Essential Phone

13 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
design (10)
screen (8)
performance (5)
battery (4)
price (4)

Negative
camera (9)
connectivity (5)
usability (4)
reliability (2)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 13 reviews of Essential Phone. The average rating for this product is 3.6/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other Cell phones for all reviews. Reviewers are impressed by the battery and price. The performance and screen are also mentioned favorably. Many are negative about the reliability and usability, and comments are divided on the durability.

design, screen, performance, price, battery

camera, connectivity, usability, reliability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Cell phones the Essential Phone is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 85/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 13 reviews)

Expert Reviews

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Features

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Showing 8 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 8 of 8 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (2)

Expert review by : Karissa Bell (mashable.com)

The Essential Phone's super slick, but it's no iPhone or Google Pixel killer

The Essential Phone was made for Android nerds.

Pure, unadulterated, Android ; Clever accessory system ; Beautiful design ; Amazing photo quality

Slow camera ; No headphone jack ; Awkward button placement

Serious Android nerds will love the Essential Phone's sleek design and crap-free software, but there are still some serious bugs.

Aug, 2017

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Expert review by : Dieter Bohn (theverge.com)

Essential Phone review: a beautiful work in progress

The father of Android's new phone is doing so much right: elegant design, big screen, long battery life, and clean software. But while the camera is pretty good, it doesn't live up to the high bar that the rest of the market has set.

Edge-to-edge screen ; Clean Android ; Good battery life

Somewhat disappointing camera ; Module system unproven ; No headphone jack

An arcane artifact from an unrealized future

Aug, 2017

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Expert review by : Chris Burns (slashgear.com)

Essential Phone Review: The Impossible Challenge

The first Essential Phone was a good device, and everything that the first wave of Android phone enthusiasts could have wanted. But by the time the Essential company and the PH-1 existed, the general public had moved beyond their initial...

Bright, colorful, sharp display ; Price reduced to a reasonable level of $499 ; Premium feel ; Android with no frills ; Nearly bezel-less front looks beautiful

Software feels like unfinished business ; Glass front and ceramic back makes phone slippery ; Camera quality is lacking ; Nearly bezel-less front makes for awkward handling

Jan, 2018

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Expert review by : Jason Bouwmeester (techaeris.com)

Essential Phone review: A premium phone at a mid-range price

We finally got our hands on a review unit and our Essential Phone review takes a look to see just how "essential" this phone is and if it lives up to the hype.

Premium build quality ; Top of the line specs ; Fast performance ; Decent sound ; Great QHD screen ; New pricing makes it a great value phone ; 128GB storage

Fingerprint magnet ; Minimal water/dustproof rating ; 360-dgree camera accessory mediocre ; Camera software needs work/more features ; No headphone jack ; No wireless charging ; No microSD card support

Nov, 2017

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Expert review by : Maxwell R. (phonearena.com)

Essential Phone Review

There is more to the Essential PH-1 (PH-one, phone, we see what they did there) than mere simplicity, but it is a good place to start. The beginning of such journeys usually reveal areas that need some improvement and refined development, and that is...

Build quality that is a step above everything else ; Stock Android and the desirable Google features that come with it ; Plenty of storage

High price reflects cost of materials, and little else ; Stunted and wonky performance during basic user interactions ; Screen responsiveness not consistent ; Picture quality does not measure up ; The Essential camera app is a disaster ; Hit-or-miss...

Sep, 2017

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Expert review by (zdnet.com)

Essential Phone review: Lovely titanium and ceramic with potential for greatness

After two months on the market, the Essential Phone has dropped nearly 30 percent in price to just $499.

Titanium and ceramic feel wonderful in the hand ; Compact size for 5.71 inch display ; Long battery life ; Fast, stock Android experience ; Second camera is monochrome ; New $499 price is great

Basic camera software, no manual capability yet ; No headphone jack or wireless charging

Oct, 2017

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Expert review by : Sachin Bahal (TheCanadianTechie)

Essential Phone Review

The Essential Phone is probably the most interesting phone I've used in a while. It's the first phone (and product) to come out of Andy Rubin's (the “father of Android”) new company, Essential but the phone isn't anything that's overtly over-the-top....

Beautiful display ; Premium design and build ; Stock Android ; Good camera ; Great performance ; Cheaper than other flagship smartphones on the market in Canada

No headphone jack ; Back of device is a fingerprint magnet ; Not water resistant ; 360 Camera attachment take forever to load

Overall, the Essential Phone is a great effort from Andy Rubin’s new company. It shows that they’re capable of making a solid phone and there’s still room for improvement. But on the other hand, it’s hard to recommend the Essential Phone, especially...

Oct, 2017

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Expert review by (mobiletechreview.com)

Essential Phone

The Essential PH-1 is an unlocked $499 (thanks to a recent price drop) Android smartphone with a stunning bezel-free 5.7" display and titanium and ceramic construction. The phone supports both GSM and CDMA so it will work on most carriers. Sprint also...

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