essential price drop? start your bidding

[fernandez21]

Well, I just checked and the phone/camera combo I got for $749 is now $869 and looks like it will be $899 later.

 

[dpackerz]

It seems to me that a lot of people, on here at least, like the phone. I believe I have read more positive reviews on these forums than complaints. I say that to say, what's worth $700 is different for everyone. I really don't see the price dropping soon. Even from a supply and demand standpoint, Essential, the company, is winning. Demand is ahead of supply. And people always say a phone isn't worth that price tag while others say it is.

My opinion is that the iPhone isn't worth $1k for the 8, but most will disagree. I don't believe the Note 8 is worth $900+, and a lot disagree.

As for the V30, I do admit it looks like a nice phone. However, I had nothing but problems with my G3, so it makes me wary of them. Took 3 phones before I finally got one that worked properly.

Agreed on LG. I had 2 that were working fine, then powered down permanently. Many people are complaining about lack of features. Essentials whole premise is give you a bare bones (and fast) phone and let you make it what you want. And that video showing how dark the Essential is? Please, it's the brightest phone I've owned. He had to have jacked the brightness down. I love mine. Minor issues will be resolved with software updates. Camera works for me. If you want a phone with an incredible camera, buy whatever one makes you happy. Camera is low on my list for a phone.

 

[Guy Katz]

Well, I just checked and the phone/camera combo I got for $749 is now $869 and looks like it will be $899 later.

a gimmick is a gimmick no matter the cost. you paid an extra 50$ for something you will use for 5 minutes and then put aside.

 

[modifier]

a gimmick is a gimmick no matter the cost. you paid an extra 50$ for something you will use for 5 minutes and then put aside.

Individual usage patterns aside, the price went up rather than down. This shows Essential isn't dropping prices anytime soon. If camera sales were weak they'd keep them at $50 just to help sell phones.

 

[andrew_ackley]

I'm holding out for pixel xl 2 and I'll pick between those two. Stock Android and nice hardware is fantastic.

 

[anon(9918034)]

my gut feeling says they will not be able to get this phone running decently before the end of the year.
with the s8,v30 and pixel 2 around, essential essentially has a very low probability of selling its inventory with its current price tag.
if they stick with 699, the stock will just start pilling.
they could always cut a 100$ and say its a holiday season special so that other buyers will not be too upset

Mine is running perfect have zero issues and the camera performs just fine. The delays in shipping times is a clear sign they have zero issues selling their inventory.

 

[anon(9918034)]

I have no issue paying 700 for this device, it works and it works well. you get a build quality better than all those glass piles of crap. I love that I have 128gb of internal storage. At the 700 price point you get 32 with everyone else, sometimes 64. For 700 you get a phone that will always be one fo the first to get updates. While it was a rocky start, I even tried to cancel my pre-order through sprint but you cant if you did it at a store. I am so glad that I wasn't able to cancel the more I use this phone the more it grows on me. Thanks to essentials diligence in getting updates out, it's only getting better each time.

 

[Guy Katz]

Essential has sold just 5,000 phones through Sprint since launch: BayStreet | FierceWireless
anyone still believes the price will hold? it will be suicide for the company to keep the price level and not sell.
there was a guy here who said demand outgrows supply which turns out to bunch of nonsense like I thought (unless you only manufactured 5000+ phones until now which is idiotic to assume).
i'd say this phone is worth no more than 600$ which is also high. if it gets to that level, fix the camera and the touch glitches, I might be interested.

 

[modifier]

That report says they've sold 5000 phones through Sprint, not total. We don't know how many they've sold direct through essential.com, Best Buy and Amazon. The number still might be small but unless someone comes out with a better report, we don't know the total number.

It's buried somewhere in the shipping thread but I believe either @fernandez21 or @swagglepuff was the first to suggest that demand likely outstrips supply. Without actual numbers it's unfair and unrealistic to call this suggestion "nonsense". Used PH-1s have sold on eBay and Swappa for $600+. New have sold for $700+. That shows there's demand for the phone despite being able to buy them direct, through Sprint or through Best Buy.
- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=essential%20phone&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1
- https://swappa.com/buy/essential-ph-1-unlocked?ref=mobilenations&data1=UUacUvbUpU5996308

I still think the price will hold for the same reasons I mentioned earlier in this thread. They haven't released other colors and haven't launched overseas. If they discount now, it would be suicide from screwing over their early adopters. Maybe in 2018 after they get some time under their belt we might see it come down in price. But, by then everyone will be looking for a PH-2 with improvements.

 

[kodos78]

Essential is pretty much done. Their name has become trashed by the tech bloggers, review sites, early adopters. When your camera is described as a "dumpster fire" in the press, when you release customer information to mailing lists, when you have earpieces fall off, when customer service is almost impossible to get a hold of, when you delay releasing your product, when you only partner with Sprint, etc. you are pretty much done.

The only people who even know or care about this phone live in communities like this one. And the impression made on the community has been awful. Look at the press this phone has received. Almost universally negative since launch.

I don't suspect a price drop however. I anticipate them selling their IP to either their investors or to another company for a firesale.

 

[Guy Katz]

to be honest, i am just curious about what will happen with them and their products...

 

[aitt]

to be honest, i am just curious about what will happen with them and their products...

I see the same thing that happened to Nextbit

 

[kodos78]

I see the same thing that happened to Nextbit

Bingo. Also, notice that a bunch of their investors are Chinese companies. I suspect they are in the process of being sold and the product release was just to make them viable for an acquisition.

 

[Guy Katz]

www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2017/10/22/16516828/essential-phone-price-cut-499-android
They call me mistiq-G, I predict these things...

 

[Ziich47]

www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2017/10/22/16516828/essential-phone-price-cut-499-android
They call me mistiq-G, I predict these things...

Wow you're were spot on. You were so right

 

[anon(4743061)]

Did anyone pick one up after the price drop?

 

[modifier]

Did anyone pick one up after the price drop?

Quite a few of us, actually. I have two now.

 

[anon(4743061)]

I'm really tempted to get one again

 

[modifier]

I'm really tempted to get one again

Go for it. It's a bargain at this price.