by henrikgs on 5/30/17, 10:15 AM with 241 comments
by hbbio on 5/30/17, 10:49 AM
However, since most phones now tend to reach the "good enough" level, my main question is about software and left unanswered. What version/flavour of Android does it run? How will updates be planned? For how many years will updates be provided? What's the size of the security team at Essential?
Providing an up-to-date Android with updates for at least 4 years like Apple does is key to me, as vulnerabilities come and go and the only reasonable way to be secure is to get security patches asap.
by raesene6 on 5/30/17, 11:13 AM
The number of people I've seen wandering around with cracked phone screens from drops is quite high, and is the reason I put a case which covers the front on every phone I buy.
So having no phone case here just means you get the usual after market screen protectors and risk of cracked glass that most other phones suffer from.
by al2o3cr on 5/30/17, 11:20 AM
Even better, it uses 60GHz wireless to get data across the fraction-of-an-inch gap between the phone and the accessory. That should be a fun one for battery life.
by Jdam on 5/30/17, 11:14 AM
Just no. It's just a tool that I use to communicate.
by settsu on 5/30/17, 2:58 PM
Ok, so at first glance this is just a diplomatic, manifesto-ese way of saying "no bloatware". However, there's probably a very pragmatic discussion about what this really means and that just leads us back around to where we are now with who defines "anything" (i.e., the phone app is on table for that discussion...)
> - We will always play well with others. Closed ecosystems are divisive and outdated.
Closed ecosystems are also knowable, stable, and can produce very happy customers.
> - Premium materials and true craftsmanship shouldn’t be just for the few.
So for a few more? There's a reason mass-production is an economic success.
> - Devices shouldn’t become outdated every year. They should evolve with you.
"Outdated" is an extremely subjective concept. Hardware that evolves? Do tell.
> - Technology should assist you so that you can get on with enjoying your life.
Should it?
> - Simple is always better.
Now you're just being lazy.
I'm a huge fan of big picture, think-outside-the-box vision-casting.
But this just comes across as so tone deaf from the very start and ultimately so vapid that it's easy to see how these SV figureheads have earned such a reputation for utter lack of self-awareness.
Please, if you have become this level of successful, you need someone in your inner circle who specifically is tasked with keeping you grounded.
by shubhamjain on 5/30/17, 11:33 AM
Here's where Apple eats the larger pie: the exclusivity of its experience that can only came at a price. In the past, the naive me used to think why Apple doesn't try to dent Microsoft's 95% desktop market with its excellent OS. Now I understand why that'd never happen: you can't be premium in people's eyes unless you create a brand of exclusiveness.
by niho on 5/30/17, 11:18 AM
by sparkling on 5/30/17, 10:54 AM
by samfisher83 on 5/30/17, 1:15 PM
700 dollars for a phone? You can get a s8, HTC, or LG for cheaper with the promotions they are running and those companies have a track record for making phones. They could have been like One plus one and produced a high end phone ~400 bucks. For 700 dollars this will have a hard time getting traction.
by JepZ on 5/30/17, 11:54 AM
- replaceable battery
- SD card slot
- wireless charging
Those three are all essential to the lifetime of the phone. Storage requirements may change, batteries and power connectors may wear off.
I still use my 5 old Samsung S3 which has all those features (with updated Software). While I am willing to pay for a newer model (better camera, faster processor, etc.), I can't find a phone that promises an equal longevity.
by MrBuddyCasino on 5/30/17, 11:28 AM
by Animats on 5/30/17, 5:27 PM
- Private space program? Everybody's done that.
- Sports team? Not into sports enough.
- Museum? Boring.
- Supercar company? IC engines are so last-cen and electrics mean competing with Elon.
- Super high end phone? Yeah!
by je_bailey on 5/30/17, 10:54 AM
I like the idea he's promoting with the phone where all the accessories either magnetically connect or a wireless connection. I hate having to purchase the same things over and over again.
by philfrasty on 5/30/17, 11:28 AM
Where does all the excitement for 360° videos come from? In its current implementation it adds absolutely nothing for the viewer and strips away the possibility for the creator to tell a story by choosing what the viewer sees.
