Tag: ph-1

Essential’s Next Phone To Have Camera Under The Display

The Essential PH-1 was launched back in 2017. The phone was met with a lot of hype, particularly because the device promised Android the way it was meant to be. The device lacked any bloatware and was promised constant security updates. But due to the high asking price and underwhelming camera performance, the device was a major flop. It didn’t help that the phone got a bad critic rating at launch. But it seems that the next smartphone the brand will make would be revolutionary. Drawings from Essential show what could be the front camera and the fingerprint sensor under the display.

Andy Rubin, the founder of Essential and Android, confirmed that the company will release a second smartphone soon. The smartphone may be called the Essential PH-2 as a mention of that was leaked on Reddit a few days ago. The device will be the second smartphone Essential will launch since its inception.

Essential PH-2 Details

Not much is known about the Essential’s next smartphone, which could be called the PH-2. The drawings suggest that the camera will be placed just like it was in the original Essential PH-1. The difference this time will be that it would be present under the display. Plans in drawings suggest the Essential Phone PH-2 concept with a camera and light sensor is hidden behind the display which can become semitransparent on command. In the drawings, a fingerprint sensor is mentioned in the home button of the on-screen navigation buttons.

Also read: Motorola Launches The Moto G7 Play and G7 Power

The PH-1 was one of the world’s first phones with a notch, and Essential managed to minimize that in its first attempt. There is no saying when the next version of the Essential Phone will hit the markets, but the company is expected to make a big announcement soon. Maybe Essential is planning something for the MWC 2019 that will be held later this month in Barcelona.

February 8, 2019
Essential Phone Raises $300 Million In Funding, PH-1 Release Date Will Be Announced Next Week
Essential Products, a smartphone start-up by Andy Rubin has raised USD 300 million in new funding. It was also announced that the Essential Phone’s release date will e revealed next week.

Essential Products has also signed up retailers for the distribution of the smartphone which includes amazon.com, BestBuy, Sprint in the US and Telus in Canada. This new development comes a few days after it was reported that all may not be well at Essential Products after losing three top-ranking officials within a month.

The founder of Essential Products, Andy Rubin took to Twitter that the manufacturing process of the $699 smartphone is in full swing and will be available to the consumers soon. The funding round concluded with the funds raised up to $300 million, and the investors included Tencent Holdings, electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn and Amazon.com, which participated via its Alexa Fund. Previous investors Redpoint Ventures and Playground Global also participated.

The Essential phone is one of the most anticipated devices of 2017 as it is the brainchild of the ‘father of Android,’ Andy Rubin. The device;s potential launch will clash with some of the heavyweights of the smartphone industry such as the iPhone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, both of the devices will have top-of-the-line features. The Essential phone will be displayed only in BestBuy stores and retail online through Amazon against the widepread distribution of the likes of Samsung, Apple, LG etc. R. “Ray” Wang of Constellation Research said, “It’s not just about US distribution. This is going to be a global phone. The biggest phone markets are China, India and the US” referring to Essential’s two principal investors from Asia.

Essential PH-1 next to the iPhone

What we know about the Essential Phone PH-1 so far-
- Display – 5.71-inch 2560 x 1312 px with an aspect ratio of 19:10
- Battery – 3,040mAh support for fast charging, Wireless charging
- Chipset – Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- RAM- 4GB
- Storage – 128GB
- Rear Camera- 13 MP dual cameras with one RGB sensor and one Monochrome sensor and f/1.85 aperture lenses
- Front Camera- 8MP
- Video Recording- 4K at 30 FPS
August 10, 2017
Sharp’s AQUOS S2 Has A Bezel-Less Display That Looks A Lot Like The Essential Phone

Edge-to-edge displays are fast becoming a staple in flagship devices with big players like Samsung, LG and reportedly Apple adopting the technology for their smartphones. Sharp’s AQUOS S2 is the Japanese company’s 29th device with similar design and it looks uncannily similar to the Essential phone PH-1.

