Earpiece cover came off today

[jascospeed]

So pulling my phone out of pocket i noticed
Something black stuck to the phone screen, as it turns out it was the whole black fabric earpiece cover. Well now it looks like crap, exposing random holes and the led. Looks like I'm going to have to exchange it out , but with all the nightmare stories on supply and customer service issues, I'm definitely not looking forward to it. The cover is just glued on and very delicate, no way of putting it back as it won't stay on and it's like in 3 pieces any way. It's really noticable now that something is missing and just looks ghetto...

 

[modifier]

If yours had a grille mesh that was assembled incorrectly in two pieces, it would have been easier to snag. It still seems difficult to snag, but you've obviously done it so it's not impossible. Essential is aware of the issue and should be pretty easy to deal with on a replacement. They got back to me right away on mine.

Can you post a pic? Curious what it looks like.

 

[jascospeed]

If yours had a grille mesh that was assembled incorrectly in two pieces, it would have been easier to snag. It still seems difficult to snag, but you've obviously done it so it's not impossible. Essential is aware of the issue and should be pretty easy to deal with on a replacement. They got back to me right away on mine.

Can you post a pic? Curious what it looks like.

Are you still in the replacement process? Or did you finally get your replacement in already? I'll start the process today then. And yes, as soon as I can figure out how to post pictures ( new to this fourm ) I'll post them. For something so small it's quite noticable, the led is now super bright.

 

[modifier]

Are you still in the replacement process? Or did you finally get your replacement in already? I'll start the process today then. And yes, as soon as I can figure out how to post pictures ( new to this fourm ) I'll post them. For something so small it's quite noticable, the led is now super bright.

I'm still in the replacement process. The return packaging arrives today via FedEx, then my phone goes overnight to somewhere in TN. I should hopefully see a credit in 7-10 days. If that goes well then I'll order a new device at some point. I'm somewhat tempted to wait until the end of the year in case we see the matte black option get released. Other than the mesh issue, my phone has been great both in software and hardware. I'm almost reluctant to let it go because of that.

On the LED, it's odd they didn't push it all the way to the left side of the cutout, raise it up a bit and not cover it with mesh. The current method is more visually appealing but functionally limiting. Besides the mesh covering the light, it's difficult to see from all angles.

 

[jascospeed]

Totally agree on the led placement. So you had a similar issue ?

 

[modifier]

My issue was a manufacturing defect where the mesh was in two separate sections, leaving a hole where debris could enter. A few posted on Reddit about having the same flaw and Essential responded to confirm that it's supposed to be one solid length of mesh all the way across. Since I'm on week three of owning, I decided to return while the opportunity was there and re-purchase later.

Mine is boxed up and ready to back otherwise I'd take a pic. It looks exactly like this: https://imgur.com/a/AwhRV

Had the gap been on the other side and intended for the LED, it wouldn't be an issue.

I'm not sure what would have snagged yours but having a break in the mesh could have created a snagging point.

My suspicion is this might have been the cause of recent delays. Catching this in production is one thing but catching it after a ton of units are boxed up and shrink-wrapped is a whole other problem entirely. Sprint likely got the bulk of new stock where Amazon and Best Buy are currently still waiting. With 35,000+ followers on Twitter, I bet demand is higher than supply by a large margin despite all the negative stuff online.

 

[jascospeed]

Looks like I just missed the return window by a few days, otherwise I'll probably do what your doing. Originally I wanted the Matt black.

Just sent some pics and emailed support, we'll see how it goes. I wonder if they even have any in stock for exchanges ? I might just get a s8+ for now and sell my replacement. Being a early adopter has it ups and downs.

 

[modifier]

I was outside of my return window by three days when I contacted them. Since it's a known defect they set up a return without question. I would have opted for a replacement but wanted the option to buy a new device rather than get someone's returned unit.

I'm sure they have exchanges in stock. My envelope is coming from and getting sent back to Asurion. I don't see Essential having the logistics to handle returns/exchanges themselves. They're under enough water as it is.

 

[kodos]

Unfortunately us early adopters sometimes pay for being early... . I hope my Note 8 doesn't end up with a fatal flaw like ... last year's model.

 

[jascospeed]

I was outside of my return window by three days when I contacted them. Since it's a known defect they set up a return without question. I would have opted for a replacement but wanted the option to buy a new device rather than get someone's returned unit.

