The Essential Phone PH-1 is a really powerful smartphone which comes bundled with numerous features that makes it a great alternative to others in the market. It’s cheaper price is a good buy for those looking for an amazing Android phone.

Subtitle
An amazing design that fits well with great price

Specs
Key Specs Full Specifications »
Screen Size 5.71-inch
Resolution 1312×2560 pixels
Storage 128GB
Processor 1.9GHz octa-core
RAM 4GB
Rear Camera 13-megapixel
Front Camera 8-megapixel
OS Android
Battery Capacity 3040mAh

Alternate names Essential PH-1
Release date May 2017
Form factor Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm) 141.50 x 71.10 x 7.80
Weight (g) 185.00
Battery capacity (mAh) 3040
Removable battery No
Colours Black Moon, Stellar Grey, Pure White, Ocean Depths
SAR value NA
DISPLAY
Screen size (inches) 5.71
Touchscreen Yes
Resolution 1312×2560 pixels
HARDWARE
Processor 1.9GHz octa-core
Processor make Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
RAM 4GB
Internal storage 128GB
Expandable storage No
CAMERA
Rear camera 13-megapixel
Flash Yes
Front camera 8-megapixel
SOFTWARE
Operating System Android

The Good
New and amazing design coupled up with nice operating system. 4K video recording capability on the front camera makes the 4GB RAM and its 128GB of internal storage a really useful tool. Faster processor and Android Nougat 7.0 is all but amazing.

The Bad
Camera applications lags some ease of usability on the user end. Battery not entirely supreme. Headphones jack plug is missing and USB Type-C adapter is required.

Bottomline
Cool Android smartphone with some unusual design which makes its overall hardware uniqueness but basically lags in some parts especially in its software part making it seems like “Another Android Phone” in the market something which might not be very pleasant to everyone.

Introduction
The new Essential Phone “Essential PH-1” is such an amazing smartphone with all the physical goodies which anyone who wants something great would expect from an Android powered device. It’s cost efficiencies compared to its feature-rich qualities makes it a good grab for those looking for an alternative to Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel.

Niroid Review
This year 2017 is a big time for mobile gadget unleashing whereby big players in the Mobile manufacturing industry are all creating something extremely huge and powerful which are all making our tech centric world a fast growing one.
One of the big name that didn’t get noticed is Essential Phone which was released back in May 2017. Well thanks to Samsung Galaxy S8 and IPhone X you probably won’t hear about Essential Phone. Even despite the fact that Andy Rubin who cofounded Android back then was Creating his own mobile smartphone company, the fact that Google penetrating many industries makes the Essential Phone a total new comer that needs to wait in line while other bigger players and names polarize our purchasing capacity.
You know after really seeing the Essential Phone PH-1, I was sort of moved. Considering it’s beautiful design and nearly bezel-less front frame makes it something really new which is inline with the big players like the Galaxy S8, iPhone X or LG G6 and Google Pixel XL. With its sleek design I was really moved that such a new company would adopt such look as its first design for its first product which means something huger is on the way eventually in the future. These will make anyone who doesn’t wanna stick with the usual Android phones boring looks as seen in the likes of lower end phones or even some high ends like Motorola, HTC, Huawei or even the so-called iPhone 8 with its boring old look, this is something new you should really try out as it’s really pleasing and I liked it.
Although with the reputation of Andy Rubin confounding Android Inc. We’d expect something of such from such a maker.
In fact, as big as this phone is, it’s announced recently that there will be a big price cut for the Essential Phone PH-1 in the range of about $200 which drops its price to as low as $499. Considering the huge $999.99 for the iPhone X or the $930 for Samsung Galaxy Note 8, this is a really great deal which the maker had decided to use as lure for potential customers to nail down a huge market reputation so that anyone that come in contact with their phone gets used to it immediately. That’s a good one.
But anyway, I’m not here to praise the phone. I’m here to tell you all about my experiences with the phone and if you’d really be interested in buying one at the end of it all. So let’s go.