The AQUOS S2 has a front camera notch at the top just like the Essential phone but has a smaller 5.5-inch 2040 x 1080 px display with 135-percent sRGB gamut and 550-nit brightness. The trimmed corners though, are very prominent due to its thin bezels and might throw some people off. Talking about thin bezels, the AQUOS S2 is rocking an 87.5 percent screen-to-body-ratio. You still get a decent 3,030mAh battery powering the device. The phone comes in two variants- one is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 along with 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage and the other one packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 with 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The onboard storage is expandable via microSD card up to 256GB. The phone is running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

In terms of optics, the f/1.75 dual camera on the back consists of a 12-megapixel sensor plus an 8-megapixel sensor, both also feature a large 1.4um pixel size and together offer a seven-level bokeh effect. On the front is an 8-megapixel 1.4um sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. Sharp claims that the S2 has passed its “rigorous” drop tests for all six sides and four corners thanks to its aluminium mid-frame design. The S2 has ditched the old bone conduction actuator in favour of a conventional earpiece that’s hidden underneath the screen, next to the front camera, with its audio channelled to a thin pipe placed along the top edge of the screen for clearer sound.

The Sharp AQUOS S2’s availability in markets other than Japan is not yet clear, But China seems to be getting the phone as pre-orders have started. The standard model with Snapdragon 630, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is priced at 2,499 Yuan (about $370 or Rs. 24000), and it comes in black, white, blue or mint green. The premium model due to arrive later is priced at 3,499 Yuan (about $520, Rs. 33000) and packs a Snapdragon 660, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage doesn’t have the mint green option.

August 8, 2017
Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone PH-1 Is Almost Ready For Sales

The Essential phone which was announced last month by Andy Rubin is almost ready to hit buyers. Emails went out from Andy Rubin to those who ordered the Essential phone, confirming that the devices will be shipping in a few weeks.

Hi Bharat,

I personally wanted to thank you for putting your name down for our first phone. We’ve been hard at work getting everything ready and the good news is that we’re now going through certification and testing with multiple US and international carriers.

You might be getting impatient to get your hands on your new Essential Phone (and I’m also impatient to get it to you!) but rest assured that you will have a device in your hands in a few weeks.

Andy

The essential phone has a full front 5.71 inch display with radiused corners, a 19:10 aspect ratio, 2560 x 1312 QHD resolution and a brightness of 500 nits. The back has 13 MP dual cameras with one RGB sensor and one Monochrome sensor and f/1.85 aperture lenses. The front has an 8 MP camera and both cameras are capable of shooting 4k video at 30fps. The Essential phone also has a 3040mAh battery and supports fast charging using USB, but also has a cordless dock that allows you to lay flat the phone while it charges.

The Essential phone costs $699 and has flagship specifications like a Qualcomm 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

July 22, 2017
Essential Phone PH-1 is Official

Andy Rubin may have been teasing a smartphone for a while, but now the device known as the Essential Phone PH-1 is official. The Essential phone costs $699 and has flagship specifications like a Qualcomm 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

The phone will be launched in the US to start and will be unlocked to all carriers. Essential is making the design of the phone simple, but with two prong connection, and working on a host of accessories that click into place, starting with the worlds smallest 360 degree camera.

The essential phone has a full front 5.71 inch display with radiused corners with a 19:10 aspect ratio and a 2560 x 1312 QHD resolution and a brightness of 500 nits. The back has 13 MP dual cameras with one RGB sensor and one Monochrome sensor and f/1.85 aperture lens. The front has an 8 MP camera and both cameras are capable of shooting 4k video at 30fps.

The Essential phone also has a 3040mAh battery and supports fast charging using USB, but it does have a cordless dock that allows you to lay flat the phone.

The design and specifics of the brand mention the basics and essentials as the focus of the company, the design is built around a solid titanium frame, which is completely scratch and ding resistant, with a ceramic back and gorilla glass front.The company drop tested the titanium frame phone, and found it to do better than the “Aluminum competitor” the Essential Phone Ph-1 is only 7.8 mm thick.

The phone has been launched in black and white and will launch in two additional colors at a later date. Those in the US can book the Essential phone on the company’s website.

May 30, 2017