When I wrapped up reviewing the Essential Phone back in early September, I told you guys that even though it had some pretty critical flaws and you probably shouldn’t buy it, that it was a phone I didn’t want to put down. That’s a first me, as someone who reviews phones for a living and typically can’t wait to move onto the next one, especially when the phone I’ve finished talking about hasn’t reviewed all that well. You see, the Essential Phone, even with its poor performance and below-average camera, might have the best hardware and design in the business right now. It’s a phone that feels incredible in hand and clearly tricked me into needing more of it in my life, flaws and all.
Since that review, though, Essential has issued multiple updates to both the camera and software, plus the company dropped the price by $200, from $699 to $499. Because of those happenings dramatically changing this phone’s story, we decided it was time to get it back in hand and take it for another spin. After all, I’ll never say no to a chance to play with this hardware some more, but the thought of having better software and camera is something we needed to explore further.
Here are some fresh thoughts on the Essential Phone.
Hardware
It’s still as good as ever. The titanium body and ceramic back, coupled with this unique all-display front design really do make for an attractive phone. I’m sure some of you still hate that front camera notch at the top, but it has never really bothered me. While there is a solid black block of bezel at the bottom of the phone, the way the display carries all of the way up to the top front curved corners offers a uniqueness that no other phone really does. This is one of those phones that just looks cooler than everyone else’s.
As I mentioned in my review, there is a nice weight to this phone that almost makes it feel heavier than you would expect. It’s not that it’s a bad weight, just for the size of the phone, you don’t expect this heft when you grab it. But there really is a dense feel when you pick it up, pull it out of your pocket, whatever. It’s a constant reminder of the luxurious nature that Essential was trying to evoke when they slapped the original $700 price on it. Samsung and LG and Google phones all have a lightness to them, thanks to their aluminum bodies. They don’t feel cheap by any means, but when held side by side with the Essential Phone, there is a difference that is noticeable that I really appreciate.
I’d also point out that this phone has somewhat of a retro vibe to its body. It’s a rectangle with flat edges all around. In a way, it reminds of the iPhone 4 and 5 period of time, where the goal wasn’t yet to make the most curvaceous phone around. This is the opposite of what Samsung and LG are doing, where they are trying to mold glass and metal together to create a seamless design experience. Essential purposely made this have edges and I kind of really like it. I don’t even know why, because it is in no way as comfortable to hold as the Galaxy S8. Maybe, again, it’s just because it’s different. Be together, not the same, right?
Software
So the software, now that the phone has received multiple updates, is much better. I’d love to be able to tell you that it is flawless and the experience rivals that of the OnePlus 5 or Motorola’s phones or the Pixel devices, but it’s not on that level yet. A lot of the touch responsiveness, scrolling lag, and overall jitters have been reduced or greatly improved, though. The Essential Phone is no longer frustrating to use.
I’m still seeing slowdowns throughout a day, where I have to clear all running apps from the app switcher, plus I experienced at least one full freeze-up that required a reboot over the weekend. Again, these issues have been improved upon, but they are still present a couple of months later.
I’d also point out that on the white Essential Phone I have here, I thought the fingerprint reader died on it after having been out of the box for all of 10 hours. I say that because the fingerprint reader just stopped working and all software related to it disappeared from the phone, almost as if it no longer registered the component. After talking with support, they told me that this was a known bug from the latest software build and that they are working on a fix. While that’s great that Essential is already working on a fix, we’re talking about the fingerprint reader completely dying after a software update and a fix potentially weeks away. That’s kind of bad. Couple that with the fact that Smart Lock almost never works on the phone and I’m stuck in 2009 entering in PINs and passwords to unlock my phone.
Overall, I do enjoy the software here because it is bare-bones, stock Android without any fluff at all. To this date, Essential is still customizing none of it and only includes their camera app. If you like the purist form of Android, this is it. It uses Ambient Display, a launcher that looks like the old Google Now Launcher with access to Google Now off to the side, and notifications that haven’t been messed with. It should get Oreo pretty quick here too, at least in the form of a beta.