Useful for VR yes, on a flat screen just no.
by ghthor on 5/30/17, 10:57 AM
by fabrice_d on 5/30/17, 3:16 PM
by apexalpha on 5/30/17, 11:51 AM
No one cares about CPU performance. I've got a SD820 now in my Axon 7, and I can tell you there is 0 difference with a SD625 in daily use.
Except that the SD625 is cheaper and has an incredible battery life.
The only company realising that people care about UX in stead of specs seems to be Xiaomi. Consistently choosing SD625 and SD660 for their phones, because it is clear that any CPU can pull a phone.
And let's be honest. No one cares about mobile VR.
I'll take SD625 and 5000mAh battery over SD835 and 6GB RAM any day.
by whalesalad on 5/30/17, 4:07 PM
I like the idea of a titanium enclosure that is resistant to damage during falls -- but that force needs to be absorbed somewhere. It's nice to know that the outer enclosure of my phone is absorbing some of the impact of a fall. If the Essential phone's titanium is not doing this – are the internal components going to suffer more?
I'm interested in giving Android another shot but without the ability to go into a store and play around with one, it's hard to throw $700+ on blind faith. For example, the Pixel looks incredible in photos. It resembles the iPhone and offers an appearance of quality. Holding in your hand, however, it feels like a plastic piece of crap. If I'd have gone on photos/videos alone, I'd have been very disappointed.
Apple, for me, has been great due to the progressive enhancement and the ability to go into a store and play around. Each phone release is familiar, yet new and refreshing.
Every time the latest 'killer' Android device comes out, it will inevitably introduce a handful of paradigm shifts in both the hardware and software. I feel like you either need to be an early adopter willing to throw hundreds of dollars at devices more frequently, or settle for Samsung bloatware.
by gallerdude on 5/30/17, 3:23 PM
There's a LOT of good options for high end Android phones, and even if you manage to take 2nd or 3rd place, you won't remotely get half or a third of the profits.
They're getting too greedy too early. You have to earn the public's trust before you jump in with a $700 device.
by dharma1 on 5/30/17, 3:57 PM
I hope they get enough traction so that it'll be a viable business and these won't be paperweights in 2-3 years time
by madmax108 on 5/30/17, 1:54 PM
...And right off the block, no headphone jack.
Why do companies insist on just blindly following Apple? Baah.
by throwaway47861 on 5/30/17, 7:22 PM
- No microSD card slot. Yes, 128GB internal storage -- and it being an UFS, which is fast -- is a lot, but there are people who carry data on their phones and require portability and speed. There's honestly no excuse not to have a microSD these days.
- Small battery; 3040 mAh, seriously, shouldn't the OEMs have learned by now? Android is a battery eater, Google doesn't seem interested in making the OS more efficient and keeps thinking of half-assed "solutions" like the Doze mode which is basically "if it's the night and the phone hasn't moved in an hour, please cripple its functions until the owner picks it up", heh. For Android you'd best go for the absolute minimum of 3500 mAh or just admit you're after a quick buck. If you're serious about an Android phone, better just put 4500 mAh or more in your device and then I'll take you seriously.
- No 3.5mm audio jack. Yeah, keep dreaming, Andy Rubin. Parties with rich friends who tell you "things they hear" are not a good indicator about market needs. And you dare call your hardware "essential", lol.
- Display is not AMOLED. Heard about actually having a black color on your display? Guess not. Heard about dynamically turning off parts of the screen to save power while not losing any part of the image (because the turned off part is black)? Guess you haven't heard of that either, nor energy efficiency for that matter.
- No word on planned maintenance period -- 1 year, 2, 4, how much? It's a crucially important element nowadays, how can Android's creator be unaware of that?
- Cameras look good on paper but we all know it's the camera app which makes the real difference. I bet it'll be some default vanilla app which won't make a good use of at least 50% of the device's camera functions.
