Report: Essential cancels PH-2 development and company is looking for a buyer [Updated]

24 May 2018
Due to not-so-hot sales of the PH-1, Essential is in talks of selling the company.

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  • A
  • Anon52
  • jsQ
  • 02 Sep 2018

I have the phone and love it. Made well. Camera improved recently with updated software... not as good as my samsung s6 camera but good nonetheless. I'm very pleased with it and satisfied with my purchase. It can still be bought on amazon in the u.s. if this company survives and is able to continue developing this line I can say goodbye to bloat ware and samsung forever. How many out there already have android 9? I'm sure there's some other brand phones but good luck getting it if at all. You'll wind up with android tweaked to suit the big boys and slowed to a crawl.

    • J
    • Jimbob of Jonestown
    • NUV
    • 29 May 2018

    Does anyone know why the phone fell through so bad? Did it just wind up being a bit of a no-name?

    On paper I don't recall seeing anything terribly objectionable about it, and it looks well enough.

      • L
      • Luxor
      • tu6
      • 28 May 2018

      Marorun, 28 May 2018its look outdated? wow talked like a real fanboy its design... moreYou feeling the insult? Lol. You are the fanboy not me. I dont even support any brand. That essential cyclops notch is outdated. No one following that design dude. Get over it. Your brand is dead.

        Marorun, 28 May 2018The phone itself is amazing and client service is top notch... moreAnd you are some God sent boon for the planet to save small souls!

        I have tried doing all monkey business with Custom ROMs etc in 2010-2013.... It was exciting initially, but later it was full of hassle and you have other things beyond mobiles to go after in life!

        Just give me a working mobile, flagship or midrange, all I care is value for money.

        I am no more a guinea-pig willing to try out Indigogo crowdfund projects of losers!

          Anonymous, 25 May 2018A removable battery is the only thing that is essential on ... moreportable battery pack.

            MarcioR, 25 May 2018Most bankrupt companies launch phones with an absurd pricet... moreix9 there is no such thing as Titanium glass..

            so your comment is irrelevent as you dont even know what you talking about.

              Fitbri, 25 May 2018I was intrigued to look at one in-store. Felt and looked su... morePlasticy? the phone is made of better material than any phone out

                Galaxy Note 9, 25 May 2018Beware folks all the new entrants will end up like this. Th... moreThe phone itself is amazing and client service is top notch.

                Only thing this phone did not had is branding ( because now ppl are brand zombie like you are... your name say it all ) and marketing.

                  Luxor, 25 May 2018I dont think any company wants to buy this Essential. Most ... moreits look outdated? wow talked like a real fanboy its design is almost identical to everything out there... Your glasses might be outdated.

                    A pity... I wish them good fortune.

                      Anonymous, 25 May 2018A removable battery is the only thing that is essential on ... moreWell, it doesn't matter, seeing as companies are never going to obeying it back.

                        Anonymous, 27 May 2018You have know idea how many fans. They don't need just fans, they need more consumers who can buy their phones.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • jIa
                          • 27 May 2018

                          Anonymous, 26 May 2018Yeah, but both Motorola and Nokia had a community behind th... moreYou have know idea how many fans.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • jIa
                            • 27 May 2018

                            You mean like OnePlus?

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • pXn
                              • 27 May 2018

                              PH-1 is one of the best Android phones I've ever used. It looks better than any other phone, doesn't have bloat and other crap like Samsung does, works so fast. Camera is a bit disappointing but it's not a big deal.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • pB$
                                • 26 May 2018

                                Anonymous, 26 May 2018Motorola and Nokia have survived after been sold. (Motorola... moreYeah, but both Motorola and Nokia had a community behind them that built up over tens of years, being the two OGs.
                                This is a new company with almost no fans.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • pB$
                                  • 26 May 2018

                                  Although it looked cool and had that unbreakable back, the camera and the mono speaker pushed me personally away from it.
                                  The base price was way too high for what it didnt do. But after the drop, it has just right. A bargain i could say. But it was pretty much too late because LG G6 also dropped to the same price and it had a far better feature pack.

                                  Imo, they picked the wrong time to exist.
                                  It felt rushed.
                                  They had way too little experience with phones, this one being their first.
                                  It flopped in almost any way in an already oversaturated market. Even with something as basic as shipping replacement parts, or having a back cover that didnt have to be FROZEN to be removed, while still breaking the display.
                                  If your vibration motor broke, there would be no way to fix besides paying for a display too... Which they didnt ship to anybody. Forget about the display, there wouldnt be a vibration motor available either.
                                  Not only that it didnt have any killer feature, the basic features didnt work right.
                                  If you say the modular design... It had only one module. Srsly now. Even the LG G5 launched with more of them. And those were actually useful for regular, non-enthusiast people. A battery pack with a shutter button and zoom control was really useful. Almost nobody cares about 360 cameras, but a lot of people care about larger batteries and taking photos easier and with less shake.

                                  All of that besides not being available in all regions.

                                  This was an enthusiast brand, not an average consumer one.
                                  They should have released some mid range stuff besides it. Like a Mini version. Same form factor, same screen-body ratio, less specs, smaller size, 300$ at most.

                                  And actually advertise them on TV or something.
                                  You cant expect people to know about it just because you co-founded Android.
                                  A lot of people with Android phones dont even know or care what Android is.

                                  Take Razer for example. Everybody knows about them. They have dedicated areas in almost any tech store. And is not like they do it normally, their corner is painted black and with RGB lights everywhere.
                                  But they still dont have great sales on the Razer Phone.

                                  The market is way too oversaturated for a new company to stay afloat with only one phone, that is also a flagship one.

                                  Maybe Razer buys them too. They would at least have 2 design languages to play around with. Lol.

                                    • L
                                    • Luxor
                                    • tuf
                                    • 26 May 2018

                                    Anonymous, 25 May 2018Most non-essential brand and phone ever. Funny, everything... moreIsnt pro version better than non pro version. Your claim is baseless.

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-1385
                                      • Rcw
                                      • 26 May 2018

                                      Anonymous, 26 May 2018Duh, you can't even read? I said the pro version is lamer (... moreTo OBG:

                                      The 'Plus' is now called 'Pro'. I guess the best camera phone on the market...the P20 Pro is lamer than the P20...by your accord. You have very nice comprehension skills. Keep up the good work.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • jIa
                                        • 26 May 2018

                                        Motorola and Nokia have survived after been sold. (Motorola twice). A lot of negativity in the article and in some of the comments.