THIS

"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani) 02/25/2018 at 16:04 • Filed to: Phone

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... is a 2017 Essential PH-1.

It is the brainchild of Andy Rubin, who is known as the founder of Android Inc, who brought us, er, Android. I bought this phone from a Telus store, who, surprisingly did not try to sell me a bumper to bumper warranty.

Quirks and Features

Before I go onto the quirks and features of the phone itself, there’s actually one quirk that is not on the phone itself, and that’s actually the name. If you take a closely at the model, it’s PH-1, and if you expand 1 out to “one”, it actually spells out Essential Ph-one . Quite nifty.

The phone itself is made out of titanium and ceramic, combined with Gorilla glass, one of the very few that uses ceramic on the back.

First when you open the box to try to put the SIM card in, most phones come with a SIM tray ejection tool so you can get the tray out, and the Essential is no exception. The tool is in this little holder, which actually resembles the Essential logo when inserted. Quite a “contrast” to the phone itself, which does not have any logos of any sort on the phone.

Most people know and and a lot hate the iPhone X notch. and the Essential, too, has a notch at the top, though it is much narrower and wraps around the camera. And this phone actually came out two months earlier than the iPhone X.

However, the support for the notch including some system ones isn’t exactly complete, so a lot of times it just shows up like a regular phone.

When you’re charging and the phone is off, the phone, being from California, shows you this little Starbucks cup filling up the battery. Most of the time you won’t see this, because this animation actually only shows if your phone is completely powered off and charging.

The phone itself is pretty plain looking, black (or white, if you have the other colour), with no logos or anything on the outside, except for these two metallic dots:

These two dots are actually for the modules that Essential sells where you can magnetically stick to the phone. Currently there’s only one module, which is a 360 degree camera, and another is a dock that you can use for syncing and charging, although not quite a module.

...and now, on to the PhoneScore(tm).

Starting with the Weekend Category:

Styling

The phone itself is just a slab, and when it’s off it’s just black on both sides. The ceramic back is very fingerprint prone, so that earns it a 4 out of 10 .

Acceleration

The phone has a Snapdragon 835, which is pretty much the go-to processor for any flagship, and initial setup didn’t bog down the smoothness, but it also isn’t particularly fast, so that earns it a 8 out of 10 .

Handlin g

The phone started feeling a bit hot after being stressed, and the ceramic makes the phone a little slippery to hold. I probably need to look into a case so that earns it a 5 out of 10 .

Cool factor

It’s a slab, a thin one at that, looks nice overall. Considering it has no logos or anything, you might get some looks from phone guys when they recognize it, but it’s not really remarkable or head turning in the crowd so that earns it a 5 out of 10.

Importance

The Essential has the status of being created by the “creator of Android”, however the phone itself doesn’t really have anything that really stands out, maybe except for the modular camera, but that hasn’t really taken off. Factor on those in, it earns it a 3 out of 10 .

Summing up the weekend category that would be a grand total of 25 out of 50, in which I don’t know where it stands on the weekend category since this is the only phone on it right now.

Next is the Daily Category :

Features

The PH-1 uses stock Android, so it doesn’t have any major features aside from a smooth Android experience like a Pixel. Hardware wise it comes with standard stuff like a fingerprint scanner, and also has the modular camera as well as a dual camera on the back. It also has a massive 128GB of storage which is a plus since it does not have expandable storage. Lacks a physical keyboard which knocks it down to a 7 out of 10 .

Comfort

The nice compact size of the phone is comparable to a Nexus 5 yet still provides a huge 5.7" screen thanks to its tiny bezels. Some people might be turned off by the heft due to the ceramic back, but it actually feels nice in the hands, to that earns it a 6 out of 10 .

Quality

Initial impression feels nice, there aren’t any gaps that can be seen from Mars, and it’s built with premium ceramic, titanium and glass which makes it feels sturdy. However there are reports about cloth speaker grilles falling out and mine came with this instead of the rectified steel mesh grille, which earns it a 5 out of 10 .

Value

When the PH-1 first came out they wanted a whopping $1090 for the phone, however after a few months, Essential refunded the money to some early buyers and the price is knocked down by Telus to $460, making it way cheaper than similar competitors. Some even report that the phone can be had for $280 after credits, which makes it incredible value for what you get, being cheaper than some “flagship killers”, earning it a 9 out of 10 .

