One of the creators of the Android software just announced the upcoming release of his smartphone invention. Andy Rubin's Essential Phone will hit store shelves for $699 in America and the devices will begin shipping out at the end of June.
So, what's an Essential Phone and how does it differ against the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy? What are the smartphone's best features and how does it compete with leading brands?
The Essential Phone is designed with a durable dent-free and scratch-free titanium body. According to the company, the Essential Phone's form will require no other protective case. The device has a spacious screen display with minimal bezel, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8, and borders that are almost invisible.
The body is clean and free of any logos or marking of the brand while the backside with the camera has no noticeable bump. The backside also has two magnetic docks for accessories attachment, such as its a 360-degree camera lens.
The Essential Phone runs on Android using a Snapdragon 835 processor. It has 4 GB random access memory (RAM) and 128 GB of storage space. It also has a 3,040 mAh battery power.
Similar to many recent Android phone releases, it as a USB Type-C port. Its camera feature has two sensors for monochrome and color, which works well even under low light. The phone also has a front-facing selfie camera.
The @Essential Phone is almost all screen. Here's what else it has--and doesn't have. pic.twitter.com/3LSbB7Y2Ty
— CNET (@CNET) May 30, 2017 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">After leaving Android in 2014, Rubin decided to make a gadget that can compete with Apple. He aimed to make a brand that is available across all platforms and established Playground Studios.
Rubin hired several engineers to Playground to design and create different products. "Some really crazy ideas, some pretty good ideas, some teams that are great, some teams that are not that great," he said, as per Wired.
Eventually, Rubin decided to go with a smartphone and aimed to make this capable of powering one's home. As Rubin wrote on his blog, this will be technology that evolves with the user and its features won't be outdated. Right now, however, the goal is to sell enough units so that the Essential Phone takes off in the market. Watch Rubin talk about his product in the video below.