So yeah, the software has gotten a lot better in terms of performance and stability, but it still has a few bugs and Essential is clearly still finding their groove in squashing them all. The experience has come a long way.
Camera
Alright, camera time. Has Essential been able to improve the camera’s photo taking abilities and camera experience? Without a doubt, the camera app that Essential includes has been improved enormously. That’s not saying much since the app used to crash, freeze, miss touches on the shutter button, and overall perform like an app created by a 7th grader learning to code.
Now, it opens pretty quickly, can snap multiple photos without much of a hiccup, and hasn’t crashed on me since I started re-testing it. It’s still a pretty weak app, though. The HDR mode is super slow since it takes its time snapping two photos to process together, there are hardly any other settings to adjust (definitely no manual mode), and it still won’t remember that you turned flash off as you switch back and forth between regular mode and HDR. It’s a poorly made camera app, what else is there to say? Oh, you should just use Google’s Camera app that can be found over at XDA.
What about the photos it takes? Uhh, I think it certainly can take a decent picture from time to time. In fact, most of the photos you see below (that I hand selected), are pretty solid. The problem is that the camera is pretty slow to focus, often times doesn’t focus on the correct object without you touching-to-focus, and is mostly terrible in low light. In other words, I’m here to tell you that the camera is still the weakest part of the phone and I’m not sure it’s ever going to get much better. If you use the Google Camera app I suggested above, your results will probably be much better than if you use the Essential camera app, that’s for sure.
Here are some recent samples. Honestly, I can’t remember which was taken with which camera app, but most were with the Essential app to give it the fairest shake, since that’s the camera app Essential ships on it. You’ll see solid shots in good lighting, but an instant deterioration of image quality once I tried to take anything indoors. Also, keep in mind that I often had to take multiple shots in order to get one that was in focus.
Essential Phone: Now worth it?
Is the Essential Phone now worth considering? It really is at $500 (or $450 at the time of this post). You are competing with OnePlus at this price point, rather than Samsung and LG and Google, which makes sense since the total package doesn’t really add up to what those companies are offering. I’d argue that the hardware and design are better than OnePlus’, but that the camera is a touch below that of the OnePlus 5 and the software experience similar, though it hasn’t been quite as fine-tuned as OnePlus’ phones nor does it have the extra customizations. Would I choose this phone over something like the OnePlus 5? Probably, and that’s because I love the hardware and design so much, plus I appreciate the ultra-bare-bones software. It also works on Verizon, unlike OnePlus phones. But I’d do so knowing that the camera experience is going to be somewhat frustrating, probably forever.
In the end, the Essential Phone is now a really solid phone, thanks to updates, at a heck of a price that has to be on your shortlist if your budget tops out at $500. Do I think you should choose this over the Pixel 2 or Note 8 or V30? Eh, probably not if you care about taking great photos. This might not be the worst camera in a smartphone, but it is no where near the top. If hardware is what you care about, then sure, you’ll be happy with your decision.
I’m considering pulling the trigger… if it comes down to $249 with Amazon special offers.
So tempting at $400 when you buy a sim and airtime through Best Buy. Makes me wish I didn’t pull the trigger on a used LG G6 for $300 the other day. But truth be told I really like the G6.
Great review, thank you Kellen. I have to say, I love the design, and I was so ready to buy this specially at $450, but after finding out this phone is literally anything but modular which goes against the whole reason of making this phone. For example try to upgrade anything inside the phone or even battery or replace the USB port etc. (see iFixit tear down : https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Essential+Phone+Teardown/96764 ) compounding that with poor software quality, and possibly ton more hardware issues that shouldnt be an issue. I would be surprised if the company stays around to build PH2. Granted if it comes down by another $200 by black Friday and no more surprises, I might consider it then in lieu of if Pixel 2 remains out of stock at that time.
I want to see what they come up with for the DAC accessory but the PH-1 has definitely wormed it’s way back into the mix as a replacement for my Nexus 5X. It’s weird to think a month ago I was worried I’d have to settle for an S8, but now with the OnePlus 5T coming out and the G6+ finally available stateside I’ve got a few options.
