I've only read 2-3 reviews. Biggest concern so far sounds like the camera. Software update that hits the phone apparently improves it greatly, but I'm bothered that those early crappy pics seemed like a harbinger. I'll make my own judgement but these companies that keep harping on their cameras really need to make sure they're actually killing it with the camera if that's going to be a main feature of the phone. (Although I disagree with The Verge's take that the camera is the single most important part of a review. Complete bullsh*t. I would still use a phone with great performance and crappy camera over a phone with a great camera and crappy performance any day. Problem for OEM's like Essential is we don't have to make those concessions anymore. Market has too many choices.)
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Any Interest In Rubin's Essential Phone?
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The camera reviews don't bother me too much, I will have my iPhone on me most of the time so it can remain as my main camera. The only features it's missing for me is ip68 and ois but everything else about perfect.
Lack of OIS is a bummer. CAmera isn't terribly important to me, but it's one of those things where when you do use it, if it's problematic, it stands out like crazy. But again, the software update appears to fix a lot of it.
[doublepost=1503074354][/doublepost]Oh, and this is actually a bummer for me: FINGERPRINT MAGNET!!! GAAAAAAAAH. I originally had an S8 Plus in black that I got rid of in exchange for the sliver because the back of it looked like a disgusting, greasy mess after a couple of minutes. I am not that anal about stuff like that, believe me. This was beyond gross. It sounds like Essential suffers from the exact same thing. If I love the phone, I may have to exchange for white or another color...which sucks cause there ain't no other colors available right now.
Overall I'm still very much in the "psyched" camp. Phone is gorgeous and it runs pure stock Android which means performance is killer. At least that's what it better mean.
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BTW, everything we need to know about Essential's software updates will be answered in the next few weeks. If Android O is rolled out relatively quickly, maybe not Pixel-quickly but first among non-Pixel phones, then it's a huge winner.
I will agree with that. It will be very interesting to see how long it takes Essential to update their phones software once Android O is released. From what I am reading, it does not seem like they will have to tweak much in the OS to run on their phone so I would think it could be within weeks of the official release and not months or even years like some other OEMs.
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Lack of OIS is a bummer. CAmera isn't terribly important to me, but it's one of those things where when you do use it, if it's problematic, it stands out like crazy. But again, the software update appears to fix a lot of it.
[doublepost=1503074354][/doublepost]Oh, and this is actually a bummer for me: FINGERPRINT MAGNET!!! GAAAAAAAAH. I originally had an S8 Plus in black that I got rid of in exchange for the sliver because the back of it looked like a disgusting, greasy mess after a couple of minutes. I am not that anal about stuff like that, believe me. This was beyond gross. It sounds like Essential suffers from the exact same thing. If I love the phone, I may have to exchange for white or another color...which sucks cause there ain't no other colors available right now.
Overall I'm still very much in the "psyched" camp. Phone is gorgeous and it runs pure stock Android which means performance is killer. At least that's what it better mean.
Get the white one! I learned that early on when the iPhone 4 was being released. I had a black iPhone 4 and then switched to a white iPhone 4s. The white 4s was so much better in the finger print department since the white color hides fingerprints very well.
'Essentially' unavailable outside of USA.
Still not sure who this phone is for .... Especially once the pixel 2 & 2 XL are released.
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Glad to see someone here making an effort. They know whom to ask for coverage, the reviews are good. Some seem concerned about the camera. I will be watching this dev.
Fair question. I guess, maybe, people that want a more premium looking Pixel? The problem for them is that the mod gimmick might have been a differentiator but they couldn't even ship the camera out on time.
Only other through line I'm seeing in reviews is it seems the phone doesn't do any one thing *great*.
The device speaks to me because I am someone who loves the idea of stock Android in that package. But I'm an outlier with this stuff.
Caved, saw the reviews today and it's pretty much my dream phone other than waterproofing. Can't wait.
Me? It's pretty much exactly what I want in an android phone, though I guess I would like it better if this was being released by google and their optimization of software and updates. Hopefully this being Andy Ruben he gets that down, from the reviews it seems performance is great.
I looked at that, but the discount is spread out over 2 years, basically the phone payments are $28 a month, but you get a $14 credit each month. If you plan on paying for it upfront or canceling a month in you'll end up paying $750. Better to get the unlocked model for $700.
Amazon.com will ship this to the UK. I’m tempted to give it a try. Works out about £650 hmmm
Congrats!Caved, saw the reviews today and it's pretty much my dream phone other than waterproofing. Can't wait.
Can't wait to read your views on it.
Still a lot of unanswered questions about this phone. What kind of DAC will it have? How does the camera compare in real life usage? What about battery life? I'd assume software updates will be regular, but no guarantee since there's no track record.
