Essential PH-1
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- BobNut
- Nsy
- 25 Jul 2023
Had quite the chin on it.
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- Anonymous
- Ivu
- 16 Jul 2023
I used PH-1 from April 2018 to January 2021. Amazing build quality phone lasted almost 3 years. At the end, the USB Type C port couldn't charge it anymore and battery drained. The phone was still running fast and smooth. I kept it in the box but throw it last week because I have too many broken phones.
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- Smartshaggy
- PTp
- 04 Jun 2023
The best phone I ever had specially in terms of build quality and material's. The titanium frame along the ceramic back feels so exclusive specially in copper black. The perfect beauty yet strong smart phone features.
It's in my use since launch still going strong except battery a lil bit worn out.
But it's always my second daily driver.
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- Anonymous
- Lxm
- 21 Mar 2023
Anonymous, 21 Mar 2023Fingerprint sensor should be inset in the home button or in... moreOh, and not in the back because it's uncomfortable. Much better to touch the index finger on the home button or screen.
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- Anonymous
- Lxm
- 21 Mar 2023
rarson, 11 Jul 2022Just broke my screen the other day, which was fortunate bec... moreFingerprint sensor should be inset in the home button or in the screen. Not on the back, because you need a special case with a hole for it.
For audio adapters, you can use Apple's. It's said to be of excellent quality, even for Androids.
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- Caleb
- uS%
- 17 Mar 2023
Jo, 02 Mar 2023Really you are right! I took it out of my drawer last week,... moreWow. How??
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- Jo
- kDW
- 02 Mar 2023
Marzer, 15 Feb 2023This is the best phone I have ever had. Been using it for 5... moreReally you are right! I took it out of my drawer last week, I installed LineageOS 19.1 (android 12L) without Google services and I'm seriously thinking of selling my iPhone 13 and keeping the PH-1 for several more years... it's amazing !
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- Marzer
- 0WA
- 15 Feb 2023
This is the best phone I have ever had. Been using it for 5 years, and it is still in top-notch condition, even with regular daily use.
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- Elo
- 00N
- 22 Dec 2022
It's hard to believe this phone came out in 2017. Essential was like 2 years ahead with the features and best design. Best phone in 2017-2020
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- Sumeet Saini
- R04
- 14 Sep 2022
Hi, i am using this phone from last 1 year got this as used phone just to understand about this phone, by far one of the best phone, great design and nice features, great build quality, as many users mentioned battery is getting drained pretty fast as i understand its been used and i am also using from last year or so, still using Android 10 on this phone but i saw one of the user mentioned they are using Android 12 on this phone, so kindly update how to get Android 12 on this phone. Rather then that very nice phone to use.
Thanks
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- Sumeet
- R04
- 14 Sep 2022
Anonymous, 19 Jan 2022Hands down the best phone I ever had over the years. The de... moreHi I am using this phone from last 1 year and one of the best phone i should say so far, i got this phone used just to try what this phone is all about, but by far great design and feel and works pretty smooth, as i understand lot of other users mentioned now battery started to drain pretty fast. Last update i got was for Android 10. I came across some comments somebody mentioned they are using Android 12 on this phone. Kindly update what needs to be done in order to get Android 12 on this phone.
Thanks
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- rarson
- kaw
- 11 Jul 2022
Just broke my screen the other day, which was fortunate because my battery was getting really bad. I contemplated buying a new phone, but really did not want to do that for a number of reasons. Instead I bought a battery and screen for about $50. The phone is really easy to take apart and work on, but annoying the way it's glued together. I would prefer a screwed-in solution like the iPhone, so that I wouldn't have to rely on adhesive to put it back together.
We've reached the point where even midrange phones are good for 3+ years (hell, I got 3 years out of the Blu Vivo Air). All the more reason why manufacturers should switch back to removable batteries. The SoC inside this is still powerful enough to easily run the latest version of Android and it's not the phone's fault if poorly-optimized apps and ad-laden games sometimes lag. I just couldn't see myself spending another $400 (or even $300) for a new phone when this one still works perfectly well AND has several qualities you can't even find in a new phone anymore. Things I like:
1. Aspect ratio is better fit for handheld operation, unlike the stupid 20:9 phones that everyone now makes. Better for maps, screen mirroring, or anything else where you need to see a large image that isn't very narrow. Also better for typing (I still use Swype) without rotating the phone. 20:9 screens are yet another stupid phone trend that no one asked for that manufacturers are inexplicably adopting.