Since mine will be here Thursday I’ll do a comparison between it and the Moto Z2 Play I’ve had for a while now. The Z2 Play cost me $380 so it’ll be interesting to see how it holds up next to a “flagship” that’s been heavily price reduced.
Just fyi Amazon is now in their Holiday Return Policy so you can buy the Essential Phone now and not have to return it until the end of January so you can use it for a month or two with no hassle returns, or until Black Friday rolls around and something better comes up. I just bought the White for $470 after tax cuz why the heck not.
$450 still costs too much for this device.
Based on what?
I went to a Sprint store this weekend to check one out. I have to say, while I like the look of the phone, it really did not feel all that premium. Could it be because it was hooked up to one of those cords? Maybe it was just me.
I think you nailed the re-review. The camera is good in good lighting…otherwise, hit or miss…as far as the hardware feel…oh, nothing better. Love the form factor. I bought one at 700, wife took it even with the flaws…I bought a second at 300…just because the form factor…Note 8 is the daily, but this phone is just has that feel…if they nail the camera on ver 2, look out….
The slowdowns and lockup were likely related to the known bug with the latest update that causes those issues if you leave your finger on the fingerprint reader even a little bit while using the phone. They acknowledged the issue and have a fix on the way. It’s unfortunate they didn’t give you that level of detail on your support call because knowing that, the freezes and that lockup can easily be avoided until the next build. I’ve never had to close any running apps or have a lockup or random reboot. Also, thanks for the re-review. The phone doesn’t get the “nods” that it should after the past few updates.
Exactly, I think Kellen is experiencing the fingerprint bug. Even if your finger is barely touching the thing it will hangup where you think your phone is locked up. As soon as you move your finger it registers everything that was touched. Its due to the finger registering setting being set too high which uses all of the CPU power.
They’re already rolling out a build today with a fix for the fingerprint issue! And includes November security patches too! Wow, quick response! Even Google hasn’t had turn around that fast for bugs!
Great hardware is meaningless if it doesn’t have great software to run it. Time to move on.
Can you compare it to anything in Motorola’s line-up since that’s probably the more comparable big player?
I work for Sprint, and have an Essential and a Z2 Force. I can’t figure out why, but I just can’t stand the Z2. I think it feels cheap, especially compared to the titanium body on the Essential. Over the course of the past year I’ve had the Pixel XL, S7 Edge, G6, U11, Essential, and Z2 Force as daily drivers. If it wasn’t for the camera, I’d probably keep the Essential as my primary phone. I’ll probably still keep it as my work phone, and will end up getting a Pixel 2 XL.
Thanks. I was thinking more along a comparison to the moto x4 as a direct comparison, given specs and screen size. I know those are in house, now getting a look. My Moto X PE got the mountainside-to-screen smash of a lifetime yesterday. I found the 5.7 in screen to be too much so I’m looking to stay 5.5 and under. Essential Phone, Moto x4, Pixel 2, and Pixel XL (1st gen) are in that range. I’ve always loved Motorola’s notifications but they also seem to try less and less. And I hate the IPS screen they now use on the X series. I don’t care too much about the phone…just want it to focus decently…Motorola has never been good at that so I can’t hate on Essential too much. I’m more concerned about the Essential’s IP rating…not because I need an IP68 but because of what that says about their thought process on what should be considered “essential” in 2017.
Question for you; I’m also using a Moto Z2 Force daily and was wondering if you have issues with the lower part of the phone running warm or hot when just using it normally (not under load)?
I prefer the Z2 Play over the Force. That shattershield god awful screen just ruins it for me. And I saw no difference between performance on the 626 processor vs the 835 during typical email-web-app switching use.
