Essential Phone 'Sold Out'... New Device In the Works

Essential Products confirmed that its first mobile device the Essential Phone, is no longer available. "We are sold out of Essential Phone on essential.com and won’t be adding any new inventory," said Essential in a statement provided to Droid-Life. 

"We are now hard at work on our next mobile product and will continue to sell accessories and provide speedy software updates and customer support to our existing community." The Essential Phone went on sale in the summer months of 2017. The high end Android device failed to resonate with consumers. 

In recent months the phone has been offered at a deep discount across the web and various sellers. Essential had a tough year... Executive Andy Rubin was forced to step aside for a short time after he was said to have received a $90 million severance package from Google despite claims of sexual harassment made against him. Rubin later rejoined Essential, but the company shifted gears and laid off staff amid the changes. Essential has not elaborated on what its "next mobile product" will be.


Source: Essential 

Essential Phone Among The First Again... Receives Android 9 Pie

Essential Products has done it again... owners of the Essential PH-1 will receive Android 9 Pie over the next few days. 

“We’re proud to bring Android 9 Pie to Essential Phone the same day it’s released! Check your phone now for the update,” said Essential via its Twitter account. Essential has allowed PH-1 owners to beta test Android 9 over the last few months. According to Essential, the Essential PH-1 will gain Android 9 via over the air over the next few days.


Source: Essential

Android P Developer Preview 5 Goes Live, For Pixel and Essential Devices

Google and Essential just dropped the final Android P Developer Preview today. The files are available for the Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, and Essential PH-1. Android P Deveploper Preview 5 (Beta 4) is now available and including July's security patch.

This is the final Android P Developer Preview before we get final Android P in August and should be the most stable of all the beta's this far. It is labeled as a release candidate and includes final APIs and system behaviors. It’s stable enough that Google didn't list any general advisories we should be aware of. If you’ve been holding off from flashing or joining the beta now is the time to give it a shot. You can grab the factory images and OTAs at the source links below.


Source: Google Pixel factory image's, Google Pixel OTAs, Android P Beta for Essential PH-1

Essential Phone’s Second Module, The Audio Adapter HD With MQA Certification

This new Essential PH-1 Audio Adapter HD module attaches to the back of the Essential PH-1 just like the 360 camera, while adding a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Audio Adapter HD module can power high impedance headphones with an “audiophile grade” amp. No pricing is available yet, and Essential says that it’s coming “this summer.”

Along with that new Audio Adapter HD Essential is also releasing MQA certification for the Essential Phone today. The latest Essential PH-1 software update enables support for Master Quality Authenticated or MQA lossless audio. This allows users to hear music the way the artist intended at the highest possible quality, all while keeping the file size to a minimum.

Essential is also partnering with TIDAL to offer users a 3 month free subscription to existing and new Essential PH-1 owners. New Essential PH-1 buyers can get a free set of the company’s USB-C earbuds included with new device purchases.


Source: Essential via Twitter

Android P Beta 1, Now Available For Essential PH-1

Android P Beta 1 has been released by Essential. Android P Beta 1 update is available via OTA, you need to have Android P Developer Beta installed to receive Android P Beta 1. Essential says the update will move Android P from a Developer Preview to a Beta. While this doesn’t mean it’s quite ready for general consumer use, it does signal that the build will be a lot more stable.

Android P Beta 1 includes the final Android P APIs and an updated SDK. While Essential owners can install the update keep in mind that it's aimed more toward's developers, and could be buggy. 

The Android P Beta 1 for the Essential Phone will include the following:

Google Security Patches 2018-06
Latest Google Android P code integration
Improved adaptive brightness range
Increased stability

If you're interested in loading Android P Beta 1 on your Essential PH-1 hit up settings, system update and grab Essential's Android Beta 1.


Source: Essential via Twitter, Essential Developer blog

Essential Reportedly Cancels Second Phone, Potentially Up For Sale

Essential Products is not currently for sale, however cancels plans to develop a new phone. The company has hired a financial firm in order to help advise it on a potential sale or merger. 