<h3>Design </h3>
As amazing as I’d like to call it, there is something I wouldn’t call totally amazing. I mean the fact that we’re still pissed with Apple for suddenly ditching the Headphone port for wireless AirPod makes us feel bit nervous and trying to adapt to some new piece of new earbuds.
Essential Products did the same with its Essential Phone. And yeah you’re gonna have to come up with a really nice earbuds ASAP if you’re purchasing one of this device.
But let’s leave the flaws for the later end. The Essential Phone looked and feels awesome. It’s unique nearly bezel-less design makes it a thing of attraction. Yeah I meant that.
Considering the way the company was able to design the top of the device making to look cool without eating up spaces Unnecessarily like we’ve seen on iPhone 8 ‘s boring look.
Featuring a powerful 8 MP camera on the front which is capable of capturing a 4K video might be your taste here. Dual camera lens right at the back capturing true colors is another good thing too.
There aren’t curves here. Instead the bold design makes the device very premium in appearance.
I ones mistook the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as if it was something else. Anyway it lives directly under the camera right at the center a few distance below.
There aren’t some unnecessary names staring around the phone. Well that might have its own costs as per Essential but well who cares. I’m gonna have to be telling people whenever they’re trying to guess my phone’s brand.

<h3> Display </h3>
While I fell in love with the device’s design, one thing that geared it all up is the display. The phone when turned on looked like a piece of display all through just as it was on the iPhone X. This felt really great and I’m sure that’s what Andy Rubin and his team wants. No hindrance but just piece of screen staring back while ease of navigation is way better and thanks to the fact that Android OS can keep navigation within the display which excludes the physical navigation buttons at the front.
The Quad HD display with an amazing 19:10 aspect ratio gets really mounting on the front although a little cleft for front facing camera at the top and a cut out chin at the bottom of the display makes it a good grip. The fact that a screen is staring right at your face is what makes the Essential Phone PH-1 naturally beautiful and attractive I bet it.
Although featuring an IPS LCD display whereas big players like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 features an amazing AMOLED already might make a little bit of high rolling but well, the IPS still does what it’s meant to do.
Displayed well right under sunlight and the color is well amazing all these adds up to the very design and that is another cool thin about the device though.
Sometimes, elements just gets way too high on the display and it doesn’t always go well. I wouldn’t buy the excuse that it’s cos this is Essential’s first phone. The fact that the cleft which resides at the top at exactly where the notification bar resides may be overturned whereby there are usually some excessive blank spaces before reaching the the camera.
Because of the excessive real estate eaten up by the device’s notification area which is as a result of its cleft isn’t alone detrimental to the notification alone but even some applications finds navigation hard. Snapchat might make my point clearer, because the Text tool is basically impossible to tap on at the top when it’s tucked behind the notification area. That became some turn off to me but I guess in updates, App developers and even Essential Itself would try making something way better for us to adapt up with.

<h3>Performance </h3>
Powered by a Snapdragon 835 which makes the device visibly fast. Playing with strong applications with high performance needs never lagged on the Essential Phone at all during my short tenure with the device.
It’s also includes a 4GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage. There isn’t any MicroSD for extension here but that is way enough for an average user assuming you won’t be recording 4K videos which would excessively consume memory spaces.
As per the performance of the phone, there are not many ditches though but the unique design makes the smartphone which is powered by a nice CPU cool.
The device’s speaker is well tucked away at the top of the phone in a very tiny slit at the top bezel. It works magic especially while trying to make calls at least. Xiaomi Mi MIX did well too in this aspect considering the little bit of resemblance of the two devices.
Aside from its minimalistic design which actually adds up to its beauty, Essential Ditched the Headphone jack and opted for a USB Type-C adapter so you can plug in any wired headphone or just use earbuds. Wired or wireless, it’s all your choice but there isn’t any liberal choice as per a dedicated jack specified for headphones anymore.
Although that might give you a bit of high rolling, the USB-C audio isn’t a bad experience at all. It’s way better than most headphones jacks in fact.
Speakers are way very loud but produces a little less quality sound. This isn’t a very great idea one as the experience is nearly ear-splitting.
Back to speed which is very essential, I find nothing to worry about here. Powerful games gets well on the powerful display which is a good fit for that design yeah.