I’ve had the Z2 Play for a while now and had a G5+ for a week. I’m absolutely going to compare the two when my PH-1 comes in Thursday. What I’ll say is the functionality works flawlessly on the Z2 Play, the front speaker is good, the fingerprint reader/trackpad is my favorite new feature of any phone, and the 1080p screen looks great, even from insane angles. Also I average 4 hours of screen on time at full brightness. The downsides are that the keyboard lags sometimes and the camera is worse than my Nexus 6. Incredibly slow to load, takes about 2 seconds to register the shutter, and any movement results in blur. The G5+ was the exact same way, making it a crazy deal for the price, but it was miserable on Verizon. Couldn’t hear anyone during calls, dropped signal, choppy volume…spent a few hours with Moto and Verizon and they said it was a known issue. No phone function = no point. But if I had At&t or T-Mobile holy crap I’d buy one again in a heartbeat for that price.
I bit the bullet and bought the Essential.. I liked it until I could not get a cellular signal in my home. (No issue with cellular on Nexus 6P, Moto Droid Z, Pixel, or several others I have on Verizon). Will be returning it.
Does the PH-1 have wifi calling?
Yes.
Not on Verizon. But it keeps telling me to turn it on. I shouldn’t have to when I have at least 4 other phones that get a cellular signal.
Thinking about getting this or waiting for a software update on Pixel 2 XL and buying one
Don’t waist your time and money. There will be lots of great deals for much better phones during Thanksgiving. An example is Target’s free $300 Target gift card for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ or Galaxy Note8. This is a great deal especially for the S8+.
I just picked up the white one with the 360 camera on amazon for 500!
The 360 is now on backorder but the phone is available so they will ship it within a few days and only charge you like 380 for the phone and charge the rest when the 360 ships.
Your fingerprint issue might not be a bug if it’s completely not working at all. THE fingerprint bug that Essential introduced with the latest update is when you touch the fingerprint reader during using the phone it maxes out the CPU cores and seizes the phone for several seconds. That is what is being fixed in next software update.
I’m an early adopter of the PH-1. The thing is, I will now and forever be an Essential devotee. Their customer service although slow has been absolutely fantastic. I cannot get over how the phone looks and feels in my hands – it’s seriously my favorite. However, the camera is still the worst experience I’ve ever had on any smartphone in recent memory. When you get a decent to good looking shot, it’ll actually be a happy surprise. I cannot wait to see what they do next year. (And I hope they keep the camera cutout. That’s what seems to surprise most people is how much less bezel it has than whatever phone they’re using.)
“Essential Trash”
Flossy Carter
I’ve never seen him hate a phone more than this one.
He is a Samsung “whore”.
The way he talks, I would say HTC.
Who the hell is Flossy Carter?
I might be up for this, but I don’t like how Essential isn’t really acknowledging the reception issues the phone is having. Maybe 2018 will bring better things for them. They better hope so.
Thanks for update. How would you say the
Here is what is important to me. I HATE the current design theory of many of the phones out there. As you stated the “most curvaceous phone”. Blah. They look and feel terrible in the hand. Obviously Samsung is selling millions so I’m sure I am in the minority. Or most people (clearly outside of anyone that reads this blog) don’t even care/notice what their phone looks like, they just want whatever either Sammy or Apple is selling – latest and greatest – lemmings.
I loved the GNote4, I am intrigued by the razor, and I am definitely interested in the essential now that they are fixing things. Hating my S7, at least it has square corners!
I might BUY the Razer if it supported Verizon. And I do really like the Essential. Of course T-Mobile said as long as I buy any phone they give me a $650 credit for switching, so I could buy the Razer/Essential and some toss away phone and then switch to the Razer/Essential and have it essentially paid for.
That fingerprint reader bug is insanity. I see them making a lot of effort but I think we’ll see the true outcome of all that effort in the PH2. This phone will be in BETA until version 2. I’m still interested but not this year.
This is what scares me — that I will have invested in a buggy phone for 2-3 years. Hopefully they have enough man power to keep on improving their original creation all the while improving their next. Hope this one doesn’t get neglected.
Of course is its going to get neglected after PH2 drops. If you’re planning on keeping a phone for 3 years…. Don’t choose this one. Way too many great options this year.
