The Android OS is always ripe for innovation, and that's one of the reasons why it remains one of the most popular mobile operating systems today. Considering that the major competition is the iOS, it really would not be a stretch to say that Android dominates a significant amount of the world's phones right now.
For all its flexibility and its features, there is a new phone that promises to utilize Android in the best way possible: one phone with all the features that a typical mobile user would need, and more. This is what Andy Rubin's Essential phone aims to be.
Named after Rubin's company, it is not hard to imagine the Essential phone (or, as they call it, "the Phone") as one of the most ambitious pieces of hardware in recent memory. Rubin is one of the original developers for Android, after all, and it is safe to say that when his company develops a phone, they would know what they are doing.
A premium phone for Android
Make no mistake: Essential is an expensive phone. In a report by CNET, they stated that the phone costs $699. The UK and Australian prices have not yet been published at the time of writing, but it roughly converts to £550 or AU$940.
However, what it lacks in affordability, it makes for up for in specs. The same report tells us that the Essential phone is up there with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the LG G6 when it comes to power.
It has dual cameras, a 5.7 inch display — of which part of the top section wraps around the front cam —and the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor to handle anything you might throw at it. All of that is encased in titanium, with a "ceramic-body design."
There is also a magnetic connector on the back of the phone, similar to the one featured in Motorola's Moto Z.
This connector can be used to plug in future add-ons and accessories. The first thing that comes to mind is the 360 camera, which Essential claims is the smallest one for mobile phones yet.
One notable difference from Moto Z's magnetic connectors, however, is that the Essential seems to connect "nearly invisibly." Essential has two little pins to attach accessories to, as opposed to the Moto Z's larger strip of pins.
Essential features: mere 'gimmicks'?
The Essential is looking very promising in theory, but there is doubt in terms of whether it will deliver in reality. In an article published in PC World, columnist Michael Simon called the Essential's features "gimmicks" that have been done by other phones before, while calling the new stuff — like having the "thinnest" dual camera system — fairly "ho-hum."
Time will tell whether the Essential phone will actually be a contender in the pursuit of mobile supremacy. Yet, competition is always good, and Andy Rubin's brainchild is definitely something to keep an eye on.