Summing up the Daily categories, the Essential earns a total

Combining the Weekend and Daily categories, the PhoneScore is: 52, which is a respectable score on an unknown, empty list of phones.

LOREM IPSUM > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 16:18

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That is a neat phone with a neat story behind it. I could see wanting to take it for a spin.

If I weren’t hooked on the screen size of my Note 5, I would probably pick up the Caterpillar S60 or S61.

The specs probably don’t compare to some of the other flagships out there, but an onboard FLIR camera is an exceedingly enticing feature to me.

Spanfeller is a twat > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 16:20

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I didn’t like mine..... and it was a bad purchase

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 16:24

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Any recommendations on android phones <$200? I have a galaxy prime j5 pop or some shit like that ($99 cash at the at&t store) that has a broken screen. I don’t use my phone for much besides email, calls and light browsing (my app usage is limited to a few things like 2factor auth and nest). I don’t want something big or fancy, just cheap and reliable

404 - User No Longer Available > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 02/25/2018 at 16:26

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My experience with those are just terrible, I rather use a flagship from 2 years ago. I know there are bootloop issues but a friend of mine got an LG G4 that is still on Marshmallow and she is very happy with it, just basic uses. It blew the Galaxy S5 Neo that she was using (and constantly filling up) out of the water.

See if you can find a used S6 or S7.

Mercedes Streeter > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 02/25/2018 at 16:47

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Used Galaxy S7 or a used Nexus 5X. You couldn’t go wrong with either!

Mercedes Streeter > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 16:59

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The one thing that I don’t like about the Essential (and numerous reviews point this out) is that it seems Rubin is sort of out of touch with what most Android buyers want. He nailed the screen and the build materials, but missed the mark on pretty much everything else.

Still, neat phone! :D

404 - User No Longer Available > Mercedes Streeter 02/25/2018 at 17:04

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Except when the 5x boot loops, lol.

Vítor > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 17:22

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I’m really found of the monolith-like looks (also the reason why I like Xperia phones) but I don’t intend to buy a phone without a headphone jack, and I have yet to see a review that doesn’t classify the camera as so-so. However, Essential is doing great when it comes to updates, being only behind Google. Unlike Samsung (my S8 is still on 7.0 with the December security patch :/ )

404 - User No Longer Available > Vítor 02/25/2018 at 17:32

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Camera is supposedly “fixed” if you sideload Google’s HDR+ camera.

Not that I mind... this phone is just a temporary until my Priv is fixed. The Nexus 5 I have now is being unreliable.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 17:49

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I’m inspired... Adding my one+ 5t to the score list...

Quirks and features

The one plus 5t trades on its value, and still surprises me to think that this is a phone that only costs $499. It possesses a uniquequick-charge feature called “Dash” that crams a 75% charge into the capacious 3300mAh battery in a blazingly fast 30 minutes. The special charger comes with a bright red USBc cable, just to make sure you know it’s special. The last 25% of charge takes another hour, but that still makes it one of the fastest charging phones you can buy. The flag-ship-standard SnapDragon 835 is remarkable only in that this is one of the cheapest pones to feature it. The base model 5t also packs a massive 6gb of RAM and 64gb of storage... There’s no MicroSD expansion, but that RAM is important... It also comes with a rock-solid aluminum and Gorilla Glass 5 body, that lacks water proofing, but feels like a solid bilitt in your hand. Also included are facial recognition unlock, a fingerprint scanner, a very nice AMOLED 1080p display, and respectable cameras front and rear (dual rear 16/20mp withlossless zoom). Also of note, the speaker is remarkably loud and clear despite small size. Although the OxygenOS Android flavor is not fully stock, it’s very clean and the bootloader can be unlocked from the factory and the phone put into root with no flashing or trickery, making it extremely friendly to the poweruser. When you buy directly from One+ the phone comes with a screen protector pre-applied and even includes a basic case! Dual sims and support for both GSM and CDMA networks (though it possesses the required CDMA BC0 band, Verizon refuses to support it) round out an impressive feature set for a mid-price phone.

Now on to the PhoneScore .... Weekend first:

Styling

The 5t is a slim and compact phone considering it’s 5.5 inch screen, with verysmall bezels, curved sides, and single glossy one+ logo. It’s understated, but also manages to not look quite like any other phone. It’s profile is surprisingly distinctive. 7 out of 10.

