I am on the fence and need a push

[Parman7172]

I would like to purchase this phone but I have 3 questions first. I value all opinions because if you are hear reading this then you must be a tech/phone person!
Will the 8.1 update help stabilize the phone?
Will there be other firmware updates to help with issues?
Lastly, what does everyone think of the "health" of the Company?
Thanks for all comments and answers.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

The 8.1 update is supposed to address several issues. My Essential phone has been running very well on beta 2 and 3. Overall stability and camera have seen major improvements after several updates. Highly recommend side loading beta for best experience.

8.1 won't be the last major update. Essential has committed to 2 years of software updates and 3 years of security patches.

No idea about the long term health of Essential. The company is backed by investors with deep pockets, so they shouldn't have any issues releasing a second phone. Anything beyond that is just speculation.

 

[Guy Katz]

Don't believe the hype (or non hype for that matter)
No one knows what 8.1 will bring to essential. It might improve things but it might degradate performance (which is not optimum to begin with)
You can expect updates to arrive regularly, essential are good on their word on that. Also I think they handled the 8.0 skip in a transparent and respectful way towards their audiences
Also you should note that the camera is total garbage even after the updates. It will cause frustration to anyone who values good photos. I use my girl friend's iPhone 8 instead of my essential when taking photos. Now stop and imagine what I just wrote. I take another phone to take photos!!!
That's my 2 cents. Now it's up to you... Good luck

 

[anon(10268214)]

The Essential phone is not without its flaws. Some have experienced hardware issues and the software still needs some work. Having said that, people need to keep in mind this is the first device of a startup company. If you are looking for a proven flagship level device and expected that experience out of the box, then you will probably be disappointed. On the other hand, if you are in the market for a different approach...and the freedom of a near stock Android experience, regular software updates (apps and security patches) including a 2-3 year commitment to said updates, great hardware and design, and a build quality that rivals an iPhone...these are all commendable qualities in an Android device. I think those who stick with it for the long haul will not be let down by this company. The Essential phone is all about a quality device that simply works. If you take the company for what they claim they are trying to be...they will continue to work hard on perfecting this phone and it will continue to improve (as it already has).

 

[computerguy68]

The Essential phone is not without its flaws. Some have experienced hardware issues and the software still needs some work. Having said that, people need to keep in mind this is the first device of a startup company. If you are looking for a proven flagship level device and expected that experience out of the box, then you will probably be disappointed. On the other hand, if you are in the market for a different approach...and the freedom of a near stock Android experience, regular software updates (apps and security patches) including a 2-3 year commitment to said updates, great hardware and design, and a build quality that rivals an iPhone...these are all commendable qualities in an Android device. I think those who stick with it for the long haul will not be let down by this company. The Essential phone is all about a quality device that simply works. If you take the company for what they claim they are trying to be...they will continue to work hard on perfecting this phone and it will continue to improve (as it already has).

Very good points, I've had the phone for 9 days now and no issues with reception, Bluetooth, performance, apps. etc. Still yet to use the camera but I never buy a phone for it's camera as I am one of those people that think that a do everything device will do all things poorly. I have 20 MP point and shoot and DSLR cameras for any real photography needs. I have always considered camera phones as useful as a Polorid picture, good for some quick and dirty pictures but not somthing for printing. For what this phone is selling for and the timely updates, why hesitate, just get it! BTW, I'm still on 7.1.1 and will wait for the proper release for 8.1. As a former Windows Insider beta tester, I rather not play around with buggy software on my phone.

 

[philesk]

I would like to purchase this phone but I have 3 questions first. I value all opinions because if you are hear reading this then you must be a tech/phone person!
Will the 8.1 update help stabilize the phone?
Will there be other firmware updates to help with issues?
Lastly, what does everyone think of the "health" of the Company?
Thanks for all comments and answers.

There have been some very good sales on the PH-1. Yesterday it was only $439. Even do, not a bad deal at $499. There are few if any phones at this price point that have the build quality of the PH-1.

Essential has been very good about security releases and is constantly improving the overall software. They just released a minor camera upgrade which adds composition grids - an improvement requested by users. So they do listen and respond. I think the PH-2 is under development. After buying two models of OnePlus phones which have been totally abandoned by OnePlus and owning Samsung and LG phones and tablets which have not had a security update for nearly a year, I have been impressed with the transparency of Essential management.

The camera is still a work in progress. So if you require a stellar camera now, look elsewhere. Motorola, LG & Samsung have ok cameras in their mid-range phones. And, if you don't care about timely or any software updates there are plenty of inexpensive phones out there. Just be aware that you cannot expect few or even any OS updates.

 

[Parman7172]

I pulled the trigger........
I want it mostly for the novalty, stock android, choosing all my apps, etc. I'll check back next weekend and let everyone know my opinion. Thanks for yours! D

 

[Rukbat]

because if you are hear reading this then you must be a tech/phone person!

Then I take it that you are one too? (I am, but the way you said that is a bit strange unless you are too - most of the people here are just users, not technical.)

Will the 8.1 update help stabilize the phone?

All updates fix something - but a lot of them (far too many) break something else. (There's an old software saying - "you can't do just one thing". It's true with updates. So you wait for the next update to fix the last breakage - which breaks something else. Then you wait for the next ...)