Well I went for it. Like I said in another post, when I played with this phone in the Sprint store, as a one-hander I was thrilled to finally find a flagship phone that was small enough for my thumb to reach all edges of the screen without having to shimmy *drop*. And the greatest part is I don’t have to sacrifice screen size or price to get it! The phone’s pros finally just outweighed the cons for me.
Thanks for the updated review. And sorry about the tough loss to Houston last night.
To be honest, I think this is a great phone for the price, I took the plunge coming from a Nexus 5x, this is no doubt a premium device, i have very little to complain about. the build quality on this is superb.It’s definitely a heavier type of phone but i like that its heavy and not too light. and i actually like the feel of it much better than say the s7 even the s8.
ive had 1 app freeze the entire time ive had it, phone had 2 software updates taking it out the box.performance is no issue for me with this phone, battery is awesome.got basically 5hours of SOT after the very first charge. no complaints there.Camera i feel is not as bad as people think. I think it takes decent pictures the app definitely can be slow at times but im sure future updates will fix that.
once it gets updated to oreo im sure itll be even better as a phone cuz oreo on the 5x was awesome.
overall i have to regrets on my purchase. so yeah in my honest opinion i think it is a great phone for the price it is now.
I have been searching for a re-review and of course DL came to the rescue. Man I love the hardware, but the I have to have a solid camera. I was close to trading in my Pixel and getting this, but I will just hold off till next years bountiful harvest.
Ha! I was literally just pondering buying this vs the Moto X4. Thanks for the re-review.
Same; for me it’s between Essential, Moto X4, and Pixel 2
Same for me, I have the Z2 Play so its not that much of a difference which is why I went with the PH-1. I also bought it from Amazon since it’s their holiday return time and I have until end of January to try it out.
Based on the first review & the fact that a great camera is very important to me… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b4f05dfc9f4b6f7a5cefc847104375c139f5f23a8bfb04ba914528d30cb6d0bf.jpg
If only Razer Phone worked on Verizon this discussion about which phone to buy would be a wrap.
Exactly. Where is the “What phone should I buy on Verizon article”? I honestly just went back to my m9 from Pixel XL. Tired of the big and mediocre phones with bad sounding speakers. Looking for a great 5″ phone on Verizon with front facing speakers and good camera. Looks like the only option is the Pixel 2.
The V30 is ok but I got spoiled with stock Android on Motos, so the price would have to be like $200 off. The Pixel 2 screen is SO small with the nav bar and the bezels it almost feels like a toy. The XL2 is just out. No more Samsung for me, ever, no matter what deals they run cuz I’ve always had issues. Essential is still way too buggy for me right now. I’d go Z2 Force but I don’t like the plastic display, and the U11 is still too expensive for how long ago that came out vs other phones.
I’m really interested to see what they do next year with the Essential 2.
I’m with you. While this phone has improved and the price adjustment is awesome, the big key is going to be what they can do next year with a similar approach. They gotta nail camera and software.
Seems to me they have a clear path. Keep the external hardware and materials the same,and improve the camera. Maybe improve the audio. Continue with the same level of dedication and support they have been showing. Without a whole lot of changes the PH-2 could be THE phone of 2018 easily. Of all current phones, I like the Essential best for user experience of the ones I tried. If someone sent me a voucher code I would buy it today. I would like to support this company.
no jack no sale!
Thanks for this re-review, really helpful as I’ve been toying with the idea of trying this out as like many people on here I love the idea. Can’t do a bad camera though, I’d just get too frustrated. It’s interesting to me to see how difficult it is for OEMs to use stock(ish) Android, wouldn’t one think it would be easy? Apparently not. This might help answer my long-running question of why more OEMs don’t go stock — maybe it’s not actually any (or much) simpler than skinning.
And the camera is just too frustrating at times. If camera is a key, you should probably stay clear.
Sorry for the dumb question, but the Essential PH-1’s camera is at least better than an iPhone SE/6S camera, right?
Based on what I’ve experienced with the iPhone 6S, I’d say no, the iPhone is still much better.
Definitely on par with the 6s
Ah, thanks. Yeah, with two very small kids I’m a frequent (and poor) photographer, so I think the S8 it shall remain for me. Appreciate the review and pointers.
