Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, announced a new smartphone called the Essential phone during the Code Conference on Tuesday. The device will run on Android, but won’t be a typical smartphone as it was designed to be unique to differentiate itself from others. Here are the things you need to know about the new Essential Phone.
No logo
That’s right: the device will have no brand names on the back or front. The company believes that the smartphone is your personal property and no one should be forced to have it advertised. The Essential Phone will instead be available in four colors; Black Moon, Pure White, Stellar Grey and Ocean Depths (which is basically green).
This phone is only 7.8mm thick and weighs around 185 grams.
Essential yet tough
Essential Phones will come with a ceramic back while the edge is made out of titanium metal. The front display is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. These elements should make this device more durable than the average smartphone. The company showed a drop test of the, as seen in the video below, and claims that it would survive a drop onto concrete.
Borderless display
Having a tough exterior should be convenient as the device boasts a borderless display. The Essential Phone has a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1312 pixel display with rounded corners. Also, the display uses CGS/LTPS technology, which is rare for a smartphone device.
The company said that the device will feature “edge-to-edge Full Display.”
The Essential is a modular phone
Modular phones were not as popular as phone makers expected it to be. LG ditched the G5’s modularity and never implemented the same with the LG G6. Motorola also did not succeed with its Moto Mods.
Despite the lackluster performances of these modular phones, Essential still wants to go modular with its device but in a different way.
The Essential has a custom connector on its USB, pogo-pins with a magnetic mount. This allows the Essential to to have add-ons such as a 360-degree camera which can be clipped to the back.
The Essential Phone is now available for preorders and the company expects customers to receive their devices in 30 days. However, the schedule might change as Startups normally do and not quite go as planned.
What do you the think of the Essential Phone? Would you preorder one as well? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to like and share this article.
