my essential thoughts

[Guy Katz]

been using it for a few months already. here are some thoughts:
- camera is the worst ever, even after all the camera updates and even when using google's side loaded app. it is just horrible, slow to death & grainy. anyone who says differently is fooling himself and the rest of the occasional people that come here to get help. if the camera is important to you even slightly, prepare to be uber disappointed than the camera to the point you will use other people's phones instead of yours when you want to take a picture
- security updates and fixes arrive in a timely manner - that's a plus
-performance is not good at all considering and hardware. from time to time the phone tends to stutter. i almost did not install any apps and I use near stock OS
also, sometimes then you load multiple apps the phone gets stuck in sleep mode such that you cant use the finger print or power button to show the screen and resume working. you have to wait or hard reboot.
-reception is fine - no issues
-price is fair
to sum things app. if you care about photos. DO NOT go this route. you will be disappointed. the camera is utterly unusable.

 

[computerguy68]

I've had it just over a week and have yet to take a picture with it, so I guess that factor will not be an issue. I came from a PRIV and thus far a HUGE improvement from that phone. It made me realize how bad that phone was. No performance issues, great battery life and lots of storage. Top it off with the great price, no regrets getting this. My daughter wants one now.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

While it definitely doesn't have the best camera, mine has performed well in good lighting. I don't take too many pictures though, so it's not a real issue for me. In low lighting though, the camera is not good at all. I've yet to have a single stutter or lag though. The Essential has run smoothly for me since I got it in late October. The only thing I've noticed is that when I reboot my phone, I sometimes get a so-and-so app is not responding pop-up that I have to close. Usually, it's Facebook. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the phone. I agree, however, that if you're a picture person, it's probably not the best phone for you.

 

[dmateo]

been using it for a few months already. here are some thoughts:
- camera is the worst ever, even after all the camera updates and even when using google's side loaded app. it is just horrible, slow to death & grainy. anyone who says differently is fooling himself and the rest of the occasional people that come here to get help. if the camera is important to you even slightly, prepare to be uber disappointed than the camera to the point you will use other people's phones instead of yours when you want to take a picture
- security updates and fixes arrive in a timely manner - that's a plus
-performance is not good at all considering and hardware. from time to time the phone tends to stutter. i almost did not install any apps and I use near stock OS
also, sometimes then you load multiple apps the phone gets stuck in sleep mode such that you cant use the finger print or power button to show the screen and resume working. you have to wait or hard reboot.
-reception is fine - no issues
-price is fair
to sum things app. if you care about photos. DO NOT go this route. you will be disappointed. the camera is utterly unusable.

So when are you getting rid of it? Judging by your profile pic I don't think you care much about picture quality....

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Worst camera ever and utterly unusable must be hyperbole. Just take a look at the recent Essential photos on Reddit to see what the color and monochrome cameras are capable of.

 

[msp1518]

The OP's comments are on point with the camera. It sucks. Period. It's pure garbage and cannot be fixed.

I take my iPhone 6S+ with me anywhere i need pictures.

Otherwise the phone is cool. There is no doubt in my mind IF there is a V2 they will nail it, should they simply fix what is sh**. Keep the design, ceramic, build quality, etc. and simply FIX THE CAMERA and add water resistance. That's it. It will be the perfect phone (well, almost -- no headphone jack sucks too).

 

[pattste]

Worst camera ever and utterly unusable must be hyperbole. Just take a look at the recent Essential photos on Reddit to see what the color and monochrome cameras are capable of.

This.

Even though I've only had the phone for a few days and took only a few pictures to check it out, I have not experienced any issues with the camera or the phone overall. No lag, freeze or anything of the kind. Running the latest version (released a couple of days ago), it just works.

I suspect a lot of problems arise from people having installed ports of the Pixel camera app, trying to work around problems with previous versions of the Essential's camera app.