Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is my first real smartphone so don't judge me. I thought it would be nice to finally upgrade and have wanted stock Android for years. First I use TracFone and it works perfectly, you'll need a nano SIM card, I am using the at&t one. Second it took me 2 hours to move everything to this phone and do the three system updates and one camera update on the Google play store, you can see two photos I attached. Coming from a TracFone standard phone there's no competition, essential is awesome. It's fast, fluid and runs anything I try. I tried a few other phones like s8, lg G6, Moto z2 and iPhone and couldn't feel a difference so I got the cheapest stock phone and couldn't be happier. Currently using a IQ shield screen protector, let it dry 12 hours and is perfect as well. Hope Bestbuy finds a case for this before I drop it, hate to scratch it, so pretty. Hope this helps anyone looking for a great phone.

Bought this the other day just because I could. I've used many many phones, currently using Galaxy S8 as work, bought this Essential phone to try on my personal number. Had it 5 days, so far I really like it. It is probably the nicest phone to hold in the hand that i've had, perhaps only the iPhone 5 was better to hold without a case. The square edges are great. I also absolutely love the fact that when I set it up, there are no apps I didn't want on the phone. Its clean, only android. No signing into a manufacturer account, no carrier apps, nothing. I added only what I want. Easiest phone set up ever. Display is beautiful. Galaxy S8 has richer color, and blacker blacks, but I still have issues with the S8 curved edges reflecting light, especially watching video. Essential phone has a nice flat screen, and is a delight every time I unlock the phone. Camera is not up to par with the S8. (This is why I carry an S8. For the camera) But Essential camera is not bad by any means, and in fact some photos I like better than the S8. Essential phone is fast, very smooth to operate. Fingerprint sensor is fast although I wish it wasn't quite as flush as it is, sometimes hard to find. I believe the fingerprint sensors on Huawei phones are the best and fastest I've used, but the Essential is very good. Certainly better positioned than the fingerprint sensor on the S8. At its current price, this Essential phone is outstanding, in my opinion. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. No regrets. (wish it had a headphone jack though....)

The 2017 flagship device is titanium and ceramic...it has the latest Android version with the latest security patch and will receive Android Q. Has a massive QHD display 85% screen to body ratio, 128GB storage and 4GB ram paired with a Snapdragon 835, 3040mah battery with an included 27 watt charger (USBC to USBC)All this for less than the price of a mid-range 2018 device with far, far less specs. At the clearance price of 374 or less it's a major, major go...oh and compatible with ALL netowrks and their mvnos. The only negative imo is lack of a headphone jack.

I have an Essential PH-1 that I absolutely love. The phone is fast, powerful and doesn't have the bloatware many phones have. It's great!

Package came on time. The phone was exactly how it was described. Everything is working great. Finger print scanner is very fast and accurate. Camera is very good. It was designed more for low light settings and is definitely good. I have found no drawbacks whatsoever. Here is a sample of what the camera can do

With most of my smartphone experience being on Android, I was letdown to say the least with all the typical inconsistencies and experiences I had over the years. The last year or so I was using an iPhone and pretty much got used to iOS and incorporating the features and nuances to my workflow day in and day out but missed the freedom of Android dearly. Being an avid Android enthusiast and devouring any bit of Essential phone news I can find since it was initially announced, it was hard to resist at least trying it before committing to the iPhone further with the recent iPhone 8 Plus. Going into the Sprint store and seeing the Essential phone their and having some quick hands-on time with it, I was immediately impressed with the hand-in feel. Having read countless reviews with so much high praise going to the build quality, I was in complete agreement after my time with it. The thought of such a high end Android phone and with the backing of Andy Rubin as the project's leader, it was very hard to pass up and I am so glad I didn't pass on it. It was definitely an Ahhh moment when I opened to box, I probably put too much emphasis on presentation but I am so glad I'm not the only one that obsesses over small details. The unboxing tells you that this is a special device and Essential took extra care in making sure you know that they thought so too. The build quality is unlike any other phone I've held and I have about a dozen high end phones from every smartphone era dating back to 2007 and smartphone platform. Also details like the beautiful braided USB-C charging cable with metal end caps and the metal 27W charging brick, you rarely if ever see such attention being paid to the included accessories. Build quality, presentation aside, focusing on the phone and how it is to use. For me for the most part, it is a joy to use. Running as pure Android as you will find (Pixel isn't pure AOSP Android anymore like Nexus was), everything is generally smooth and fast. Having the latest Snapdragon 835 will do that and a 2017 standard for RAM at 4GB is also good enough for most anything you wanna throw at it. Those who have complained about camera quality and camera speed, I will say first off that I am not a heavy camera user on a smartphone, only taking pictures on occasion so the best camera isn't a high requirement for me, if it is to you, you may want to look at the LG V30 or the S8/S8+, Pixel or iPhone. Overall usability to me is far more important and being able to quickly transition between apps/screens is a joy to experience on a device with no bloatware to speak of, just clean Android as Andy Rubin intended with this device. If build quality, up to date Android releases, a fast, fluid UI experience are things you value then you can't go wrong with the Essential.

