Android Founder Andy Rubin Launches ‘Essential’ PH-1 Smartphone at $699 – A 5.71-inch Bezel-less Beast!
Andy Rubin, the father of Android, has been teasing the launch of a classy new bezel-less smartphone. The smartphone’s only USP was to have the smallest bezels and hence a smaller footprint in the hands of the users.
Today, the company announced the product ‘Essential’ PH-1 phone, a part of the Essential product line, that looks stunning with an extremely high screen to body ratio and nearly bezel-less display. The only bezel you will practically see is at the bottom of the phone. The top of the phone incorporates front camera into the screen.
2017 can be said to be the year of smartphones with bezel-less displays. It started with Xiaomi Mi Mix, followed by LG G6 and then Samsung Galaxy S8. Gone are the days when ugly bezels would stick out of the phone, like in the iPhones.
Essential PH-1 is a typical phone that wants to compete with an iPhone to prove that a smartphone can be compact and productive at the same time. It is powered by the latest Android 7.1.1 and hosts some really cool features.
Take a look at the specifications below –
- 5.71-inch 2560 x 1312 qHD bezel-less display with 19:10 aspect ratio
- Android Nougat 7.1.1 out of the box
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC(2.45GHz Quad + 1.9GHz Quad) coupled with Adreno 540 GPU
- 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage
- 13MP Dual RGB + Mono primary camera with image fusion technology, f/1.85 lens, Hybrid Auto Focus combing Contrast, Phase Detect and IR Laser Assist Focus
- 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.20 fixed hyperfocal lens
- 3,040mAh battery, USB Type-C with fast charging
- Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and GPS
- Comes with a titanium body, ceramic back and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front
- Fingerprint reader on the back
The smartphone will be made available in four colours – Black Moon, Stellar Grey, Pure White and Ocean Depths(which will be made available soon). The smartphone has been priced at $699 in the US or almost Rs. 50,000 after taxes when it comes to India.
The most interesting part about this phone is that the screen extends all over to the top of the phone, with the camera slot in the middle. There are no logos on the device, as the company claims it is advertisement-free.
Essential has also launched an accessory for this smartphone – 360-degree camera. “Other 360° cameras are big, bulky, and complicated to use. We thought it was about time someone made a 360° camera for the rest of us. Simply click the 360° camera to your phone to point, shoot, and share,” says the company.
The 360-degree camera gets attached to two pin connectors at the back of the phone, comes with dual 12MP fisheye images with f/1.8 lens.The magnetic connector keeps the lens intact and allows you to take a 360-degree photo of the view around you.
How will it stack up against other smartphones?
At $699, Essential PH-1 goes up against Samsung Galaxy S8, Google Pixel, LG G6 and Apple iPhone 7. By no means is this smartphone any lesser than any of these flagships. It has been designed keeping in mind the consumers today.
The phone is less of a gimmick and more of an actual functional high-end flagship. The bezels are minimum and the phone looks extremely good. The titanium body helps it to be more rigid and less prone to cracks and chipping.
Purchasing the 360-degree camera along with the phone will cost you around $749. It is a very smartly designed accessory that allows you to attach a camera to the phone and take photos of the complete view around you. No more panorama shots required from your phone now.
The battery also seems decent, and the internals are exactly like that of any other flagships these days. The chipset is the latest one from Snapdragon, so the performance is expected to be snappy.
Let’s see when Essential plans to launch this smartphone in India because it can heat up the flagship space. We should see more bezel-less phones this year, and hopefully a new bezel-less iPhone as well.
