocean) will arrive before long. The phone ships with a Type-C cable, 3.5mm headphone adapter, and fast charger. If you reserve soon, it looks like Essential will let you add-on the 360-degree camera for an additional $50.
To reserve the Essential PH-1, head over to the Essential store. (Reservations do not cost anything.)
UPDATE: Have questions about the Essential Phone? We’ve answered a bunch at this post.
Essential PH-1 Specs
| Essential Phone | |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 7.1.1 |
| Model | PH-1 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Adreno 640 GPU |
| Display | 5.71" QHD LTPS LCD (2560x1312, 19:10) |
| Cameras | Rear: 13MP f/1.85 Dual RGB + Mono Front: 8MP f/2.20 |
| Memory | 128GB UFS 2.1 4GB RAM |
| Battery | 3040mAh Fast charging |
| Network Connectivity | UMTS/HSPA+: 1, 2, 4, 5 6, 8 GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz CDMA EV-DO Rev. A: 0, 1, 10 FDD-LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66 TDD-LTE: 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 TD-SCDMA: 34, 39 |
| Other Connectivity | WiFi 802.11a/b/h/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC |
| Ports | USB Type-C, Power Pins, Nano SIM |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes |
| Size | 141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8mm 185g |
| Materials | Titanium body Ceramic back Gorilla Glass5 |
| Colors | Black Moon, Stellar Grey, Pure White, Ocean Depths |
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