Also, today my case came in from Amazon, looks and feels good, very easy to put in and take off, definite recommend. It’s also the only case I could find.
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Any Interest In Rubin's Essential Phone?
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Do you know, this is the one thing I haven't been able to test properly yet. Last night I could have given you the facts but I had to plug the phone in to install the update (it was at 39%) so that scuppered my days use without charge.
Hopefully today I can let you know!
And @Fernandez21 - yup, my thoughts exactly.
It feels very complete although there are a couple of things I am missing, like night mode and like a blob notification over the app. But, Oreo should fix both of these so it is looking pretty positive for the Essential.
Can't agree more about the form factor. It's no compromise, which makes me excited for iPhone also as lord knows that was overdue a re-design, and with it practically being the same footprint of the Essnetial, it's good times indeed.
https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8710&idPhone2=8858
Essential PH-1 = 141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8 mm
iPhone X = 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm
I think the best of both worlds if you could afford it, would be to own both the Essential phone, and the iPhone X. Size wise they couldn't be any closer, they are nearly identical in size within a millimeter or so. With 5.7" and 5.8" screens respectively. So would be cool to have two extremely similar full screen devices, but with both OS's to switch back and forth on.
The Essential phone is a great stock Android type phone for a budget price of $499, and the latest update this week, really smoothed out performance per real reviews, and people saying each update every two weeks have been really turning this phone around, to be a better performer than when it first launched. And Oreo is due in December with a dark mode settings too, and even more bug fixes, etc...
I know the Essential phone isn't as premium as the iPhone X, the Essential doesn't have wireless charging, it's not IP67, doesn't have an OLED screen, but the size of it is almost exactly to the iPhone X, and it runs stock Android, which is Google's pure OS. I think an Essential next to the X would just be cool to have them both.
I know the Essential phone isn't as premium as the iPhone X, the Essential doesn't have wireless charging, it's not IP67, doesn't have an OLED screen, but the size of it is almost exactly to the iPhone X, and it runs stock Android, which is Google's pure OS. I think an Essential next to the X would just be cool to have them both.
Essential PH-1 = 141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8 mm
iPhone X = 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm
I think the best of both worlds if you could afford it, would be to own both the Essential phone, and the iPhone X. Size wise they couldn't be any closer, they are nearly identical in size within a millimeter or so. With 5.7" and 5.8" screens respectively. So would be cool to have two extremely similar full screen devices, but with both OS's to switch back and forth on.
The Essential phone is a great stock Android type phone for a budget price of $499, and the latest update this week, really smoothed out performance per real reviews, and people saying each update every two weeks have been really turning this phone around, to be a better performer than when it first launched. And Oreo is due in December with a dark mode settings too, and even more bug fixes, etc...
I know the Essential phone isn't as premium as the iPhone X, the Essential doesn't have wireless charging, it's not IP67, doesn't have an OLED screen, but the size of it is almost exactly to the iPhone X, and it runs stock Android, which is Google's pure OS. I think an Essential next to the X would just be cool to have them both.
I know the Essential phone isn't as premium as the iPhone X, the Essential doesn't have wireless charging, it's not IP67, doesn't have an OLED screen, but the size of it is almost exactly to the iPhone X, and it runs stock Android, which is Google's pure OS. I think an Essential next to the X would just be cool to have them both.
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I guess one can throw the LG v30 into the mix as well, yes the essential is cheaper but the LG would give better battery life and Oled and wireless charging. The LG is lighter too.
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/c...ne-X,Essential-Phone/phones/10577,10414,10548
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/c...ne-X,Essential-Phone/phones/10577,10414,10548
I wouldn't out the V30 in the same category, it is a bit larger. Maybe the G7 will be.
So is the Essential phone a keeper and recommended ?
