A long-delayed hands-on with Essential’s skinny Android phone

Jul 18, 2024 03:00 AM - 4 months ago 91181

Someone obtained Essential’s unreleased smartphone that took nan “candy bar” style telephone a spot excessively far. Originally revealed successful 2019 arsenic “Project Gem,” this PH-2 looks for illustration what you’d get from splitting an already gangly Sony Xperia 1 successful half. It reminds maine of memes that popped up astir nan somewhat taller 4-inch surface connected nan iPhone 5, arsenic people imagined what mightiness hap if phones conscionable kept getting taller alternatively of wider.

Rob Wainwright, a package technologist who useful connected nan Nova Launcher, says he bought nan telephone connected eBay, and in his video, you tin spot nan mostly operational PH-2 pinch card-style widgets for apps for illustration Spotify and Uber, on pinch a smartwatch-style timepiece astatine nan top.

Why didn’t it travel out? The first Essential telephone successful 2017 reportedly only sold astir 150,000 units, and earlier a follow-up could launch, reports by The Information and nan New York Times surfaced disturbing details astir nan intersexual misconduct claims surrounding institution laminitis Andy Rubin’s departure from Google a fewer years earlier. Plans for nan 2nd telephone were canceled, and successful early 2020, Essential shut down, saying it had “no clear way to deliver” nan instrumentality to customers.

The video shows disconnected nan PH-2’s gangly 5.7-inch AMOLED show pinch 2,160 by 560 solution and a holepunch camera successful nan front, while nan rear has a protruding camera and a non-functional fingerprint reader. Like the PH-1, this 1 is besides a fingerprint magnet.

While nan UI is not afloat complete, nan video shows disconnected nan civilization Android launcher that has swipe-up gestures connected nan bottommost corners to spell location aliases back. Many of nan cards connected nan homescreen are fundamentally conscionable web apps that, erstwhile opened, look very retired of spot — a YouTube video looks for illustration a postage stamp sideways connected nan top, and nan remainder of nan surface is conscionable nan description, comments, and different suggested videos.