Essential Phone (real Titanium)

[ZenOps]

Its here.

1zPfGfrYsJQ

Yes, not aluminium, not magnesium. Titanium. No branding, not a single logo or identifier that its made by anyone at all.

Is it a communist phone? If they insist on calling it essential, maybe. This is the first phone I've seen that marketed like the Casio F-91W terrorist special watch.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Why so much old news posting today?

Anyways I cannot stand screen cutouts, it would be a hard pass for me.

[Xtrema]

Why so much old news posting today?

Anyways I cannot stand screen cutouts, it would be a hard pass for me.

Well it's not old news because Essential is 2 months late on the release and finally someone got one on hand to be reviewed.

The cutout on screen for an Android could be interesting. You may get less real estate for apps and scaling could be off. But if anyone can make that work, Rubin is the guy.

[schocker]

Launching only on Telus here (No unlocked version) and is pretty pricey I see. Will ship iirc to people are sep 10.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Well it's not old news because Essential is 2 months late on the release and finally someone got one on hand to be reviewed.

The cutout on screen for an Android could be interesting. You may get less real estate for apps and scaling could be off. But if anyone can make that work, Rubin is the guy.

The phone was fully announced way back in May :dunno: It's just late to market.

Yeah those cutouts suck though (IMO) - I hope nobody else thinks that's a good idea.

[Xtrema]

Yeah those cutouts suck though (IMO) - I hope nobody else thinks that's a good idea.

It's the best idea...

https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2017/06/iphone-8-screen-protector.jpg

[schocker]

It's the best idea...

https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2017/06/iphone-8-screen-protector.jpg

That render looks alot more slick than the essential phone.

[shakalaka]

Thinking of picking one up unlocked directly from essential. Will need to have it shipped to my cousin's in LA and then get it here. Almost placed the order but the $64 tax is killing it for me since the phone is price enough as it is with the camera module. Anyone wants to buy my Keyone? Haha. Will be an easier hit if I unload the Keyone first.

[rage2]

Sales have been disappointing to say the list. 5000 units in a month through Sprint, estimates are they've sold maybe 15,000 phones to date in 2 months total?

Anyways, $200 price drop already. If you've bought one already, you can get a $200 gift card for accessories.

[shakalaka]

I know I was pissed at the drop. So much for being an early adopter. I did sign up for the credit but wtf am I gonna do with that. Plus it isn't necessarily for Canadians and they haven't announced that yet. Still love the phone though feels and works great so far.

[Xtrema]

Sales have been disappointing to say the list. 5000 units in a month through Sprint, estimates are they've sold maybe 15,000 phones to date in 2 months total?

Anyways, $200 price drop already. If you've bought one already, you can get a $200 gift card for accessories.

Lesson for all this? If you are going charge flagship prices, don't screw up/cheap out on the camera.

[Strider]

$650 on telus.com now, any takers?
https://www.telus.com/en/ab/mobility/phones/essential

[Xtrema]

$650 on telus.com now, any takers?
https://www.telus.com/en/ab/mobility/phones/essential

$0 phone with a plan. Not bad at all.

Wonder if they got the camera software fixed.

[shakalaka]

I am an early adopter so I've paid the full US price as I ordered it from US. lol

Got my friends and family discount of $200 so used that for the 360 camera.

[Sdeibert]

I am an early adopter so I've paid the full US price as I ordered it from US. lol

Got my friends and family discount of $200 so used that for the 360 camera.

What are your thoughts on this phone? Good/bad? With it dropping to $1000 below an iPhone x I'm getting really interested!

[Mitsu3000gt]

What are your thoughts on this phone? Good/bad? With it dropping to $1000 below an iPhone x I'm getting really interested!

It's a good phone overall but the camera is pretty bad (compared to other android flagships) which is a deal breaker for anyone who places a high value on that part. Display is average as well, and the cutout isn't for everyone.

As a first effort it's outstanding, but a few things need to be addressed before it can really compete with flagships like the Pixel 2 or Galaxy S8 - hence the huge price drop. At $650 it's a fair price IMO.

[shakalaka]

What are your thoughts on this phone? Good/bad? With it dropping to $1000 below an iPhone x I'm getting really interested!

Honestly, all things considering one of the best Android phones I've ever used and I've used all the flagships except for the latest Note so far. Such smooth OS which I thought was impossible from Android having had Samsung devices in the past. No matter how new they would eventually start stuttering which my iPhones never did which is why I decided to stick them longer than Android. But Essential phone changed all that. The only somewhat of a drawback is camera and it's the app more than anything else. They have regular updates on that and it is MUCH better than it was before. So it's definitely workable.

I usually always at least have one IOS device and one Android and I think this will be my Android device for a while as I used the iPhone X now. It feels absolutely amazing in hands and in some ways better than iPhone X. And at the price it is at now....I mean that's a freaking no brainer.

