Android Creator Launches New Phone The Essential Phone: Review

Posted December 06, 2017

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Andy Rubin, creator of Android, is trying to make his mark on the smartphone industry again with his newly designed Android phone: The Essential Phone.

When Andy Rubin sold his company, Android, to Google in 2005 he became the father of the non-Apple smartphone. His Android software, open-source, was revolutionary as it created an ecosystem other than Apple's for smartphones. It completely opened up the market to new ideas and made smartphones much more widely available to consumers. More options at better price points than Apple's iPhone meant competition, and competition means innovation. It is this competition and innovation that has given us the powerful smartphones we have today just over a decade later. Rubin is back at it again, trying to revolutionize the smartphone market, with his new company and phone.

The Essential Phone, or PH-1 as it is officially called, looks like a lot of other top-line smartphones today. It is almost all screen, runs Android and has a sleek glass body. The Essential team notes their high attention to detail and craftsmanship when designing the phone, but what sticks out to us, as it should be no surprise, is its camera system and modular accessory promises.

The phone has a 13MP dual camera system on the back that shoots in full 4K using both color and monochromatic sensors allowing the camera to let it 200% more light than most other smartphone cameras. The phone itself has 128GB of internal storage so you won't fill it up fast with your video.

What makes the PH-1 stand out is the modular accessory feature. While they have only released one accessory so far, the phone is built to allow for modular attachments that will enhance the experience -- particularly for Mojos or other smartphone video producers. The one accessory they have released is impressive too: a 360 degree camera. The attachment claims to be the smallest 360 camera on the market and just clips onto you phone's existing lens. Whether you think 360 is a fad, or here to stay, you can be a part of it and produce that kind of work with this phone.

The Essential PH-1 is available now for $499. You can buy it from Essential.

Check out more in our Equipment Section.