Currently on a Nexus 6P I love, but it's seen better days, and battery life getting funny, not even reaching 4.5h Screen On time at best case longest battery life, more like 4h
I need a phone that can give me at least 5.5h Screen On time, or even 6h being best for me
Currently on a Nexus 6P I love, but it's seen better days, and battery life getting funny, not even reaching 4.5h Screen On time at best case longest battery life, more like 4h
I need a phone that can give me at least 5.5h Screen On time, or even 6h being best for me
Time for the biweekly AMA. I like their open public discussion
https://www.reddit.com/r/essential/comments/79zjzh/design_edition_biweekly_ama_with_essential_team/
https://www.reddit.com/r/essential/comments/79zjzh/design_edition_biweekly_ama_with_essential_team/
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For me, you probably already know the answer, it's a keeper. With you being a fan of stock Android, I think you would like it as long as your not expecting a best in class camera, it's fine but definitely not one of the best.
As for battery, that's hard for me to say. I know for me when I left it off the charger, I was able to consistently get 6hrs screen time without any type of battery optimizations just my regular usage. Whether that's something you would get is hard for me to say since that all depends on what apps you install, what settings you have, your use case, and your reception with your carrier. I would say that you should be able to get at least 5hrs-5.5hrs screen time, but beyond that it all depends. I've seen others claim 7-8hrs, but there is no way I can get that with the way I use my phone.
Me again.
Now it has been a good few days with the Essential I feel like I have really found my groove with it.
Don't want to part with it now and I picked my XZp up last night and it actually felt massive and old fashioned!
It's one of the better form factors for a phone IMO.
Flat screen, no bezel virtually but a big enough chin to be functional and not ruin the design.
It still makes me yearn for the X to see exactly what that is going to perform like, but for now I am very impressed with Essential.
Even the Google camera performs admirably which is surprising as I expected it to be complete garbage.
I am missing a case though. I normally go case-less with bigger phones as I don't like to add unnecessary bulk. But with Essential, it's pocketable and one handable enough to warrant a slight bulk increase for protection. Something like Apple's official silicone / leather case would work wonders on this!
Only thing I am not a fan of is the back fingerprint scanner. Having used a phone where it's on the side for so long, this is a step backwards. I hate that I have to pick the phone up everytime I need to unlock it. Not ideal.
For the price I got this for I really have nothing to complain about. It was a steal!
So how much did you pay for it in the end?
If this thing was £300 I'd buy it in an instant
So how much did you pay for it in the end?
If this thing was £300 I'd buy it in an instant
I paid just under £500 if you take into consideration import fees.
Without them, about £380-390.
Well worth £500 IMO. Cheaper than most other flagships. Sure, camera not on par but the rest of it definitely is.
Which smartphone close to the Essential's display resolution and battery size gives 6hr SOT?
None that I'm aware of, well except the LG G6 maybe, my Wife has the G6 and it get pretty darned good battery life, I haven't checked her Screen On time, but I bet it's 5.5h. And the OnePlus 5 is known to be a Superman battery champion, but it's size and screen is in a different category.
Well, just back from NYC, resisted getting the Essential phone via Amazon while there, to the news that Canada’s only Essential carrier has dropped the outright price by $400. Pretty rare, if ever, have I seen a carrier drop an outright price here. Even things like the old S7 etc are still at the same outright prices, if nothing else for warranty or insurance claims.
Really, no excuse now, except for the fact that hoping to get an IPx asap to try out, and the resultant justificstion for the financial outlay for both. With the Note 8 in the weeds too.
My Note 5 on the trip was ok, but the camera is a step behind and battery life really showed its age touring the streets and using maps and the camera.
Now waiting for our Essential Beta tester Fernandez21 to give his review of the IPx.
Also, if I pick up the Essential, I want to try and find one with a metal speaker grill, which would signify newer stock, right? Is there any way to tell that from a box label (ie build dates) that I could ask for without opening each box?
Really, no excuse now, except for the fact that hoping to get an IPx asap to try out, and the resultant justificstion for the financial outlay for both. With the Note 8 in the weeds too.
My Note 5 on the trip was ok, but the camera is a step behind and battery life really showed its age touring the streets and using maps and the camera.
Now waiting for our Essential Beta tester Fernandez21 to give his review of the IPx.