[riander5]

Thinking of picking one up unlocked directly from essential. Will need to have it shipped to my cousin's in LA and then get it here. Almost placed the order but the $64 tax is killing it for me since the phone is price enough as it is with the camera module. Anyone wants to buy my Keyone? Haha. Will be an easier hit if I unload the Keyone first.

Changes cars every 6 months but 64$ tax kills you :eek:

[AzNxHyDrA]

Honestly, all things considering one of the best Android phones I've ever used and I've used all the flagships except for the latest Note so far. Such smooth OS which I thought was impossible from Android having had Samsung devices in the past. No matter how new they would eventually start stuttering which my iPhones never did which is why I decided to stick them longer than Android. But Essential phone changed all that. The only somewhat of a drawback is camera and it's the app more than anything else. They have regular updates on that and it is MUCH better than it was before. So it's definitely workable.

I usually always at least have one IOS device and one Android and I think this will be my Android device for a while as I used the iPhone X now. It feels absolutely amazing in hands and in some ways better than iPhone X. And at the price it is at now....I mean that's a freaking no brainer.

Did you end up getting a case for the phone or just a screen protector? The phone seemed to do really well on Jerry Rig Everything's durability test but not the drop test.

[shakalaka]

Changes cars every 6 months but 64$ tax kills you :eek:

It's the principle mate.


Did you end up getting a case for the phone or just a screen protector? The phone seemed to do really well on Jerry Rig Everything's durability test but not the drop test.

No case. Feels way too good to be covered in a case plus I don't think there are many out there at the moment. I had Best Buy apply the front and back protector on it since day one though, but mostly cause the smudges drive me nuts and I get OCD wiping it all the time.

[AzNxHyDrA]

No case. Feels way too good to be covered in a case plus I don't think there are many out there at the moment. I had Best Buy apply the front and back protector on it since day one though, but mostly cause the smudges drive me nuts and I get OCD wiping it all the time.

Yeah the phone is a beauty. I don't use the camera all that much so maybe I'll grab one soon. Thanks for your help.

[Strider]

Anyone else grab one from Koodo during the Black Friday sale? It was too cheap for me not to get it, especially since black dots started showing up on my 6P camera.

So far... the materials and build quality are fantastic. One pro/con is that there's no decent looking case out for it, so I'm forced to go naked.
Oreo beta is out and is great except for faster battery drain. I haven't noticed the screen jittering that seems to be one of the biggest complaints.
The camera is just as shitty as everyone says it is... but getting better both using the Google Camera HDR port, and the stock app updates. Portrait mode was released last night and works pretty well.
I love the size of the phone. No bezels is great and the notch doesn't bug me.

[shakalaka]

I haven't used mine in a while as I had been using the iPhone X but I feel like pulling it out again since I got the 360 camera module. Not sure I will though so it's just sitting there. I would sell it but this phone freaking dropped like crazy since I spent over $1K on it when it first got released. Ridiculous.

[silvercivicsir]

I call dibs if you want to sell the 360 camera.



I haven't used mine in a while as I had been using the iPhone X but I feel like pulling it out again since I got the 360 camera module. Not sure I will though so it's just sitting there. I would sell it but this phone freaking dropped like crazy since I spent over $1K on it when it first got released. Ridiculous.

[jaylo]

Anyone else grab one from Koodo during the Black Friday sale? It was too cheap for me not to get it, especially since black dots started showing up on my 6P camera.

So far... the materials and build quality are fantastic. One pro/con is that there's no decent looking case out for it, so I'm forced to go naked.
Oreo beta is out and is great except for faster battery drain. I haven't noticed the screen jittering that seems to be one of the biggest complaints.
The camera is just as shitty as everyone says it is... but getting better both using the Google Camera HDR port, and the stock app updates. Portrait mode was released last night and works pretty well.
I love the size of the phone. No bezels is great and the notch doesn't bug me.

What was the Black Friday deal for the phone?

[elite]

What was the Black Friday deal for the phone?



It was for $0 with 360 on the medium tab. I ended up getting it and I like it apart from the camera. Build feels solid and is pretty quick/smooth. I don't mind the cut out either.

[jaylo]

It was for $0 with 360 on the medium tab. I ended up getting it and I like it apart from the camera. Build feels solid and is pretty quick/smooth. I don't mind the cut out either.
Amazing deal. Waiting for a Boxing Day deal...

[tonytiger55]

Okay so here's the situation.

It is an Essential phone. Don't think it is sold outside of North America. Even when I bought it, I bought it directly from their site which only shipped to US and I had to get it shipped to an address in US first. It's a pretty good deal considering I am including a camera module which usually alone is $250 on Essential's site.