2. Fingerprint sensor exactly where it should be, right in the middle of the back of the phone. I don't want it built into the screen, that's not a natural place for it. Side sensors never work accurately enough, either. The sensor in this phone has always been fast and accurate. No problems with it ever. Not sure what that other person was talking about.
3. Completely flat. No camera bump. The phone sits flat when I set it down, instead of sliding off surfaces. If having no camera bump means that the camera is slightly lower quality, I'll take that tradeoff every time. Of course, manufacturers COULD just make the whole phone a little thicker and that would give them more room for bigger, removable batteries, too.
4. Stock Android. Essential was great about releasing quick updates when they were around. I wish more companies would worry more about this and less about adding custom bloatware to an OS that doesn't need it (Samsung lost me as a customer after the Galaxy S6). I'm still on Android 10, but honestly I am starting to get sick of Google changing things around that don't need to be changed anyway.
5. Strong as hell. The screen WILL break if you drop it at the right angle on the right surface, but I've dropped this thing so many times and the frame (the titanium and ceramic parts of it) is indestructible. I never put a case on any of my phones and this thing can take more abuse than any other phone I've used.
6. Fast charging and long battery life. After a year or so of continual battery degradation to the point where the phone would shut off anywhere between 15-40% left, or about an hour of use from a full charge, I had completely forgotten how good the battery life was originally. This was the first phone I had to start leaving off the charger overnight because it would charge from completely dead to full in about 30-40 minutes and last for 2 whole days.
All of the stuff mentioned above seriously impacts usability in a positive way.
Things I don't like: no headphone jack (the audio adapters are garbage), USB-C port (sucks for phones in general), no SD card slot (mitigated by the 128GB of storage which is still plenty for me). And of course the big one is no removable battery. But that's about it.
Anyone who says this phone is garbage or a terrible design doesn't know what they're talking about.
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- Dean Simmons
- YiQ
- 12 Jun 2022
It only has one speaker, but it's still an okay phone by today's standards. It won't run the latest games, and it'll likely have an aging battery and will need to remain tethered to a charger, but it makes a pretty decent background device.
The Pixel 3A and LG G8 have better speakers by far and weigh much less/the weight is much better distributed, but the 10nm processor of the Essential phone runs pretty cool/efficiently. The cameras aren't bad! = )
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- EePee
- Fv1
- 04 Jun 2022
I remember when this phone made waves in the community, phenomenal bit of tech. But it is one of the ugliest phones ever ahaha
- geko95gek-XDA
- nUh
- 25 Feb 2022
Still use my Pure White PH1 as a backup device, fantastic phone even by today's standards! Although I think my battery is dying slowly.
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- Lakay
- jmK
- 06 Feb 2022
This phone works great without the fingerprint. It is one of the best!
- Whackcar
- uZH
- 20 Jan 2022
Never got to use this one (maybe I'll grab a used one if i see a good deal online), but I've seen it. The build quality & materials are far better than what you get with most flagships even today. Really high-quality stuff. Even software support was good (3 OS updates officially). They really should've made more products like it...
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- Anonymous
- kWS
- 19 Jan 2022
Hands down the best phone I ever had over the years. The design is awesone, the quality is great, and the hardware is more than capable by today's standards (although I couldn't care less about games, so that's not a factor for me). I just updated it to Android 12 (custom ROM), and it's running buttery smooth and fast, with no issues. Just need to replace the battery, since it's quite worn out.
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- Anonymously
- Mgn
- 12 Dec 2021
Anonymous, 06 Dec 2021Phone was straight garbage what are you talking about? I wa... moreWell I can tell you didn't spend alot of time with it. I can say without a warranty it's serviced nearly 3 years of constant abuse drop on face on concrete didn't and hasn't killed it yet. I've spilt water it numerous times. Only thing I can say that is bad about this phone is the charger cords don't last very long but not a bad thing I can say. Even when the hard drives fill completely up it's still a beast. Still has years left in it so no complaints.