Also, if I pick up the Essential, I want to try and find one with a metal speaker grill, which would signify newer stock, right? Is there any way to tell that from a box label (ie build dates) that I could ask for without opening each box?
So I got my iPhone X today, still setting it up which will take the rest of the night. But first impressions are mixed.
First, it is incredibly built, but I feel the essential phone has better materials. While the black stainless steel on the iPhone feels really good, the titanium and ceramic on the essential feels better. The buttons on the iPhone though do feel better.
The bezels on the iPhone, even though they’re small, now feel chunky when compared to the essentials bezels. This is especially true when viewing anything white on the screen. The screen on the essential also feels larger because it is also wider, so videos actually look larger on the essential phone.
The quality of the screen though goes to the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, the essential screen is really nice, but the iphones is right up there with the Note, and is even better than it IMO.
Camera is also no contest, the iPhone is probably the best camera I have used on a phone. And video looks incredible. The iPhone is also more comfortable to hold thanks to the curved edges and slightly narrower chasis.
Apps that aren’t optimized for this screen work better on the essential. On the iPhone those apps look weird but on the essential you almost don’t notice unless you really look for it.
That’s it for now, will post more comparisons later, but overall the iPhone is the more polished and complete of the 2, but the essential does have the iPhone beat in certain categories. This is also ignoring the whole iOS vs Android.
Excuse the yellow on the iPhone, have night mode on and True Tone on.
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Thanks for the pics, I was looking forward to seeing the Essential Phone side by side to the iPhone X. Thank you
Well, bit the bullet.
Went and played with the iPhone X a bit. Solid as usual, though why with an OLED screen that a dark mode isn't offered is beyond me. Obvious no Face Id, but the new gestures, ones with us Android folks are a bit more used to, seem intuitive enough. Size was nice, expected maybe a bit more premium feeling build but didn't play with it that long. Not a huge fan of the big bump on the camera.
Walked down the hall and picked up an Essential. And the carrier had an Incipio Tpu case which seems ok and will suffice for now.
Will give it a good run for two week or less and see if it's my Note 5 replacement on the Android side.
When I am able to get a IpX, will give it the same run, but it'll be more the change to the Apple Eco system full time as part of the decision. I can barely justify two phones and if I do it's likely the IPhone as the main phone and then an Android secondary phone. But the IpX has the OLED, smaller size, and Ip8 plus features on things such as the camera and, the size and screen of which have held me back from Iphones before, disregarding ecosystem.
But the Essential is half the outright price of the IpX and Note 8 here. Can the premium build, size overcome the lcd screen and lack of some of the (Samsung) features of my Note 5, let alone the Note 8 like Samsung Pay, customization etc. We will find out.
Went and played with the iPhone X a bit. Solid as usual, though why with an OLED screen that a dark mode isn't offered is beyond me. Obvious no Face Id, but the new gestures, ones with us Android folks are a bit more used to, seem intuitive enough. Size was nice, expected maybe a bit more premium feeling build but didn't play with it that long. Not a huge fan of the big bump on the camera.
Walked down the hall and picked up an Essential. And the carrier had an Incipio Tpu case which seems ok and will suffice for now.
Will give it a good run for two week or less and see if it's my Note 5 replacement on the Android side.
When I am able to get a IpX, will give it the same run, but it'll be more the change to the Apple Eco system full time as part of the decision. I can barely justify two phones and if I do it's likely the IPhone as the main phone and then an Android secondary phone. But the IpX has the OLED, smaller size, and Ip8 plus features on things such as the camera and, the size and screen of which have held me back from Iphones before, disregarding ecosystem.
But the Essential is half the outright price of the IpX and Note 8 here. Can the premium build, size overcome the lcd screen and lack of some of the (Samsung) features of my Note 5, let alone the Note 8 like Samsung Pay, customization etc. We will find out.
Here’s a quick video comparison of the two phones from total tech. You can really see the difference in the bezel size in this video.
So I got my iPhone X today, still setting it up which will take the rest of the night. But first impressions are mixed.