Rumor's say Essential has already received interest from one possible buyer. Essential, part of Andy Rubin's Playground Global announced the Essential Phone at about this time last year. The phone was unique thanks to its ceramic design, all screen face, and magnetic mod system. The phone was sold by Sprint in the U.S., and unlocked directly from Essential. 

The $700 device struggled to find buyers due to poor camera and call performance. Bloomberg's sources suggest as few as 150,000 Essential phones have sold since its August 2017 launch. Essential raised around $300 million in funding and spent about $100 million of it developing the Essential Phone. The company is exploring a sale of the entire company, including hardware, patents, a smart home product, and a camera attachment for the phone. 

It's not clear what might happen to Essential's employees. Andy Rubin is known for developing the initial Android platform. In the email, obtained by The Information, Rubin said his company Essential which recently canceled plans for developing a new smartphone in favor of developing other products such as a smart speaker said the company is “working with bankers to raise money.” 

He suggested an acquisition might be part of such discussions. Essential has raised more than $300 million.


Source: Twitter

Android P Beta Now Available

Google's Android P Beta is now available, including new features now available in the first developer preview. The Android P beta is available at the source links below.

In the past Google has typically only launches its latest operating system previews on its own Pixel line of device, but this time around Essential, Sony, Nokia, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus have joined the party…

OEMs are handling their own Android P beta updates, Android P is coming to a huge list of phones. That includes:

Sony Xperia XZ2
Essential Phone
Nokia 7 Plus
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Oppo R15 Pro
Vivo X21
OnePlus 6


Source: Android P Beta Devices, OnePlus

Essential Patents Popout Camera Smartphone, Sorry Vivo...

Andy Rubin's Essential patents popout camera Essential Phone, when tweeted with a link to the Vivo Apex, Rubin not only mentions that he had in fact already seen the phone, but fired back with a patent (US9736383B2) he and his company had already filed for almost the same exact thing. It was granted back in 2017 maybe we’ll likely never see the Vivo Apex exist outside of a concept device. 

The patent description is as follows:

"The technology disclosed here maximizes the size of the display area associated with the mobile device by various camera placement. In one embodiment, the camera is placed inside the mobile device, and can pop outside the mobile device when the camera is activated. When the camera is inactive the camera retracts inside the mobile device, and becomes unnoticeable to the user. In another embodiment, the camera is integrated into the mobile device display as a camera icon. The integrated camera serves two purposes: to record pictures, and to act as a camera icon, that when selected activates the camera. By removing the camera from the front side of the mobile device, or by integrating the camera into the display screen of the mobile device, the size of the mobile device display screen can be increased."


Source: Andy Rubin on Twitter, US patent

Essential Phone Receives Stable Android 8.1 Oreo

Essential announced that it would be skipping a full release of Android 8.0 Oreo, instead going straight to Android 8.1 Oreo. We're about a month in since the first beta build of Android 8.1 Oreo came out for the Essential Phone, the official Android 8.1 Oreo update has been released.

The full Android 8.1 Oreo update comes in at around 276MB, though that'll vary depending on whether you're on the beta or not, it's around 1,015MB if you're coming from Android 7.1 Nougat.

The changelog mentions standard Oreo features such as Instant Apps, picture in picture, smart text selection, and more. Essential is adding the March security update, dynamic calendar and clock icons, and an apparent fix for the slow scrolling jitter.


Source: Essential on Twitter

Essential Lets Essential PH-1 Owners Join Android Oreo 8.1 Beta Via OTA

Essential is currently offering a beta release of Android 8.1 Oreo. If you've got an Essential Phone and you'd like to try the beta, hit the Essential's developer site link below, select the over the air option near the bottom of the page, and fill out the short form with info like your name, email address, and device serial number. The beta will then be automatically pushed to your device within 72 hrs.