It was one of the most awaited product from a Kickstarter, although it got delayed in launch and released with terrible camera and buggy software but eventually all got fixed to acceptable level. So right out of the box you will be prompted for couple of updates once it's done your device will be free from initial launch bugs and will have a decent to good camera performance. You will enjoy the clean stock Android experience. Best part of essential phone or ph1 after the price drop to $450 is the whole package you get at this range. Awesome ceramic back pannel. Almost no bezels. Good lcd display. Cyclopse eye (front facing camera, I love the design) Stock Android ( with frequent updates) No extra bells & whistle's. No 3.5 mm Jack ( I guess it's the odd one for essential phone but seems like a norm nowadays) It's really a great phone for this price range, if you are ok with not so awesome camera performance and love stock Android experience then this sure one of the mobile to consider. You can find more reviews online, but check for the recent ones after the software upgrade on essential phone only for better judgement.

I bought the Essential phone a week ago and it is by far one of my favorite all time phones. That's over the iPhone X (which I just returned) and the Note 8 ( which I sold for this phone). With updates they have fixed the old issues. Don't go off of the two month old reviews. They are no longer relevant. This phone is lightening fast once you turn on Developer mode. It also has LTE+ which brings in almost 100mbps speed with full signal. The camera works great. OIS is not there but it has the option to stabilize the video in edit mode. Which corrects the issue. I have owned every major flagship device and I would not waste anyone's time if I didn't like this phone.

This is not new, is open box phone, and no instruction manual, film have same dirty stuff

Let's start by clarifying that I really wanted to like this phone and was looking forward to it since the day it was announced. Unfortunately, it's nothing but a big disappointment and here is my brief review. This is undoubtedly one the best looking phone I have ever seen. Both front and back are a work of art that speak perfection in design and engineering. No one can argue that. The added weight, while making it a bit heavier than similarly-sized phones, isn't that bad and again serves to make the phone feel more premium. Pros: - Beautiful design - front and back are gorgeous - Display is beautiful - colors are crisp and brightness is great even in direct sunlight - Software is obviously clean and super fast (with minor issues - see cons) - Battery life is great - easily capable of going 7am - 10am on moderate use with plenty of power left - Cell reception is strong - never noticed an issue Cons: - Camera. Camera experience is HORRIBLE. It's as bad as reviewers have stated. I got the latest update that Essential made a big deal about (blogged about it) and it's still bad. First of all, app is SUPER slow and crashes 50% of the time for me. It's frustrating because you'll bring out your phone and want to bring up the app to capture something only to be met with a crashed app or just super slow to switch to video. Second of all, additional features don't exist. It's as basic as what a Nokia phone provided 15 years ago. No manual mode. No advanced mode. No settings whatsoever (except geo tagging and shutter sound). Lastly, picture quality is OK at best, but no where near the quality of a Pixe, Sammy or iPhone. People are saying "it's good enough for me", but I have no idea what that means. Why would you spend this much money on a phone for "good enough"? Color is surprisingly good, but that's about it. - Haptic Feedback. Vibration motor is something from a 2010 phone. It's just bad. It's weak and not accurate in the least bit. It just gives the phone a cheap feel. If the haptic feedback on the iPhone 7 is a 10 and Samsung is a 6, this is a -10. Trust me, it's just bad. - While phone is overall speedy, it does crash and hang a lot. It just feels like an early beta version of the software. You can definitely feel the lag while typing - it's not as accurate with input. - Buttons. The close proximity of the volume down button to the power button will cause you to accidentally press it. More annoyance than anything. - Ear Speaker. I get the need for the way it's designed, but unfortunately that means that you can't hold the phone that way you're used to and it takes a lot of adjustments and pressing on your ear to get it right. -Loud Speaker. Super loud but no the clearest by any measure. Notice that I haven't made any mention of the lack of a headphone jack or waterproofing because while that's unfortunate, I knew that before buying the phone and it didn't matter to me. What really did it for this phone and is causing me to return it is #1 horrible camera performance and #2 horrible camera performance. Yes, Essential has come out and said it'll get better with updates, but when was the last time a horrible camera performance went from bad to great for any phone. Sorry, not going to risk being stuck with the phone.

