Essential PH-1 MORE PICTURES

Essential PH-1

User opinions and reviews

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  • F
  • Fisco
  • mXd
  • 16 Jul 2019

ESSENTIAL PHONE : BLACK MOON
I bought a PH-1 through an Amazon deal about a year ago, tried it out, very impressed with the build, and screen, used it for a few days, was definitely a keeper, but ended up being consigned to its box.. Until recently thats is..I revisited the phone, updated to Pie, intalled Nova launcher and all my favourite apps, popped my sim card in, made sure all apps that could be optimised, were, and also limited any background activity to those that didn't need it....I'm not a heavy user, I do use, skype and whatsapp, youtube etc, but I only have wifi, bluetooth & Location services on, when I need them, as I am not synching etc., I'm getting over 2 days on the Battery, with between 10 & 11 hours of screen on time..! I'm really glad I revisited this phone, and now with the google camera app installed I'm really happy with the photo quality....This phone is a champ, only thing is its so damn slippery, so I have ordered a carbon skin, although seems a shame to cover that gorgeous ceramic back panel..
I hope Essential follow this up with a PH-2, maybe the same screen size or 5.8" with a 19/9 aspect and no chin..:)
A headphone jack would be nice too, and expandable storage, but not essential.! :-)

    Kingslayer, 14 Jun 2019Broke my favorite smartphone by accident yesterday. It's my... moreI'm sorry to hear that.. deep condolences for your PH-1 🙏

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • thw
      • 16 Jun 2019

      Kingslayer, 14 Jun 2019Broke my favorite smartphone by accident yesterday. It's my... moreI am sorry to hear that.. deep condolences for ur PH-1 🙏

        Essential Phone

        Design - 9/10
        Comfort - 8/10 (heavy)
        Display - 8.5/10
        Reception - 7/10 (can range from 6 to 8)
        Camera - 7/10 (default cam app).. 8.5/10 (Google cam)
        Audio - 8.5/10 (notification sound is louder)
        Software - 9.5/10
        Battery - 9/10
        Value - 6/10 (at og $700)... 10/10 (at $224 I got it for)
        _

        Google Pixel 3

        Design - 8/10
        Comfort - 9/10
        Display - 8.5/10
        Reception - 9/10
        Camera - 9.5/10
        Audio - 8/10
        Software - 9.5/10
        Battery - 7.5/10
        Value - 5/10 (at $900)... 8/10 (at $450 I got it for)
        _

        R.I.P. my Essential Phone
        August 29, 2018 - June 13, 2019

        Long live my Google Pixel 3
        May 2, 2019 - Present

          Broke my favorite smartphone by accident yesterday. It's my own fault. I was using a holster case where the velcro doesn't stick anymore. I had warning signs because it fell from it twice. The holster case is very loose at the top. It doesn't really close.

          I was so heartbroken but I was also still relieved my Pixel 3 was safe. I would rather have it happen to my Essential because the Pixel 3 costs more and is where my SIM is. Even though it has high SAR, the reception on my Pixel 3 using T-Mobile is just better.

          It still stings seeing my Essential cracked. I never ever broke a cell phone from the 20 years I've used them. And I've owned about 40+ different ones. First time its happened to me and it had to happen to my personal favorite. Now my Pixel 3 becomes my new favorite.

          $224 Essential Phone
          $450 Google Pixel 3

          Yeah, I would rather have it happen to my Essential as much as I loved it. Plus, Pixel 3's camera is far superior. Got to always carry the one with the reliable camera everywhere I go. Pixel 3's battery life on mobile data is very mediocre though. It lasts better on Wi-Fi though.

          I'm still trying to figure out what smartphone I want to get to replace my beloved Essential? It's a phone that I loved but just had bad luck because of the worn out holster case I used for it. If I get the Pixel 3a, it just seems redundant. Even a Pixel 2 seems redundant.