First, it is incredibly built, but I feel the essential phone has better materials. While the black stainless steel on the iPhone feels really good, the titanium and ceramic on the essential feels better. The buttons on the iPhone though do feel better.
The bezels on the iPhone, even though they’re small, now feel chunky when compared to the essentials bezels. This is especially true when viewing anything white on the screen. The screen on the essential also feels larger because it is also wider, so videos actually look larger on the essential phone.
The quality of the screen though goes to the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, the essential screen is really nice, but the iphones is right up there with the Note, and is even better than it IMO.
Camera is also no contest, the iPhone is probably the best camera I have used on a phone. And video looks incredible. The iPhone is also more comfortable to hold thanks to the curved edges and slightly narrower chasis.
Apps that aren’t optimized for this screen work better on the essential. On the iPhone those apps look weird but on the essential you almost don’t notice unless you really look for it.
That’s it for now, will post more comparisons later, but overall the iPhone is the more polished and complete of the 2, but the essential does have the iPhone beat in certain categories. This is also ignoring the whole iOS vs Android.
Excuse the yellow on the iPhone, have night mode on and True Tone on.
You basically echo my thoughts regarding the two phones.
Not much more to add although I feel like I may be enjoying it more than you are currently.
For me, the Essential now doesn't quite wow as much. And the screen on the Essential is definitely showed up when side by side. I had no issue at all with it previously, thought it was a great screen, but now it does look dull and almost washed out compared to the punch OLED from X.
Take that with a pinch of salt though. Until I did a direct comparison I was more than happy with the Essential screen.
Agreed about iPhone seeming chunky with its bezels when compared to Essential. This is NOT and edge to edge screen. False advertising if ever there was any!
Haven't tried the camera out yet, be interesting to see how iPhone performs day to day.
Some pics from another thread.
Essential Phone price drop at Best Buy to $449
http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/1...-another-50-449-99-360-camera-49-99-best-buy/
http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/1...-another-50-449-99-360-camera-49-99-best-buy/
If Essential drops to $300, then it gets a little more interesting. Rather get OnePlus 5 for that price range. I can picture it at that price within three more months after CES before Galaxy S9 drops..
It's a flop no different than my LG G5 which could be had for $250 unlocked in less than a year. But for a $300 price range, it has more value than BlackBerry KeyOne.
Said it before that the only true flagships are...
iPhone (with best specs usually Plus models)
Galaxy Note
Pixel
V-series
The Galaxy S and LG G-series are just appetizers of the first half of the year. I would embrace Pixel even more if it could be recognized on my MBA. No expandable storage which is even faster putting microSD onto a SD adapter.
But Google is my favorite company. We all use Google every single day. Pixel is the best Android to get from a carrier (Verizon) because no carrier bloat and Google seems to excel in post-processing algorithms.
V-series will always be the least known of the four. Hard to resell them and I expect the V30 to be offered by carriers for under $500 by March. Maybe even lower. LG does change things up every single year from Optimus G to G6 or V10 to V30. I can tolerate their skin a little better than Samsung's.
Niche line is something like the Essential, OnePlus, and even Nokia, Motorola, and Sony that aren't big in the States. Moto is just kinda there but for the G-series because it is budget-friendly. ZTE as well. Huawei may never get big in the States but they make some nice hardware since 2013.
If a dual wielder of both OSes, then latest iPhone and Pixel or if you want your Mac to recognize your Android, the Samsung or LG flagship because it also has microSD to put onto a SD adapter. If the recent MBP, then use a USB-C dongle hub.
My personal combination would be LG for wide-angle and Apple for Telephoto. My LG has no problem being recognized by MBA whether Android File Transfer or through SD slot. The third wheel would be Pixel. Would return to Samsung if I begin to miss Samsung Pay. Looking forward to Galaxy X.
It's a flop no different than my LG G5 which could be had for $250 unlocked in less than a year. But for a $300 price range, it has more value than BlackBerry KeyOne.