I finally picked this device up after a huge price drop; down to $500. My first impression was that the phone looks amazing, and the feel is different than most phones I have owned, aside from a older Moto X a few years ago. It is slippery with a light grip, but if you hold it with a more firm grip, it is not slippery. There are very few cases, and most that I tried to order online are not available until January 2018. It is not a concern as the phone is tough. I have dropped it once on to tile and found no damage at all. The software is stock android with small differences like the camera app, which is not very good. I installed the Google camera app and it improved the photo quality dramatically. Everything else is the same as my now dead Nexus 5X. The battery is amazing, and I am being completely serious, no hyperbole. I use it all day at work and get home with 40% nearly everyday. Some days the battery is in the 60% range and I do not believe I have gone one day with worry of a dead battery. I have even forgotten to plug it in at night and still made it through the next work day with no problem. Charges fast, last forever, and the speaker is really loud.

The design of this phone is incredible, it's no compromise, you get a phone about the size of the smaller iPhone but a screen larger than the Plus. Performance is excellent and stock Android is a breath of fresh air when compared to what Samsung and LG put on their phones. Only downside is the camera is only slightly above average. But the 360 degree is very cool and has great quality. Overall, unless you need the very best camera, this is a big recommend. Especially at this price, it's almost half the price of the iPhone and Note.

Got the phone while it was on sale for $399. Replaced my outdated S7 Edge with it, even though the phone was a year old by the time I got it, it feels just as fast as any newer phone. Not a fan of the volume and power button being so close together only because it makes taking screenshots that much more complicated. Overall loving the phone though. Haven't used the camera too much yet so don't have much to say as far as the camera quality goes. Oh yeah, battery life is awesome. Gets me through an entire day, everyday.

I was on the fence about purchasing this phone especially since I was unable to touch, feel and see it in the actual store. My Google Nexus 5X ended up failing and with the options out there for phones I was not about to pay up to 1K for a phone. I am used to the vanilla experience of a phone unlike what you have with something like Samsung with their different window kits and preloaded apps. This one does not come with a bunch of preloaded garbage and the company was founded by Android's creator. What I love about the phone: * Performance - simply, it beats most of the other phones on the market even ones that have the same chip. * Aesthetics: It looks great, it feels great, it feels premium and I absolutely love it. * Simplistic: They keep the UI almost entirely stock, the google apps are all there and it just works extremely well out of the box. What I don't love: * The camera lacks slightly. It has some great features, the shutter speed is a bit slow in my opinion and does not do great in low light conditions. * The amount of cases available for the phone. Overall, I would have given it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, since that was not an option I will provide it a 5. I was thrilled with this purchase over whatever Samsung and other phone was out there. At the price point as well, it makes it one of the best phones of the year.