Source: Essential Developer Site

Essential Phone Gets Android 8.1 Oreo Beta

Essential has released the long awaited Android 8.1 Oreo in the form of a beta. Previous beta testers for Android 8.0 Oreo will get an over the air update to Android 8.1 Oreo, if you're not currently enrolled as a beta tester Essential has add a link to side-load the new software on its website linked below.

What's new with Android 8.1 Oreo on the Essential Phone? Essential has add dynamic icons for the calendar and clock apps, and the most important fix of all is said to squash the "slow scrolling jitter fix."

Essential also says that the Android 8.1 Oreo update comes with Google's latest February security patch, making it the first company other than Google itself to push the security patch to its devices.


Source: Essential

Essential PH-1 Oreo Beta 3, Now Available For Download And OTA

The third Essential PH-1 Android Oreo 8.0 beta build arrives as version OPM1.170911.254 and weighs in at 1 GB if you download from Essential’s website. If you’re already running Essential's Android 8.0 beta 2, you will receive an OTA that weighs approximately 106 MB.

The new beta 3 build brings Google’s January security patch that includes fixes for the Spectre and Meltdown exploits, as well as miscellaneous stability and bug fixes. In Wednesday’s Reddit AMA, Essential said "it’s working to finalize logistics of the Oreo public release, and that its development and Q.A. teams are working hard to get the release to meet the company’s quality and performance standards."


Source: Essential

Essential Updates PH-1, Gains Fingerprint Sensor Gestures And KRACK Patch

Essential recently pushed out another software update, the two biggest changes include fingerprint sensor gestures and a fix for KRACK.

Fingerprint sensor gestures on the Essential PH-1 work just like on the Google Pixel and Google Pixel 2's. Swiping down on the fingerprint sensor will show notifications, swiping up will dismiss notifications. The other big news here is a fix for the KRACK vulnerability. The update also includes the latest October 2017 security patch from Google, improved performance, bug fixes, and better touch scrolling.

The update is rolling out with a build number of NMJ20D and file size of 74.8Mb. The update will download in the background and once it's ready to go restarting your Essential PH-1 with the new update installed. 

The unlocked variant of the Essential Phone already has access to the new update build NMJ20D, However the Sprint variant will have to wait for the carrier to approve the update prior to it gets pushed out to phones.


Source: Essential via Twitter

Essential Phone Gets Permanent Price Drop To $499, Previous Buyers Get $200 "Friends And Family" Code

Essential Phone was first announced and went on sale in May. The high end Android phone later started shipping to customers in late August. At the time the price of the phone was $699, but a few days ago some retailers started discounting the device by $100. This evening Essential announced that the phone was getting a permanent $200 price drop to $499 on its web store.

Niccolo de Masi the president of Essential, stated that anyone who bought the Essential Phone before October 22 will be able to get a $200 “friends and family” code for use on its store. The code can be used to reduce the price of a new Essential Phone purchase, which means if you have one of these codes the price of the phone will go down to $299. The code can also be applied to the purchase of the company’s Essential 360 Camera add-on for the phone, which basically makes that accessory free. Those folks will have to submit their details to claim the $200 store code at the source link below by November 15.


Source: Essential, $200 "friends and family" code

Android Co-Creator Andy Rubin's Startup Essential, Sued Over Magnetic Connector Technology

Keyssa has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against Essential, the maker of the Essential PH-1 smartphone backed by former Google exec and Godfather of Android Andy Rubin. The lawsuit pertains to magnetic wireless connectors that can pass information and current from one device to another, such as the magnetic module accessory system used on the Essential PH-1. 

According to Keyssa Essential worked with the company for period of 10 months on the magnetic technology and was given trade secrets under non disclosure agreement during that time. Eventually the relationship between the two companies dissolved and Essential picked magnetic components from a third company called SiBEAM for the Essential PH-1. Keyssa alleges that even though Essential is using different hardware for its phone the technology couldn't have been recreated without Keyssa's protected intellectual property.