Said it before that the only true flagships are...
iPhone (with best specs usually Plus models)
Galaxy Note
Pixel
V-series
The Galaxy S and LG G-series are just appetizers of the first half of the year. I would embrace Pixel even more if it could be recognized on my MBA. No expandable storage which is even faster putting microSD onto a SD adapter.
But Google is my favorite company. We all use Google every single day. Pixel is the best Android to get from a carrier (Verizon) because no carrier bloat and Google seems to excel in post-processing algorithms.
V-series will always be the least known of the four. Hard to resell them and I expect the V30 to be offered by carriers for under $500 by March. Maybe even lower. LG does change things up every single year from Optimus G to G6 or V10 to V30. I can tolerate their skin a little better than Samsung's.
Niche line is something like the Essential, OnePlus, and even Nokia, Motorola, and Sony that aren't big in the States. Moto is just kinda there but for the G-series because it is budget-friendly. ZTE as well. Huawei may never get big in the States but they make some nice hardware since 2013.
If a dual wielder of both OSes, then latest iPhone and Pixel or if you want your Mac to recognize your Android, the Samsung or LG flagship because it also has microSD to put onto a SD adapter. If the recent MBP, then use a USB-C dongle hub.
My personal combination would be LG for wide-angle and Apple for Telephoto. My LG has no problem being recognized by MBA whether Android File Transfer or through SD slot. The third wheel would be Pixel. Would return to Samsung if I begin to miss Samsung Pay. Looking forward to Galaxy X.
Was really pumped for this phone, and the $499 price drop, now $449, brought me into Worst Buy I mean Best Buy to get a hands on. And...it felt sort of cheap, the vibration motor was wonky, the screen washed out and dull, and it just seemed weird in the hand. The bezeless display looked strange, almost like someone cut the top part of the phone off, it didn't look bad, but not as bad ass cool as I was expecting.
And then the white elephant in the room. OnePlus 5T coming in two weeks, for supposedly a $499 price tag with a 6" display, huge battery, and their Oxygen OS is pretty damn good today, with amazing battery life. I'd still take a OnePlus 5 today over the Essential phone, and absolutely take a 5T over the PH-1.
The Essential doesn't even have root yet, and zero ROM's because they haven't released the source images yet. WTF ? Whereas a OnePlus phone has root almost right away, and good ROM's pretty quickly after release.
And then the white elephant in the room. OnePlus 5T coming in two weeks, for supposedly a $499 price tag with a 6" display, huge battery, and their Oxygen OS is pretty damn good today, with amazing battery life. I'd still take a OnePlus 5 today over the Essential phone, and absolutely take a 5T over the PH-1.
The Essential doesn't even have root yet, and zero ROM's because they haven't released the source images yet. WTF ? Whereas a OnePlus phone has root almost right away, and good ROM's pretty quickly after release.
Surprised you thought it felt cheap, love the way it feels. I also love that bezel less look, seems futuristic to me. But hey, you like what you like.
As someone else mentioned, have you checked out the Razer Phone? Stock android with a huge battery, seems up your alley.
I didn't get a lot of time with the phone. So it wasn't a fair assessment. They had it tied down on a security tether, and slammed in next to other phones. I could barely hold it.
Only thing that stuck out was the vibration motor felt strange. And the screen looked average to me.
I need to go to a Sprint store and really hold it
Only thing that stuck out was the vibration motor felt strange. And the screen looked average to me.
I need to go to a Sprint store and really hold it
I wouldn't get a OnePlus now, not after the nonsense they've been pulling with user data. That trust is broken.
As others said, if this somehow drops to £300, I'd be super tempted! I've kinda lost interest in the Pixel 2 now. Maybe once it drops in price....
Otherwise my S8 is doing a champion job at the moment. I only paid £450 for it and it's doing great.
As others said, if this somehow drops to £300, I'd be super tempted! I've kinda lost interest in the Pixel 2 now. Maybe once it drops in price....
Otherwise my S8 is doing a champion job at the moment. I only paid £450 for it and it's doing great.