I really like the design and concept, but for $700 I need questions answered before pulling the trigger.
I really like the design and concept, but for $700 I need questions answered before pulling the trigger.
Great points! The Verge's video the guy said he was getting 7 hours SOT I believe.....
The camera is the thing that concerns me the most. There was a software update for the camera while most reviewers had the phone. Will that make a big difference....not sure tbh.
You/We will have answers before ip8 is released. Just sayin if one is truly interested.
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I know how much lots of you put a high priority on the camera. IMHO my feeling is folks will need to look elsewhere.
I was at BB yesterday, a clerk was showing me a Nikon camera with a 2000mm zoom. He showed me one could read labels on iPads stored in cages on the back wall of the store. I am not much for cameras but that sure impressed me.
Bundled price on Amazon is $575. The lens it is housed with is worth that in itself. No smartphone can do that.
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agreed....no smartphone can do that, But then I would not expect it to. But I do expect my smartphone camera to take decent shots. I also don't want to carry a DSLR with me just in case I want to take a pic. I would rather just carry one device.You/We will have answers before ip8 is released. Just sayin if one is truly interested.
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I know how much lots of you put a high priority on the camera. IMHO my feeling is folks will need to look elsewhere.
I was at BB yesterday, a clerk was showing me a Nikon camera with a 2000mm zoom. He showed me one could read labels on iPads stored in cages on the back wall of the store. I am not much for cameras but that sure impressed me.
Bundled price on Amazon is $575. The lens it is housed with is worth that in itself. No smartphone can do that.
Yup. This. I do not expect my smartphone camera to replace a real shooter. I expect it to give me reasonably decent pics, *quickly*. This is another point of concern I see in reviews. They all suggest the shutter speed is slow. This in and of itself won't be a deal breaker.
On the vergecast they mentioned they had loaded the Google camera app into the phone and that worked a bit better. Deiter estimated with a proper update the camera could perform 60% better than it is now. From the pictures I've seen, picture quality seems fine for my usage but I do hope they speed it up, that also been something mentioned in most reviews. Though I'll probably just end up installing the Google camera, I wonder if the 360 cam would work with that app.
Also it appears that the phone hasnt been ip approved yet, so it may very well still have some type of water resistance.
If the phone was IP68 certified water resistant, I am sure it would not be a secret, they'd advertise that and market it. But it's not.
The Essential looks to be a really good phone, with top of the line build quality, and great design. But seems to fall short compared to the rest of 2017 competition;
- OLED display. Essential only has average LCD screen per reviews. Where as the top phones this year have OLED screens; iPhone 8, Galaxy S8, Pixel 2, LG V30, etc...the benefits of OLED are much brighter screens and great for outdoors. They are more energy efficient than LCD. Plus thinner. And just have richer colors and deeper blacks
- Wireless charging. Essential does not have this. Where the iPhone 8, Galaxy S8, Pixel 2, etc...do.
- IP68 water resistance. The Essential is not IP68 certified, the other flagships of 2017 are.
- Camera. Reviews make it sound like the Essential has a good camera, but not super great like the competition.
So, to me the Essential phone looks like a nice phone, but not a $700 2017 flagship phone, it should he in the Nexus 6P starting price of like $500 to be competitive. With the Galaxy S8+ now selling for like $649 most places. And the Pixel XL 2 rumored to be around $750 starting price, and upcoming LG V30 around $650 starting price. It's hard to justify the Essential $700
The Essential looks to be a really good phone, with top of the line build quality, and great design. But seems to fall short compared to the rest of 2017 competition;
- OLED display. Essential only has average LCD screen per reviews. Where as the top phones this year have OLED screens; iPhone 8, Galaxy S8, Pixel 2, LG V30, etc...the benefits of OLED are much brighter screens and great for outdoors. They are more energy efficient than LCD. Plus thinner. And just have richer colors and deeper blacks
- Wireless charging. Essential does not have this. Where the iPhone 8, Galaxy S8, Pixel 2, etc...do.
- IP68 water resistance. The Essential is not IP68 certified, the other flagships of 2017 are.
- Camera. Reviews make it sound like the Essential has a good camera, but not super great like the competition.
So, to me the Essential phone looks like a nice phone, but not a $700 2017 flagship phone, it should he in the Nexus 6P starting price of like $500 to be competitive. With the Galaxy S8+ now selling for like $649 most places. And the Pixel XL 2 rumored to be around $750 starting price, and upcoming LG V30 around $650 starting price. It's hard to justify the Essential $700
This is incorrect. They do have a wireless dock that will be released that works with the two prongs on the back. Before you tell me it'll be proprietary and the phone won't work with other wireless chargers, keep in mind that's exactly what Apple is rumored to be doing as well.
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I cannot stand this guy. Hate his personality and the way he cuts his videos.