Acceleration

Remember how this phone has 6gb of RAM? Well here’s where that matters. This is the MOST responsive phone I have had the pleasure of using. Multitasking and application switching and launching are incredibly fast. It also handles HUGE web pages and other memory hogging events almost as smoothly as my (powerful) Windows PC. I give it 9 out of 10, only because really heavy number crunching is still not it’s forté, and it won’t replace a CAD workstation or a gaming PC.

Handling

Battery life, heat control and general operation are all exceptional. It manages to stay no more than somewhat warm evenwhen playing intense 3d games. It has a lovely micro texture that makes it easy to hold onto, but the tiny ringer/dnd mode slider switch is both difficult to actuate intentionally and too easy to activate accidentally. Even more annoyingly the custom control software for the mode switch removes stock-Android’s time-based DnD control and you cannot set quiet hours without rooting the phone. Sadly, these annoyances nock this score down to a 5 out of 10.

Cool Factor

It’s a nice phone, it’s well made, it’s an incredible bargain, the face unlock is a cool trick, and it’s hacker friendly. We’ll give it an 8 out of 10

Importance

Just another good value, Taiwanese Android phone. Unless youconsider the fact that the company is the result of that rare thing, a non-scam, and successful Kickstarter campaign, it’s pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things. 2/10.

Our weekend phone score is 31, edgeing out the essential PH-1 mostly due to it’s fantastic speed and nerd-cool factor.

Onto the daily scores...

Features

The One+ 5t is chock-a-block full of features, most importantly the large RAM, blazingly fast charging, face unlock and extensive dual-sim network support. This is a solid phone for people who need to do stuff with a phone. It’s camera is also very good and has both high-speed and time-lapse functions rolled into the factory app. Some people might want a bigger screen, or 2K resolution, but this remains one of the thinnest phones to retain a standard mini headphone jack! The need to pony up another $100 for 128 of storage (and 8(!!)gb of RAM) and still fail to have an SD slot leaves us at a still repectable 7 out of 10.

Comfort

The narrow 18:9 display, small bezels, micro-texturing and rock-solid build make this a very comfortable phone to hold onto and use. 8 of 10.

Quality

The 5t isn’t quite seamless, with a small gap where the screen meets the body, but it’s impecably finished and is astonishingly sturdy feeling. It has also survived several drops onto hard surfaces unscathed. Again, it’s hard to believe that this phone sells for only $499. Still, it doesn’t feel quite as brick-like as the best of the late generations Nokia Lumia phones, and the Sim tray seems fragile, so we’ll hold up at 7/10.

Value

The One+ 5t’s entire reason for existing is it’s value proposition, and though some phones with greater perceived caché are available for a similar price, it’s incredibly hard to match the combination of overall performance, build-quality and flexibility the 5t offers at any where near the price, especially considering it’s a fully unlocked multi-network capable device. I’m giving it a perfect 10.

This gives us an impressive Daily score of 32, and a stinking  total of 63. The 5t makes it on to a number of industry “best of” and “best buy” lists for good reason, and beats out the Essential PH-1 on the two phone oppo phone review list.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 18:00

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I still rock my Droid Turbo, as I still haven’t found any phones I particularly like with physical (non-software) buttons, at least 2GB of RAM, a reasonably speedy processor, a half decent camera, and none of that silly eyebrow crap (which now that the X is out, everyone is going to bandwagon.)

What I’d love is something like the BLU Tank Xtreme Pro, but with beefier guts and a higher res screen.

404 - User No Longer Available > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 02/25/2018 at 19:11

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We all seem to have that phone that we want to keep the form factor... but with new guts lol.

I’m still hoping one day I can get another Priv but with the specs Nokia showed on the 7+.

Monkey B > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 19:31

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was really intersted in these and the only reason I bought a Pixel over this was simply support. How long will Essential hang on and offer support. If they fold quickly it’s another Nextbit Robin.

Mercedes Streeter > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 19:40

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Shhhhhh

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > 404 - User No Longer Available 02/25/2018 at 20:02

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I wanted to pick up a Priv because it had an actual physical keyboard. All of the slide phones I’ve used make me want to have a slide phone again.

I’m half tempted to make a mockup of a modern slide phone running Android...

404 - User No Longer Available > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 03/01/2018 at 16:14

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Only incorrect thing in there is... OnePlus is Chinese, not Taiwanese. They are owned by BBK, same company that builds Oppo phones.