Besides that, I suggested to him that if he wants it bad I would need the funds to be sent via gift. He was a bit hesitant at first and asked me to send him a picture of the items with my username on a paper and date written beside it (makes me feel a little more comfortable as he is doing his due dilligence). I did that and of course I have almost 200 positive feedbacks on ebay (all from buying though) and it seems that he was comfortable with going that route. He did send me the funds on Paypal via gift and is now waiting for me to ship it. I packed up the box and will be heading to post-office shortly but I don't see what he can do now to scam me in any way? It's a Paypal gift which he can't 'charge back' on and I have already initiated the transfer of those funds out of my Paypal to my bank account anyway. If anything I feel like I can easily scam him now by simply not sending the item, obviously I wouldn't do that but I don't see how he can do anything to claim it's a scam or whatever?

On a side note... are the essential phones any good? I ve not heard of them and I need a new phone in a few months.. My Samsung S4 is starting to struggle.

[shakalaka]

Not bad at all and apparently Telus is now selling them outright for a pretty good deal. When they first got released they had something’s that could use work but they have been pushing pretty regular updates. I only used mine for a month but turned it on every now and then and it would have a new update. Definitely worth now with them being under $500. I spent over $1K off them directly when they first got announced.

[Strider]

On a side note... are the essential phones any good? I ve not heard of them and I need a new phone in a few months.. My Samsung S4 is starting to struggle.
It's pretty good if you stack it up against other phones in the $400 range. If you're comparing to a Pixel 2 or S8, then it's a hot mess

[ExtraSlow]

Get the Samsung S7, quality phone, much cheaper now S8 is out.

[Xtrema]

On a side note... are the essential phones any good? I ve not heard of them and I need a new phone in a few months.. My Samsung S4 is starting to struggle.

If you frequent Redflagdeals, most people have a hate on for this phone.

The problem is it launched with tons of issue which have since been fixed. Now they got screen issues and a failed Oreo 8 upgrade.

[D'z Nutz]

If you frequent Redflagdeals, most people have a hate on for this phone.

The problem is it launched with tons of issue which have since been fixed. Now they got screen issues and a failed Oreo 8 upgrade.

This is why you never jump on the hype train and be an early adopter, especially with unproven companies.

[Mitsu3000gt]

This is why you never jump on the hype train and be an early adopter, especially with unproven companies.

This. Someone's first crack at a product is very rarely a good buy. You don't get the refinement and reliability that Google, Apple, and Samsung have on your first try. Even the OnePlus phones are still plagued with issues every iteration and they've been around for a little while now.

[jwslam]

Just got one of these through work. Feels pretty solid. Nothing more to say yet.

[Strider]

Android 8.1 beta should be coming today...

One thing I forgot to mention... aftermarket accessory support for this phone sucks. Maybe the lack of bezel is to blame, but I haven't heard of a single tempered glass screen protector that works properly, and none of the cases play nicely with a screen protector.

r/essential is the best resource I've found for anything about the Essential phone.

[D'z Nutz]

FYI, on sale on Amazon.ca today. $549.99 with earbuds.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07BF8C6YL

[JDMMAN]

I've been a bit intrigued and looking for 1 device to consolidate 3 devices (don't ask me, I'm a BB guy and the Android apps are starting to crash on BB10 OS). I refuse to go iOS, and the Android based BB's are still quite "pricey" for their spec.

Worthwhile to p/u an Essential phone?

[shakalaka]

Can be had for a great price now and works and feels great. I may pick one again as a second phone. I would recommend it.

[jwslam]

I would recommend it. It's at a good price point.

My only big issue is that I get this once in a while. Keep in mind this is also my work phone so I use it less than my daily
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbHtJLQEU7o

[Xtrema]

https://ca.camelcamelcamel.com/Essential-Products-Unlocked-Titanium-Ceramic/product/B074BWGRKH

Must be low on stock now. Gone from historic low of $460 on prime day to over $1000 today.

[jwslam]

Does anyone still have the 360° Camera for this I could borrow, rent, or buy?

[shakalaka]

Does anyone still have the 360° Camera for this I could borrow, rent, or buy?

I don't but if you want one bad Amazon sells them at $54 now.

https://www.amazon.ca/Essential-Products-360-Degree-Camera/dp/B074MVQMSP/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=Essential+Products&qid=1589075502&sr=8-7

On a side note. Are you still using this phone? How is it holding up?

[jwslam]

I don't but if you want one bad Amazon sells them at $54 now.

https://www.amazon.ca/Essential-Products-360-Degree-Camera/dp/B074MVQMSP/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=Essential+Products&qid=1589075502&sr=8-7

On a side note. Are you still using this phone? How is it holding up?
Not sure I wanna drop $58 on a no-updates phone. Price has gone up... I guess it's all of you clicking and activating amazon dynamic pricing.

I DD'ed it for a year from Feb2018 to Aug2019. It just sits around for the few times I take it out for pokemon. Software is running fine. Haven't had the ghost touch glitch in a long time...