          I want something similar and something different at the same time. Essential was that perfect alternative for a Pixel. Different brand from the father of Android. Different design. Same fluid software experience.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • D1x
            • 07 Jun 2019

            Kingslayer, 06 Jun 2019This officially became my all-time favorite smartphone yest... morelmao

              This officially became my all-time favorite smartphone yesterday (June 4, 2019). It also helped when Andy Rubin and Essential liked my tweet telling them it's my all-time favorite or that PH-1 shares the same initials in my full name.

              My LG G5 is now a piece of junk. If you go to the comment section for the G5, you can see my rant on there. With the Essential Phone, it's just reliable. Except for maybe the camera as its main weakness and an aspect I rarely use, the PH-1 doesn't give problems. It just works!

              I've considered selling my G5 but I just can't since it still works well as a TV remote and multimedia player. And my current daily driver, the Pixel 3, I still can't put it over my Essential because I've only had it for a month. From my own comparison, I still find the Essential Phone the more reliable phone to use.

              The Pixel 3 has slightly shorter battery, chargesca tad slower using the same 27W charger that the Essential Phone, and hate the buttons on it. But the Pixel 3 is a solid #2 all-time favorite for me. Essential + Pixel 3 is really my favorite duo among all the pairing I ever had.

                This is becoming my all-time favorite smartphone as time goes by.

                I was given Beats wireless headphones from my brother who is moving to Manhattan. My Pixel 3 has issues playing songs. It just cuts off. I've tried different things and nothing so far. My Essential did have some early static and cuts earlier on but is now working flawlessly using Bluetooth.

                This is a phone that isn't perfect by any means but has given me the least issues. Everything from the layout of the notification toggles to being the fastest charging to the best battery life is why this is becoming my all-time favorite. There's no glaring flaw to it except maybe the camera which isn't that bad at all using the Google Camera apk. The fingerprint scanner is also wearing out a bit.

                The LG G5 has a fatal flaw where I can't connect to Wi-Fi anymore. While the image retention went away, it also still randomly overheats. I also just don't like Android version prior to Pie. And Pixel 3 now has these Bluetooth issues. I also accidentally left it on auto updating after getting turned off under developer mode. I went from Oct to April every time I turned it off which is probably six times.

                The Essential Phone is just a reliable phone. Love it. Will retire it first knowing I can't get the battery replaced for it. But I will always keep it as a memento. Thank you, Andy Rubin!

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • ID0
                  • 30 May 2019

                  EmiliaBedelia, 05 Dec 2018Probably the worst phone I have ever owned. After owning it... moreIn addition to these recurring problems, I now have to deal with the camera app that apparently is run by a monkey. Camera will OFTEN crash when I tap to take a photo and send me back to home screen. And no. Before you ask, I'm not pressing the Home button.

                  IF Essential lets me take a photo, sometimes it doesn't even save it! I seriously cannot wait til I can pay off my tab, buying this phone was the worst mistake I've ever made!

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                    • MEF
                    • QZj
                    • 29 May 2019

                    I have owned most of the premium phones from LG, HTC and Samsung. The PH-1 tops them all once the GCAM mod is installed for photos. Manufacturer support is amazing with Google's monthly security updates and Android updated from Nougat to Pie all within hours of Google rolling these out to Pixel phones. The added bonus is the manufacturer will also release "Q" for the device - the trial version is out now. The only shortcoming is the lack of memory slot, although 128GB is probably enough, and an AMOLED screen would be nice.

                      I keep hearing the Pixel 3 lags after a few months but I haven't had mine long enough to know. What I do now is after 8 months with my Essential Phone, it hasn't lagged at all. I'm typing from it right now. Smooth.

                      I noticed my LG G5 got a little laggy because it randomly overheats. But the Essential Phone has given me the least problems since I got it. No image retention. No overheating. Battery life is still excellent although I rarely have it drop below 30% to 40%.

                      I would rank this my all-time favorite smartphone if my Pixel 3 starts giving me issues a few months from now.