"Keyssa has not been compensated for Essential’s use of this guidance and know how," said Keyssa in a statement provided to Reuters. "We are pursuing this action because our attempts to resolve this matter through discussions with Essential have not been successful." Keyssa is backed by Tony Fadell, who co-created the iPod when at Apple. Keyssa filed the lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco.


Source: Reuters

Essential Phone Is Now Available For Purchase

Andy Rubin’s startup, Essential is finally opening up orders for its first phone... the Essential Phone. The unlocked bezel less device is now available from Essential and multiple retailers for $699.

In the United States you’ll have three primary options for picking up an Essential Phone. First, through Essential’s own online store. If you’re at all interested in checking out the company’s modular 360-degree camera, this is the portal to buy through since you’ll be able to get it for $50 on top of your order rather than paying the standard $199 price. You can also add a protection plan that lasts two years for an additional $99.

In the United States, you’ll have four options for picking up an Essential Phone. First, through Essential’s own online store. If you’re interested in checking out the company’s modular 360 degree camera this is the portal to buy through since you’ll be able to get it for $50 in addition to your order rather than paying the standard $199 price. You can also add a protection plan that lasts two years for an additional $99. 

If you’d prefer to buy elsewhere Essential Phone is available through Sprint, Best Buy, or Amazon as well. Best Buy lists the phone as a Sprint model but the bands listed on the product page still support all major US carriers. Sprint is offering a deal that cuts the price of the phone in half for early buyers taking the monthly payment price to just $14.58 per month for 18 months. Essential is offering pre orders of the unlocked model through Amazon with a September 1st release date.

The Essential Phone is available to Canadian buyers through TELUS.

Essential also confirms a few more details about the phone, Essential says "Technology moves so quickly that companies rush to release a new phone each year, but most times even that isn’t fast enough. This deluge of devices isn’t good for your wallet or for the planet. Essential Phone will get guaranteed Android OS updates for 2 years and will get monthly security updates for 3 years, so your phone will always be secure and have the latest features."

Essential Is Hosting A “First Look” Event On August 25th, In West Hollywood

Andy Rubin's Essential started inviting people to see the Essential PH-1 phone and 360 camera on August 25th at 6PM. According to an invite sent, Essential and Andy Rubin are hosting a “First Look Event” in West Hollywood.

The invite says “Join us for a First Look at the Essential Phone and 360 Camera,” and arrived through a special Essential “events” address.

Andy Rubin's Essential Secures Funding From Amazon, Promises Phone Release Date Next Week

Essential, Android creator Andy Rubin's smartphone startup announced its phone earlier this year but has yet to say when it will actually become available. 

In the time since, the company has announced retail partners and exclusive carriers for each region including Sprint in the U.S. and TELUS in Canada. Now the company announced it secured investment funding from a few investment giants including Amazon and Tencent Holdings.

The $300 million infusion was confirmed by Essential to the Wall Street Journal. Essential also announced that Amazon and Best Buy will be launch partners in addition to Sprint being the exclusive carrier for the Essential Phone in the US, though all versions will be unlocked and usable on all U.S. networks.

Sprint... The Exclusive Wireless Carrier Of The Essential Phone

Andy Rubin’s new company Essential officially announced its first smartphone. The Essential Phone, and while the company was quick to point out that the handset is unlocked and that it will work on all four of the major wireless carriers in the United States there were still questions regarding an actual carrier launch.

As it turns out that the Essential Phone will have an exclusive carrier. Essential president Niccolo De Masi informed USA Today that Sprint will be the exclusive wireless carrier to host the Essential Phone. According to Masi Sprint is the “network of the future,” and that’s why the company chose to partner up with the Now Network.

It’s worth noting that Andy Rubin is a friend of SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and that SoftBank owns 83% of Sprint itself so maybe the partnership isn’t all that surprising.

Sprint will carry the Essential Phone in its retail stores, the device itself won’t host any Sprint branding while the phone does work with all the carriers this gives Essential some marketing in United States outside of the traditional advertisements the company will be running.

Did you already reserve your Essential Phone?