Overall -- overpriced pretty device. What else is new? The guy is pulling a popularity card to get away with yet another mediocre device and entice naive people to buy it because of his supposed prestige as Android's creator.
by adim86 on 5/30/17, 1:32 PM
For a marketing site, I am just not impressed with the amount of important information. Maybe the answers to all of this are in there, but it is so poorly arranged that after checking in a bunch of places I expect it to be. I have given up
by zmix on 5/30/17, 12:40 PM
- expandable flash
- best mobile camera to date
- Android (no bloat, unlocked, easily rootable)
- no bezel
- great battery
- size of Xperia Compact Z3 but thinner
- withstands rain and beach
- upperclass CPU/GFX/RAM/Flash
by Sephr on 5/30/17, 11:08 AM
by intrasight on 5/30/17, 12:49 PM
by mstade on 5/30/17, 11:02 AM
> I know people are going to ask me a lot of questions about why I started this company. Why didn’t I just travel the world, ride my motorcycle, tinker with my robots, hang out at my bakery with friends and family. And to be honest I still do ask myself that sometimes…but not too often.
1. Maybe I'm not geeky enough, but I don't know who you are
2. I don't care who you are
3. What are you selling? A phone?
4. Oh screw this, I don't care enough to read past that pompous nonsense...
Oh well.
by varelse on 5/30/17, 3:53 PM
I really like maximizing local computation over cloud services.
And at first I thought this might be it. But alas, it appears to be just another pretty and overpriced Android phone. I guess I will continue buying last year's latest and greatest at a 50% discount or more once brand new shiny disrupts it.
by Markoff on 5/30/17, 1:48 PM
by maufl on 5/30/17, 11:49 AM
by Shelnutt2 on 5/30/17, 12:03 PM
The rumors from a few months ago said Sprint was onboard, we'll see if that panes out.
by izacus on 5/30/17, 12:10 PM
I see that going well.
by p2t2p on 5/31/17, 12:43 AM
UPDATE: Nevermind, it started to work after couple refreshes.
UPDATE: Actually, 'home' section started to work, 'phone' section still doesn't work in Safari.
by linuxkerneldev on 5/30/17, 11:57 AM
by theprop on 5/30/17, 5:26 PM
by shanwang on 5/30/17, 11:02 AM
the home hub looks interesting, but it seems the main selling point is it can work with other devices? so does it mean I can do things like asking Alexa to stream my itunes library on chromecast?
by paule89 on 5/30/17, 11:18 AM
by homero on 5/30/17, 11:43 AM
by bananicorn on 5/30/17, 10:56 AM
by philip1209 on 5/30/17, 1:42 PM
Trying to make a brand that is more expensive than Apple will likely fail. They have made gold devices before. Plus, most of luxury is perception - and they stand no chance of having better brand marketing and recognition.
I don't think that the operating system is enough of a differentiator, particularly when Google controls the software while promoting their own high-end hardware.
by souldoubt on 5/30/17, 3:47 PM
Also hardware looks lovely. Any chance it runs something other than Android?
by ed_blackburn on 5/30/17, 10:43 AM
by kelvin0 on 5/30/17, 12:59 PM
by jlebrech on 5/30/17, 2:03 PM
by auggierose on 5/30/17, 3:27 PM
by thesanerguy on 5/30/17, 6:14 PM
by therealmarv on 5/30/17, 10:51 AM
by philippnagel on 5/30/17, 11:31 AM
by aerique on 5/30/17, 12:01 PM
by thinkindie on 5/30/17, 10:42 AM
by jaboutboul on 5/30/17, 11:01 AM
by whisdol on 5/30/17, 11:05 AM
I'd like to be exited about this, but this uncertainty combined with the fact that their security personnel is a team of dogs[1] makes it quite hard for me.
by groundCode on 5/30/17, 10:50 AM
by Numberwang on 5/30/17, 10:53 AM
by m-j-fox on 5/30/17, 3:07 PM
Was Andy a douche before he got rich or is that the price of success?
by gadders on 5/30/17, 10:42 AM
by deprave on 5/30/17, 11:14 AM
by ensiferum on 5/30/17, 10:46 AM