Customer Ratings & Reviews

The display is everything it’s cracked up to be. It’s gorgeous! Even as an LCD! The build is on another level. The speed of the phone is among the big players AND it runs as close a version of vanilla android as you can get. But the bad...that camera is an absolute deal breaker. I take a lot of pictures, and in using this camera, I’ve realized the photos are iPhone 5 era quality. This is the Achilles heel of the phone and it makes me sad. I really loved this phone and it was an admirable start for Essential, I’m super excited for version 2, if i had to guess, it’ll be one of the best for 2018.

Though not perfect (no headphone jack ahem) it really is a great phone. Most reviews that knock this phone are from before the onslaught of updates that the Essential team has put out. There are a few hiccups here and there but very rare. Also Oreo is about to drop for this phone. The price is the big sell point here. Especially if you can get the 360 camera bundled with it for $499 or less. Deal comes and goes. I've seen it 4 times in 2 months at various sellers. Anyways go to best buy and look at the demo unit. You'll see how awesome the phone really is.

The Essential phone is great for a person that likes base Android without the bloatware that comes with Samsung and LG skins. In my case ATT doesn't sell this phone so my version doesn't have any of their pre loaded stuff I'll never use either. Buy a case asap because the ceramic does scratch fairly easily. No headphone jack for those that have expensive none blutooth headphones.

Great phone if you’re needing or wanting an almost completely stock android phone. Was definitely buggy when I got it but after all the recent updates, it’s definitely one of the best phones out there. Camera is a lot better but not as good as let’s say the Samsung S8, but for the price you can’t beat it. Solid battery life, gets me through an entire day with no issues.

I debated getting this phone for too long. 1 Almost stock Android 2 No bloatware 3 Top of the line specs 4 Solid as a rock 5 All day battery 6 No idea what the crying about the camera app is about. I mean, buy an SLR if you want to but I think the pictures are fast and clear. I would absolutely buy this phone again. The smaller screened, big bezeled Pixel 2 is $750 for 128GB. Easy choice.

I'm really loving this phone. I love the speed and build quality. Essential has been on top of updates bringing improvements with each build. I saw and Oreo test build the other day. I'm in love with the frequent and leading edge updates.

This phone is great and the battery life is impressive. The only complaint is the slow camera however it's getting better with upgrades. You can also download the Google pixel 2 camera apk which runs very good.

Great phone used it for what it is designed to be, "A PHONE." The camera, what I like is it keeps it simple, you don't need to worry about anything else. If you think you do so. Just use the right equipment for the job, like hmm, a "DSLR." Look at what the phone is designed for,"Essential's." A phone with stunning looks, that separates itself from the rest. I have to let you know that if you don't like the automatic dim feature, just go into settings and turn it off. I did, and this what I do on all my phone's. Phone people, you going to love it, we have enough "complicate" in our lives. Why worry about doing this or that with a phone. The two things I enjoy most about the phone is: first. I don't get paid to advertise for companies that lable or software cram your phone with non usable junk. Second. Is when another person comes up to me and ask," What phone that,?" I let them know and tell them that I love the phycology behind what the creator was achieving with this phone. A phone for your "Essential's " needs (calling, web/email, entertainment, etc.) Thank you for your brief few minutes, and you are going to love the phone what it was essentially created for.

The hardware is 2nd to none and it's using the same exact components that you'll find in a google pixel 2 or Galaxy S8, but the software still needs a little bit of work. The only better phone on the market for the price is the OnePlus 5t. The camera isn't all that bad either, but it's something I'm sure they can improve on with software.

Amazing phone for such price, build quality just spectacular, clear android and top-off-the-shelf HW components making this phone one of the best in this price range on the market right now. Highly recommended! My opinion - phone looks better in White, than Black.

This phone has the feel of a high-end phone. Something that I feel an Iphone might feel like but with android. My only complaints are it is the screen size is just a tad small for my liking (I use reading glasses and it makes it bigger :)) and sometimes it seems that the edges of the screen require extra pressure to sense touch. Other than that it is awesome.

True, if you followed the news on Essential, things did not go well. The camera, the price, etc. BUT; $449 was the sales price recently and with the recent updates and using the Google HDR Cam, this thing is the Nexus you are wanting. I said NEXUS; not PIXEL. It's as close to stock as you can get. I am NOT a stock fanatic mind you, but this thing does look nice with Nova which is more or less the same thing. The feel is great in the hand and the skin I got from Dbrand really added something extra. I recommend this to those who do not want to spend hundreds more on a Pixel.

This is a very solid phone. The build quality is second to non and the overall phone size is amazingly small considering it has a 5.7" display. There were comments that the camera is sub-par, but since I've owned this phone there have probably been 15 updates to the camera app and it works great. This is absolutely a great phone.

Great stock Android phone. With more marketing it could rival he likes of apple and Samsung!!At this price it can't be beat. Great the cricket wireless sim and 40 dollar refill card and it drops phone to 399.99. even if you don't use cricket, the phone is unlocked! Awesome that Best buy is carrying this phone

Bought this phone after reading reviews, needed more gb works perfectly. Updated software then went to Verizon, got new SIM card, haven’t regretted it since.

The essential phone is a phone that aspires for greatness but falls short. First of all the phone is made of titanium and ceramic so it has a very premium and solid feel to it. The software is about as barebones android as you can get. The weakness is in the camera.

I use a Samsung S8+ as my daily driver but the Essential is a great 2nd phone to tinker around with. Essentially stock Android, premium build quality and very high screen-to-body ratio. Got mine on sale for $449 with 3 months prepaid phone service for free.

For the price you cannot go wrong. The phone is beautiful. Ceramic on a phone amazing. You also have the freedom to go to any network you please. Unlocked works with everyone. Nothing else to say.

I mainly bought this phone because I plan on working in Japan after I graduate and need a phone that'll work when I'm over there. Turns out Japan is mostly CDMA, and this phone does not fully support 4G, but it fully supports 3G. Not an issue because I don't use data. Just texts and calling. This phone doesn't have a headphone jack, but I use wireless Sony 1000XM2s. It isn't expandable, but I can transfer my stuff to my PC or an external flash/hard drive if I really need the space. I enabled the developer options to turn off animations, and it runs very smoothly. As for the camera, it does great in low light, but there are more editing features on my old HTC Desire than the Essential. Lastly, this phone charges quickly, very little bloatware, and be careful putting it in your pocket if they have zippers. The back of my phone is already scruffed, so I'll probably get a skin for it.

The phone is really quite nice, but the camera is only ok. The software updates are making it better, so there’s hope that it could get to the level of the cameras on competing phones.