Essential AMA

[digitalbreak]

So, few of the Essential folks had an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in Reddit and here is a summary from 9TO5Google:

Andy Rubin AMA: Oreo coming soon as more features planned for Essential Phone, updates on Europe, Verizon, accessories

Great stuff and can't wait for these updates!

 

[PhiPsi32]

"A high end audio accessory that supports a 3.5mm headphone jack . . ." So we'll have to buy an accessory or use the dongle for wired headphones. Could be awesome or really bad . . . probably not in the middle.

 

[fernandez21]

Sweet, really miss the swipe fingerprint gesture to bring down the notification panel feature I had on my pixel.

 

[krazyatom]

LG V30 looks more appealing now.

 

[modifier]

LG V30 looks more appealing now.

LOL... that's the beauty of it. You get to buy whatever you want! ??????

 

[digitalbreak]

LG V30 looks more appealing now.

Has nothing to do with this thread. You can probably get more out of the V30 forums. This thread is about the features/accessories anticipated for the Essential Phone.

Thanks!

 

[modifier]

So, back on topic... it sounds like they have a fair number of updates coming our way.

A stick-on DAC/amp would be interesting, especially since not everyone needs one on or in the phone 24/7. Even if it only gets used as a 3.5mm jack, it might prove better than wearing out the USB-C port by using an adapter. A charging dock would offer the same benefit. USB could then be saved for large file transfers like loading music files or downloading images that don't end up in the cloud.

The magnetic connector isn't the perfect solution for everyone but will be worth it for many. I was somewhat against it at first but the concept is growing on me.

 

[anon(4743061)]

It will be interesting to see if they can actually get the camera to an acceptable level, it's FAR from that now. I had to return because of camera but man I would buy it again if they got the camera to at least the level of my current Nexus 6P.

I really want to love the Essential phone

 

[modifier]

Agreed. The camera has potential. It uses the same Sony IMX258 sensor found in the LG G6, although the G6 isn't known for great low-light capability. That's where the mono sensor combo might pan out if they can get it working. It might never rival a larger single sensor like the Pixel's IMX368 but could end up doing well enough. The sensor isn't all that bad with the Google HDR+ camera app.

About the only announcement in the AMA that I'm not personally interested in is a snap-on camera module. I'd rather just put that money into a PH-2, especially if they manage to source a worthy OLED panel* and go entirely bezel-less. But, that's just me.

*worthy being the key word here. Not all OLED panels are great, IMO.

 

[anon(661246)]

Agreed. The camera has potential. It uses the same Sony IMX258 sensor found in the LG G6, although the G6 isn't known for great low-light capability. That's where the mono sensor combo might pan out if they can get it working. It might never rival a larger single sensor like the Pixel's IMX368 but could end up doing well enough. The sensor isn't all that bad with the Google HDR+ camera app.

About the only announcement in the AMA that I'm not personally interested in is a snap-on camera module. I'd rather just put that money into a PH-2, especially if they manage to source a worthy OLED panel* and go entirely bezel-less. But, that's just me.

*worthy being the key word here. Not all OLED panels are great, IMO.

Agreed about the OLED part. Lcd looks awful for me. If they did that fixed overall performance and customer service is get the second version

 

[anon(4743061)]

I didn't think the pictures were all that great with the Google camera. They were better but the low light was still worse then my 6P.

 

[bhvol]

I thought the answer for the camera problem was good and bad. Good that they recognize and admit there is a problem and are not happy about it, but bad since they claim to have fixed some of the problems. I am not sure we would all agree that much has changed.

The charging plate needs to come out soon. It would be nice if that could also have a speaker integrated in it.

 

[anon(9918034)]

I thought the answer for the camera problem was good and bad. Good that they recognize and admit there is a problem and are not happy about it, but bad since they claim to have fixed some of the problems. I am not sure we would all agree that much has changed.

The charging plate needs to come out soon. It would be nice if that could also have a speaker integrated in it.

In some of the reviews they mention an update to the camera that did improve it slightly and they keep updating it regularly.

When I got mine from sprint today it had 2 updates out of the box. I was messing around with the camera and to me it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Might be because of the updates, or the fact that I don't really care about the camera all that much.

I'm with you on the charging plate, I have grown accustomed to just setting my phones on a wireless charging stand.

 

[digitalbreak]

Android Police has done a better job in summarizing the key points, especially this one

I know there is a mod, but good news for folks who may not know about the mod!

Nova Launcher developer Kevin Barry was having problems with getting his app to display in full screen on the Essential Phone; currently, an unsightly black bar is left on top. Rebecca instantly responded with a simple

"Hey! Message us directly and we'll whitelist you today!"

That turned out to be pretty easy. Great news for Essential Phone owners who use Nova.

And

"The in-screen front facing camera was a new feature for Android. To ensure Android compatibility, Google asked us to letterbox applications out of the cutout area by default. If you are a developer who wants to use the full screen, shoot us an email and we'll add your app to our whiteilst [sic]. The whitelist can be updated via the Play Store, so you won't have to wait for a full software update."

 

[RomeoAlphaBravo]

Agreed about the OLED part. Lcd looks awful for me. If they did that fixed overall performance and customer service is get the second version

Did you turn off Adaptive Brightness in the Display settings?

 

[fernandez21]

Just got an update that say Nova is enabled for full screen.

 

[digitalbreak]

Here it is!