While i really want to pull the trigger on this, i can’t deal with a mediocre camera, a fingerprint sensor that takes smoke breaks, and other software bugs.
However, I’m hoping that Essential has learned their lessons, and that the PH-2 refines the hardware a bit more (smaller bottom bezel), while killing the major bugs and getting their camera software up to flagship status. If they can do that, I’ll have no problem forking over $700 to them.
PH-2 might be the phone I’m looking forward to the most in 2018.
Honestly, if all they do hardware-wise is slim down that bottom bezel a bit, I’d be completely happy with that. The PH-1 easily has the sexiest looking hardware of 2017, so a sequel in 2018 with a nip and tuck would look even hotter.
Do you think that a PH-2 is even possible? Frankly I’d be concerned considering the sheer number of issues plaguing this phone and the huge write down they’ve have to take dropping the price $200. Investors might just pull out of Essential altogether.
Yes as they still knocked it out the park for the first gen. Now they know the kinks for the PH-2 that they will experience.
I’m considering pulling the trigger on this too, I was just checking the latest reviews.
Sprint just put this phone on for $5 per month.
I used this phone for 2 weeks and at 700 it had to go back… was very unfinished but the hardware was the best ever in any phone. Now at 450 and with the bugfixes it has undergone… it’s definitely a great buy at this price. It may even dip lower for Black Friday.
Seriously, think about that – it may get cheaper yet. Damn.
Oh man I’m getting too excited for a Black Friday sale. If I can hop on this phone for $300 or so I can just jump out of my HTC 10. I’m so in love with the hardware.
Yeah, I’m torn between this and the Pixel 2. I really fancy that design… Looks like it’d belong on the set of a science fiction TV series.
I’d say skip the design fancy and go with what works best. Look for good deals coming in a few weeks
I kinda hope the price stays here till next version. I think that if the price drops much lower, the Essential Phone 2 might just end up a Android One phone with lesser materials.
If it’s your only phone, then I think you’d probably be really frustrated carrying this around if you take any photos at all. If you are someone who might have more than phone and can swap SIMs, this is a great device to have most of the time. Great hardware, great design, good performance, stock Android and great battery life. I would just have something else if you need to take pictures.
Probably not for everyone, but for some people, this is a great secondary phone with premium specs at a great price.
That’s kind of the unfortunate thing. I carried it around all weekend knowing the whole time that my pictures probably were going to suck. That’s not a fun thought to always have in your mind.
No
Typing to you right now with the phone in my hand. It is indeed worth it.
That’s cool if you like it…just not for me.
Did you take your profile photo with the camera?
No, old pic.
I am still a big fan of what they are doing. To me, this is a bit more about trying to will a new competitor into the scene rather than just getting a phone. The design is incredible and it, for the most part, just works. There are some kinks to get out, obviously
One thing that is really, really, great is how open and involved the company is with the users. The Bi-weekly AMA’s on Reddit are awesome. The staff is personable and involved. They seem to genuinely care about what we have to say and it shows in their efforts.
If you are a technophile like me, this is a great buy. If you don’t care about all that stuff and just want a phone, perhaps just get an S8.
I’m not a huge photo snob, but I absolutely HATE when I take my Nexus 6 out to take a photo and I miss the shot because of the laggy shutter, poor focus, or general slowness of the camera app. I found that third party camera apps like Camera FV-5 Lite help, but they don’t correct all issues.
Now that the G6, PH-1, and OnePlus5 are sub $500, I feel a comparison is in order.
oh let me do that for you.
1p5, g6, ph-1.
the nexus 6 was my last android phone before my week with the lg v30, i don’t know how you’ve dealt with that camera this long. I’d probably still have the nexus if it weren’t for that camera. you probably don’t realize how many more pictures you’d take if you knew you could rely on the camera to work.
Exactly. That is the biggest reason I am pulling for this company. They are trying and is willing to listen and work with customers. Its something about rooting for the underdogs.
Spoiler alert!
Nope!
You would be mistaken.