<h3>Battery </h3>
The Essential Phone battery isn’t very bad though. I had a really smooth use of the device during my time with it just that I had some hiccups concerning longevity as a result of extreme usage since I’m an extreme user.
A powerful 3,040 mAh battery is at least okay for a device of this power it doesn’t necessarily have to be as huge as those in other devices like Tecno or Infinix that has some really huge battery packs.
Now streaming YouTube during my walk down the road and then switching from one app to another while playing games (I usually play Dream League Soccer and Mortal Kombat) there wasn’t so much fun to miss.
During my Internet surfing with 4G network while listening to music playing on the background, I did that for a really long time before switching up to what nearly drained the battery off (but didn’t) which was turning the device to full power and then using it right under this condition.
Apps were working at the background and updates were going on. Well by 6pm, battery was down to as low as 10% well that’s not bad considering the heavy usage.
Charging the Essential Phone PH-1 isn’t tough at all. It’s charger includes a really high power output which makes charging smooth
The connector pins are, so far, an unrealized part of the Essential package, as the 360 camera is not quite here yet . However, Essential promises that the pins are going to be backwards compatible and included in their products moving forward. We’ll bring a review of the 360 camera once we get our hands on it.

<h3>Camera </h3>
The Essential Phone PH-1 camera is a feature pack addon which makes the most out of the smartphone although there are some anomalies while using the camera software.
It’s dual lens is very cool and shoots pictures from a great angle making you have a really clear picture even if you’re an amateur photographer. During my tour, I took well many pictures which are very good from different point of views.
A good combination of RGB and Monochrome sensors are utilised to enhance a really high quality photograph.
The front facing camera with an amazing 8MP lens shoots clean and its good for a really clear selfie. It can also shoot a 4K video that’s not a film trick. It’s real.
And all of this is supported by a camera app that is decidedly barebones and has been updated three times since we got our hands on our review unit. Those updates added an HDR mode – which was a bit odd – and a bit more speed when taking pictures.
While switching from one lens to another can take few seconds which might be annoying if you’re in a hurry, this doesn’t mean the shooting to file is slow. Remember the processor and its huge RAM which all makes the effort a bit easier.
About camera app, there are basic updates which doesn’t make the camera app go have enhanced functionality just some basics which doesn’t seem to be a great deal though.
Aside from a slow-motion mode, there is little else by way of extra shooting modes or even a manual mode. This isn’t a bad thing when the camera is a good automatic shooter, but unfortunately, the results have been less than stellar.
Although the Essential Phone camera photograph are collected and amazing on their own, they don’t compare well with other better cameras like those on Samsung Galaxy Note 8 or Google Pixel XL.
Comparing these, the Essential camera seems flat and lack some good quality while placed beside these other competitors.
But assuming you’re not the perfectionist, you might still be okay with the Essential Phone camera because it isn’t as bad as it seems. In fact, it can be your personal camera for photographic purposes alone.

<h3>Software </h3>
ANDY Rubin one of those that cofounded Android made this one. That means Android to the fullest. Well, Android 7.1.1 Nougat powers the Essential Phone PH-1 and there aren’t any unnecessary software remodeling here as it’s purely Android which we all know.

<h3>Bottom line </h3>
This is a really cool smartphone with a really good design which looked new-skooled. Unlike the regular huge bezeled smartphones which looks ugly and old-skooled.
The device comes with a really huge price cut which is a way by which Essential is using to nail down God customer Base which I hope works out for them.
This premium smartphone is very amazing not only because of its features but also its agile and durable. Lasts long while on battery and can be a real advantage to those seeking something entirely new other than the good ol’ Samsung or LG and Motorola.