I'm sure they have exchanges in stock. My envelope is coming from and getting sent back to Asurion. I don't see Essential having the logistics to handle returns/exchanges themselves. They're under enough water as it is.

So made some progress, after emailing that I did not want a replacement ( that's what they wanted to do at first) I had to reply twice for refund. Well looks like they started the return process, sending me the usual FedEx envelope and sending to TN. After which they'll process a refund. Let's hope it'll goes smoothly.

It's been a mix bag, love the phone but now just want a time out from essential, hopefully they have a better solution for the speaker grill going forward. I told Emily from essential that I have no faith in replacements. They should be using metal alloy for the grill not fabric mesh, I have a feeling this won't hold up in long term use.

With wifi to LTE handoff issues and not having LTE where my moto g4 and Nexus 6 have plenty with same sim card is just to much to deal with now. Hopefully Ph-2 will be improved and I might just be back.

 

[modifier]

Interesting that you had issues picking up LTE. Actual band coverage was the same on mine (as in, anywhere that had B12 LTE still picked up B12 LTE) but reception was off maybe -5 dBm to -10 dBm in remote areas compared to two of my old BlackBerries. That was surprising given that the test results for FCC qualification test results looked pretty good.

I didn't mind the fabric mesh but agree that a better solution is out there. Higher LED placement and more robust mesh would go a long way. The PH-2 really just needs a few small tweaks and maybe an OLED panel if they can find something that's color-accurate and uniform. I'd love to see a hybrid glass/plastic overlay that truly would survive most drops.

Mine hits TN on Monday. Hopefully they process our returns in short time. I'm still interested in repurchasing but will likely wait a month or two first. Problem is, there really isn't anything else on my radar. It's this or maybe a 2 XL, but even that will have more apps installed than I want. I really prefer the bare-bones approach since I'm running many apps that replace their Google counterparts.

 

[kodos]

I'd wait until version 2. If they last that long. Which, given their initial launch foibles and the reviews sitting on YouTube right now is very unlikely.

Too bad, I was very interested in this device.

 

[Guy Katz]

So pulling my phone out of pocket i noticed
Something black stuck to the phone screen, as it turns out it was the whole black fabric earpiece cover. Well now it looks like crap, exposing random holes and the led. Looks like I'm going to have to exchange it out , but with all the nightmare stories on supply and customer service issues, I'm definitely not looking forward to it. The cover is just glued on and very delicate, no way of putting it back as it won't stay on and it's like in 3 pieces any way. It's really noticable now that something is missing and just looks ghetto...

its not an essential part of the phone

 

[Jaymil]

I'd wait until version 2. If they last that long. Which, given their initial launch foibles and the reviews sitting on YouTube right now is very unlikely.

Too bad, I was very interested in this device.

They have more than enough money to withstand not selling many ph-1's. They didn't expect to sell a ton of these anyway... I'd be surprised if we have to wait a whole year for a followup.

 

[kodos78]

They have more than enough money to withstand not selling many ph-1's. They didn't expect to sell a ton of these anyway... I'd be surprised if we have to wait a whole year for a followup.

Could be; the question is whether they have enough money to withstand their company name becoming a joke. Probably not. I think they are done.

 

[aitt]

They have more than enough of other people's money to withstand not selling many ph-1's. They didn't expect to sell a ton of these anyway... I'd be surprised if we have to wait a whole year for a followup.

I fixed it for you...

 

[Tikerz]

That's funny, just noticed the Phone Arena review unit is completely missing the earpiece mesh.

https://www.phonearena.com/amp/image.php?m=Reviews.Images&f=name&id=209619

 

[bhvol]

I started an exchange process on 9/13 with Emily that never happened. After emailing three times and then posting on Twitter, I got contacted by Asurian. They still have not sent me a replacement. They told me it may take 7-10 days to send the unit out. No guarantee that it is not a refurbished unit one of you have sent back. For that reason, I posted again to essential for a return and they now claim to be looking into it. I just can’t believe how bad their customer service is.

 

[ShamelessMT]

That's funny, just noticed the Phone Arena review unit is completely missing the earpiece mesh.

https://www.phonearena.com/amp/image.php?m=Reviews.Images&f=name&id=209619

Looking at that photo makes me realize that I have never had a earpiece grille on my phone. I think I'll wait a couple weeks or more before trying to exchange my phone. Hopefully they'll get their stock issues sorted out soon.