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                        • Creditcrew
                        • nt8
                        • 24 May 2019

                        Paid 209$. For that price it's still seccond to none. I haven't had issues. The Essential camera software sucks. Open Camera, arnova, gcam mod all solves that. It's a matter of taste, which You prefer. Some gcam mods have "night vision". Just means it takes good pictures even in low light. I even tried it in pitch dark, then noise starts to appear, but it's very impressive.
                        I've been on Android since 2.x. For a time Sony did the job, then moved on to Samsung, rooted like crazy on them. Then LG, the Nexus 5 is a fun memory, it was so nice to work on. Then on to a Motorola 5G Plus, very nice phone, everything except for camera was very good. Finally I ended up with The Essential PH 1. It just reminds me of the good old days with the Nexus 5. The Essential PH 1 is the best phone I've ever had. The no BS and bloatware is just such a relief. The support is unrivaled. It enjoys a cult status in the community for a reason

                          Still one of the best phones I ever had. My issues are that sometimes it doesn't read my right pointer fingerprint all the time. It actually reads my left fingerprint better. And sometimes it is good to turn it off. It once froze on me after not turning it off after s month. The digitizer isn't the best either. It would sometimes won't input in certain spots.

                          The overall experience is still excellent though and beyond the price I got it for. If it only had a better camera, I would still use it as my main phone. It easily has the best battery life among all my phones especially SOT. I've dropped it three times on a hard surface and it still looks like new. The design and build quality is excellent.

                          My Essential Phone is actually my workhorse phone. I'm typing from it right now. It's the one I use the most daily while I use my Pixel 3 as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Then when I get home, I use my LG G5 and iPhone SE for browsing the web. But I do reach for my Essential more than any other phone.

                          Essential is probably my most reliable. My Pixel 3 has issues with overnight standby time but it's definitely the smoothest and feels better in the hand to type on. And that camera is definitely better.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • rRT
                            • 14 May 2019

                            Kuba, 17 Jan 2019best phone for under 300 dollars. Actually I bought for 160... moreWhere do I get the Google pixel camera mod

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                              • Tu Le
                              • g3U
                              • 13 May 2019

                              That's a great phone. The price and the performance do not usually come along together, but here. Smoothly in playing game and working with office apps. Sound is good. Waiting for the next version of this phone.

                                Hossam76, 06 Apr 2019How to use Google camera, I download the app file and insta... moreAny reply????

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • gQs
                                  • 06 May 2019

                                  this phone is great except for the fact that the touch screen can glitch out, which is annoying. all you have to do is turn the screen off and then turn it back on, which gets rid of the issue

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                                    • Win
                                    • q2w
                                    • 19 Apr 2019

                                    After struggling with a PH1 for a year it's still just a clumsy cell phone. Touch screen is iffy. Shuts off in the middle of streaming audio. Complains incessantly about not being connected to an information broker.

                                    Granted the handheld interface is clumsy because space is limited and there is only a limited vocabulary of motions. *But* the PH-1 layers on a crop of its own foibles to make the experience even less accommodating, It took no less that 15 "taps" to actually get the settings to appear, for example. Found myself going back to the iPod and am about ready to go back to the iPhone.

                                    BTW, the PH-1 was billed as a break from bloatware and a boon to privacy.

                                    To the extent that the PH-1 is a bare device and you get to go to the Google store and add only the software you want, the PH-1 is indeed a break from bloatware and mystery applications.

                                    As for the "boon to privacy," that's a flight of pure fantasy. Google is everywhere on that phone and your only choice is to dustbin the PH-1 or get your privacy ripped to shreds. To their credit Google has never presented itself as other than an information reseller, but what sticks in my craw is how Essential marketed the PH-1 as the solution for privacy wonks like myself.

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                                      • ShowStopper
                                      • XNt
                                      • 18 Apr 2019

                                      in order to get the update check the settings and your sim provider do not block the update as I have confirmed with the Vodafone.

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                                        • Rod
                                        • 7C2
                                        • 12 Apr 2019

                                        Loki, 10 Apr 2019Um, no, you don't need to change the SIM card to get update... moreYes. You need to change your sim card to get the updates if your carrier is blocking the updates.

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