Will there be other firmware updates to help with issues?

Security updates and bug fixes? Probably. Past Oreo? My crystal ball is broken, so who knows? But it came with Nougat, and updated to Oreo, so probably not.

Lastly, what does everyone think of the "health" of the Company?

Well ... it was started by one of the founders of Android, so they'll probably be around when you get your next phone. Android hasn't "run out of money" yet, has it?

 

[pattste]

I bought a PH-1 a few days ago, upgrading from a Samsung S6. I'm running NMJ88C on TELUS; I used another carrier's SIM to get the latest updates. I bought an Incipio DualPro case. Everything's perfect so far. I have no Bluetooth issues, no lag, great performance, no crashes, no weirdness. The pure Android experience is wonderful. I don't think I could ever go back to the Samsung bloat. Battery life is without a doubt the best I've had on any phone ever. Spectacular. I'm not an expert on cameras as I take maybe 10 pictures a year but I don't see any obvious problems. I was expecting much worse based on the hyperbole I had read in this forum. The one thing I would change is that I would prefer having a 3.5mm headphone jack but the adapter works well. Neutron recognizes the DAC as a Conexant and it sounds great (though limited to 48K).

Camera aside, I think this phone rivals pretty much anything out there right now and is an incredible deal. Considering how good Essential has been at improving the software since launch and that Oreo 8.1 is coming in the next couple of weeks, it should only get better.

 

[Morty2264]

I've heard that 8.1 is supposed to really help the Essential Phone. Plus, when you look back at all the other updates it has had that have vastly (positively) affected the operation of the device, I can only assume that future updates will still have that main goal in mind.

Essential is a new company and so I can understand that investing in it, so to speak, may have you a little concerned. If you are referring to the situation with the founder, such things about the personal lives of CEO's or leaders, though they may cause a scandal, don't have much to do with the day-to-day, objective operations of the company (in my opinion, anyway!).

I'm hoping Essential will be around for a long time to come! If it helps, my friend got an Essential Phone before Christmas, and she is absolutely loving it.

Keep us posted on what you decide!

 

[anon(10268214)]

What upsets me most about this device is all the negative reviews. Most people would never buy one if you read a review...and yet, in your hands this device is a masterpiece and the software is flawless. The camera may need some work still but that's about it. I have experienced none of the alleged stutters, crashes, and signal issues others have reported. Very happy with my purchase. Go Essential!

 

[tech_head]

I've had the phone a while.
I initially had it on release. It had software issues so I returned it.
I bought it again in Dec.
it's now my daily driver and I can't find any real issue that bother me.

Great phone. Ignore negative reviews.
You definitely can't get a better phone for under $500.

 

[Parman7172]

I've owned this phone a few weeks now. It is a great phone. I have not had any problems with it. I'm glad I purchased it.

 

[superstarmc]

I just bought one yesterday. I can't wait for it to arrive.

 

[Guy Katz]

all you guys are clearly using this phone for phone calls only and maybe the occasional data usage.
an intermediate user would be disappointed and power user would ditch this phone immediately

 

[dmateo]

all you guys are clearly using this phone for phone calls only and maybe the occasional data usage.
an intermediate user would be disappointed and power user would ditch this phone immediately

Can you please stop trolling the essential forum? It's getting tiring seeing you bash the phone in every post.

 

[dmateo]

all you guys are clearly using this phone for phone calls only and maybe the occasional data usage.
an intermediate user would be disappointed and power user would ditch this phone immediately

And btw some of us are what you consider "power users" and get on just fine with the device.

 

[anon(10268214)]

And btw some of us are what you consider "power users" and get on just fine with the device.

By 'power users' he clearly means using a lot of power. The more you waste, the more you use. Lol.

 

[tech_head]

all you guys are clearly using this phone for phone calls only and maybe the occasional data usage.
an intermediate user would be disappointed and power user would ditch this phone immediately

Really?
So let's see.
I have a BSEE and MSEE and have been designing chips and computers for almost 30 years.
I have rooted and flashed custom ROMs before people knew what it was.
I was hacking BlackBerrys if that is indication.
I write Verilog, VHDL, Fortran, Objective C, C++, Perl, Sed/Awk and Python.
I've probably used almost every OS available in the last 25 years or so.
All variants of Windows, MacOS, Solaris, HP/UX, NextStep, etc.
I have hacked DVD players, games with debuggers, various operating systems, my car (really my car), etc.

If I'm not a power user, who is?
I happen to really like this phone.

 

[dmateo]

Really?
So let's see.
I have a BSEE and MSEE and have been designing chips and computers for almost 30 years.
I have rooted and flashed custom ROMs before people knew what it was.
I was hacking BlackBerrys if that is indication.
I write Verilog, VHDL, Fortran, Objective C, C++, Perl, Sed/Awk and Python.
I've probably used almost every OS available in the last 25 years or so.
All variants of Windows, MacOS, Solaris, HP/UX, NextStep, etc.
I have hacked DVD players, games with debuggers, various operating systems, my car (really my car), etc.

If I'm not a power user, who is?
I happen to really like this phone.

Is this your only device at this point out are you keeping others in your stable?