First thing is the software, it's completely stock with zero bloat outside of essentials own camera app. I had 2 updates when I turned the phone on that improved performance and the camera plus the September security update. I'd expect a timely update to 8.0 Oreo with this phone. Hardware is phenomenal. The mirror finish on the back ceramic is eye catching and even though it collects tons of smudges (as does all recent phones with glass/shiny backs) it wipes off way easier than glass. It is slick and a P.S.A. there are zero cases for this phone anywhere. So have that in mind when you buy it. Although it should withstand a drop better than the all glass/aluminum Samsung. Titanium can take a beating. The LCD display is pretty dang good to my eyes. Whiter whites than the note 8 I have sitting right next to it. Zero light bleed when viewing a black screen. But, if I were on the essential team id of gone with an OLED panel instead of LCD, just for them deeper blacks. But with that said this screen is as good as it gets with LCDs. The phone is smooth and I've had zero hiccups or lag. I'm using a T-Mobile SIM and I have VOwifi and VOlte. Doesn't have band 71 (600mghz) but that doesn't bother me as my area won't have that for some time. Great phone for the non-fan boy of the major players in this market.

This is a very nice phone. It is a purer android experience than my Nexus 5x was. The phone got some bad reviews about the camera. The Essential team has addressed and fixed the camera. It is a very good looking phone and a delight to hold in your hand. With 128 GB's of storage 4 GB's of ram and a 835 Snapdragon processor. This phone is very powerful and for $499.00 it is a bargain. The phone is actually smaller than my Nexus 5X, yet it has a larger screen. There is a coming update to Android 8.0. It is also compatible with most US carriers AT&T, T Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.

Impressed with the performance quality, appearance, and responsiveness. Although reviews on camera performance weren't stellar I downloaded the Google camera app and photos are beautiful. A steal of a deal for a superb quality flagship phone.

Wrapped in premium titanium, the Essential PH-1 is by far the phone to beat when it comes to best in class all around quality, style, and design. Under the hood, is the all-valve Snapdragon 835, that runs buttery smooth in the PH-1 paired with stock Android. Although, the phone lacks the gimmicks and tricks found on other flagship phones, once you test-drive the PH-1, you will come to appreciate the unbeatable performance and elegance of this phone and what it does offer far greater. Essential is committed to the success of this device and has implemented several software updates. The camera performance has greatly improved since launch through the software updates. Additionally, Essential has stated they will soon roll out another software update to include a Portrait mode with more updates to come. Of course, it would have been a win/win had all of those updates happened prior to launch, but even Apple and Samsung roll out updates for their OS. The difference there being, price point. Performance and battery life has been outstanding and far greater than any iPhone or Samsung device that I have previously owned. Call quality is great and the interface of the phone is well above par. I have not experienced any call drops nor issues with Bluetooth or WiFi. If there were one feature I wish this device did have, it would be wireless charging. However, in my opinion, wireless charging is purely a convenience that came about due to many devices being in constant need of a power source and is a perk rather than a must have. For me, I believe this feature will soon be an afterthought, given the strong battery life of the PH-1. Bottom line...all around, this is an excellent and very professional device and is akin to owning a BMW. Perfect to drive minus a few bells and whistles...then again, perfect to drive nonetheless.

Bought this phone using "trade in trade up" gift cards, and I have to say I love it. It has a few things that are buggy if you like to customize the phone (lockscreen, etc etc). PROS: -No bloatware (excellent!) -Fast interface -Frequent security updates -Small phone WITH large screen CONS: -Stock interface has a hard time integrating with customization apps (launchers, lock screen apps, etc) Other thoughts: The lock screen (swipe security only) takes a VERY long swipe up the screen to actually unlock the phone; from the bottom just past the center line of the phone...which is extremely inconvenient when unlocking with small hands or with your thumb that does not have a ton of reach top to bottom. The screen itself is excellent, beautiful picture quality and phenomenal brightness...to the point that when I am reading in the Kindle app at night, I have to put on a dimmer overlay because the 0% brightness is STILL too bright (not a bad thing at all). The outside finish of the phone is gorgeous, instead of a standard case I ended up getting a clear TPU case so that I could keep most of the look of the phone, while still not worrying about it sliding off of anywhere I set it. It has a nice feature to swipe up/down on the fingerprint scanner to show/hide notifications, which is very useful to me (I am used to the LG V10 with the butttons etc on the back). So other than a few things that are mostly preference rather than actual bugs, it is a great phone!

No bloatware, fast and the shape and weight is just what I have been looking for. Camera gets better with every update And battery last me all day even with my VPN running. I do not watch a lot of movies and am satisfied with the battery life between charges. Thank You Essential.