Well, it's "factual" in the sense that it factually happened to you. But you're describing YOUR single experience as if it is the norm, and that's just asinine. I and plenty of other people have had great experiences with the PH1, many of which are the exact opposite of yours. If your phone sucks, don't keep it. Say YOUR phone sucks. But do your research before you frame your experience as the end-all-be-all.
Why you STILL should not buy this phone even at $499
- Thread starter ndonnine
- Start date
Well, it's "factual" in the sense that it factually happened to you. But you're describing YOUR single experience as if it is the norm, and that's just asinine. I and plenty of other people have had great experiences with the PH1, many of which are the exact opposite of yours. If your phone sucks, don't keep it. Say YOUR phone sucks. But do your research before you frame your experience as the end-all-be-all.
gibsonb2
Well-known member
I'm sorry you didn't enjoy my review. It aligned with many of the professional reviewers. I never said my thought on the phone was "end all be all" which makes your comment confusing. I feel bad that you probably bought the phone nee and lost $200 once it dropped 1.5 months later.
sydneycooper1979
Moderator Sergeant at Arms
Going to give the thread the good ol' one more try. Disagreements are fine but let's leave the trolling / rude comments out of it. It isn't needed in a civil discussion. K? k ^_^.
gibsonb2
Well-known member
Well... I tried posting some pics of the white Essential I received yesterday, but they would not upload.
The phone looks very nice and I like it. First white-body phone I have owned. I plan on putting in a Tudia case that should be here on Monday, but I believe the white would hide any scratches that may occur better than the black one I owned.
The phone looks very nice and I like it. First white-body phone I have owned. I plan on putting in a Tudia case that should be here on Monday, but I believe the white would hide any scratches that may occur better than the black one I owned.
modifier
Well-known member
I have both black and white now and after 48 hours still prefer the black. What I'd really like to see is the Stellar Grey color once it's released. The gloss black is nice but matte might be better... for me anyway. 
$499 seems like a fair price given the camera performance. IMO this is the one and only place the phone is currently lacking. Build quality is still beyond anything else and I still prefer the truly stock Android experience. Oreo will add a few more such as double-tap to wake, night mode and presumably even better battery life. Looking forward to it.
$499 seems like a fair price given the camera performance. IMO this is the one and only place the phone is currently lacking. Build quality is still beyond anything else and I still prefer the truly stock Android experience. Oreo will add a few more such as double-tap to wake, night mode and presumably even better battery life. Looking forward to it.
same here. I had hopes high, but the radio is the most important part of the phone. And hearing about other issues and ridiculous CS, this ain't worth buying at all.
When it comes to single hand use, to me the phone is perfect. the best I tried in the recent years.
And the fact the phone is so rigid definitely is making the screen more fragile. the only winning formula here was to use Sapphire instead of glass.
I have no issues using this phone period. It gets way better signal than both my GS8+ and LG G6. Way better battery life than both those phones. Runs apps smoother than both those phones. Not working the best on Verizon is Verizon's not essentials doing. My wifi works with out any problems. If it was an older chip I doubt I would be able to pull almost 180mbps download speed on WiFi and around 60-80 on cellular using sprint of all networks. As far as distance I can assure that I am more that 15 feet away with 2 walls between the phone and my modem right now, still connected.
You know what is a direct result of dropping a phone is. It's a cracked screen because that's what happens. Maybe my HTC 10 frame was to rigid and that's why the screen broke when I dropped it. The same could also be applied to every phone that has ever had a shattered screen.
I have no issues using this phone one handed and I have smaller hands. To the point that where the gs8+ was uncomfortably large for me to hold.
All of the other issues have been fixed, the camera works well( not the best for low light ), this phone has been updated regularly to address all the original issues. I got mine on the 14th of September and even then I never experienced any major bug on this device.
If apple couldn't pull of the sapphire screen for phones what makes you think a start up would have. That would have also raised the price as well.
There are several people who ended up getting rid if this phone and have already repurchased the phone, if it's such a horrid device why would people spend money twice on a device that is as bad as this thread loosely claims.
I get that and you should keep your phone if you like and have no issues with it.
When it comes to screen, if course they couldn't pull it off, but obviously they didn't consider the drop durability. Ceramic makes it very heavy and rigid and titanium frame is too hard, so there is nothing to absorb impact. you either make something soft around the glass to keep it away from frame contact or just put Sapphire.
modifier
Well-known member
The titanium frame is surrounded in GFRP to help absorb some of the impact. The titanium isn't directly against the ceramic back or glass front. That doesn't make it impervious to all impacts but it's not as bad of a design as you're describing.
Anything can still break. The issue seems to be that Essential's claims make it sound like it's magically drop-proof — and it's not. That doesn't make it a bad design, however. Care must be taken just like any other device.
exactly. well, I forgot the lip as well. OG Moto X had this plastic molding that was like a part of the screen...
if you advertise it like that , the phone has to be near shatter proof. Based on experience posted here, it's far from it. seems like it's actually more fragile than s8 and iPhones.
modifier
Well-known member
Maybe. Or, it's that the Essential community is quite small and filled with enthusiasts who are active online, so we're hearing more about problems with this device than common ones like the S8 and iPhone. I have to think that the majority of Samsung and Apple owners aren't online. Plus, anyone happy with their device is far less likely to go on the Internet and post about it. Most of it is generally negative and those who do post something positive tend to get drowned out by those with bad experiences.
I personally tend to take things in stride and not use the Internet as a barometer for issues. If I did that I'd never buy a smartphone, period.
The PH-1 isn't perfect. But, it's not the worst device out there, either. The right answer is somewhere in between.
shashankmittal
Well-known member
My thoughts:
1. The use of ceramic and titanium does make the phone better at scratch resistant, but nothing is drop proof. No matter what a company's marketing department says, we as customers have to make our own educated decision. While Essential has an upper hand at being scratch resistant, the ceramic back makes it more slippery which can easily cause it to slip out of the palm or pocket. So a protective case may be necessary for added traction.
2. In case of a drop, there are several factors to consider - angle of drop, surface on which the phone is dropped, height from which it is dropped, the point of impact, is there any tumbling after the first impact, etc etc. No two drops are the same and when I see youtubers doing drop tests, it just makes me cringe since those are not scientific or 100% reproducible.
3. Some folks here pointed out the usage of sapphire. Sure Sapphire is stronger than glass, but with manufacturers using gorilla glass 5, which supposedly offers comparable performance with Sapphire, makes it better at meeting price points. Sapphire coating a glass screen (HTC phones) is okay, but what would really make a noticeable difference is if the entire front was made of sapphire, which is also cost prohibitive (remember Vertu phones from the past).
There is a lot that can be said for and against the phone. But in the end, we all have to think and decide for ourselves. Is the Essential phone with an excellent build quality, stock adnroid, flagship specs like other phones, at $499 worth buying? IMO, yes...but then there are some that might think otherwise and that's fine too. Even if Essential doesn't sell too many phones, they have certainly demonstrated whats possible and I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers start taking cues from them for future phones.
1. The use of ceramic and titanium does make the phone better at scratch resistant, but nothing is drop proof. No matter what a company's marketing department says, we as customers have to make our own educated decision. While Essential has an upper hand at being scratch resistant, the ceramic back makes it more slippery which can easily cause it to slip out of the palm or pocket. So a protective case may be necessary for added traction.
2. In case of a drop, there are several factors to consider - angle of drop, surface on which the phone is dropped, height from which it is dropped, the point of impact, is there any tumbling after the first impact, etc etc. No two drops are the same and when I see youtubers doing drop tests, it just makes me cringe since those are not scientific or 100% reproducible.
3. Some folks here pointed out the usage of sapphire. Sure Sapphire is stronger than glass, but with manufacturers using gorilla glass 5, which supposedly offers comparable performance with Sapphire, makes it better at meeting price points. Sapphire coating a glass screen (HTC phones) is okay, but what would really make a noticeable difference is if the entire front was made of sapphire, which is also cost prohibitive (remember Vertu phones from the past).
There is a lot that can be said for and against the phone. But in the end, we all have to think and decide for ourselves. Is the Essential phone with an excellent build quality, stock adnroid, flagship specs like other phones, at $499 worth buying? IMO, yes...but then there are some that might think otherwise and that's fine too. Even if Essential doesn't sell too many phones, they have certainly demonstrated whats possible and I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers start taking cues from them for future phones.
I can tell you there were post on day one of people dropping and breaking the glass on their new s8 and s8+. They we're doing the same as the op claiming that there is an issue with the design and build materials blah blah blah.
It sucks to drop a phone and have it break. To try and blame something on the device when it's was your own actions is counter productive. It spreads this unnecessary fear and rumors about a device that are 100% false.
Lol at the idea of aluminum being used to absorb shock. This is backseat engineering at its most entertaining.
I had a Pixel 2 XL for 4 whole days and I got a bad device. Major screen issues that I had to return it. Was going to exchange it but reading all the issues I decided to go with a refund until Google and LG hash out the pOLED issues. Picked up an essential phone Friday at best buy. Using it on T-Mobile and I've had no issues with connectivity or Wi-Fi. At $540(with tax) this phone is far from perfect but in my humble opinion is a way better deal than the $1,018 I paid for the Pixel 2XL. Kind of reminds me of the Nexus 4/5.. with way better and more premium material build at a very reasonable cost. Camera still needs a lot of work but overall this thing is amazing at $500+ could of got it at $499 shipped but the Pixel was giving me so many issues the extra $40 in tax was worth getting it right away since my daughter refused to give me back my original Pixel XL and I want about to go down to her 2nd generation Moto G...
My only real complaints are it does feel slick/slippery and there are very limited case options for this phone and after the Nexus 6, 6p and Pixel XL this thing feels tiny in the hand and I'd probably actually prefer a little bit of bezel.
But to each his own.
My only real complaints are it does feel slick/slippery and there are very limited case options for this phone and after the Nexus 6, 6p and Pixel XL this thing feels tiny in the hand and I'd probably actually prefer a little bit of bezel.
But to each his own.
I have a pixel2 XL too and I'm debating whether to return actually just because the price is Nauseating. I don't have any issues with the device. I wanted to ask how the performance is with the ph-1? Is it as smooth and snappy as the Pixel? I like a lag free experience..it's the most important to me.
Last edited:
modifier
Well-known member
Today's system update made a pretty good difference with touch input and scrolling. I've always found the PH-1 to be plenty snappy and smooth, even before this update. I wouldn't have re-purchased otherwise. Unfortunately I don't have a Pixel 2 / 2 XL to compare since I canceled my 2 XL order after reaching the same conclusion on the Pixel being twice the price.
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