When you hear anything related to “flagship smartphones” you’ll probably think about not more than 4 companies, that are really in the top spots of the market. This is why we should be more objective and pay attention to phones that are not that famous as well but still try to offer the best they can at the most reasonable price.
This is where the “Essential Phone” could rank as well. Since the release of the phone, I have to admit that they did the best they could in order to make everything about the phone flawless in terms of hardware and software, but most importantly they understood that the price tag is not the most appropriate one! Props to the company and we should really draw our attention to products like this.
What is actually better in this phone, when compared to other flagship models? Why it does deserve our attention and what’s the hardware and software about? Read thoroughly if you’d like to understand why I’m saying that this PH-1 model is underrated and why it is better than some of the versions that you’d pay twice the amount for.
What’s good about this PH-1 Essential Phone?
So, there is pretty much everything in this smartphone that you could ever want. It’s hard to say what is not there actually. From the design to hardware, software and specs there is nothing to complain about for such a phone.
Design:
To start with, the design is pretty beautiful and the bezel is thinner than all of the flagship phones that you could look up to right now. The notch camera is innovative and makes incredible pictures while being superbly comfortable for video-calls. It works with apps in a great and different way, which is not only interesting but pretty useful and good-looking. On the sides, you could see that the phone is made of titanium, that adds to the comfort while holding the smartphone – bad thing that more phones don’t have it in their concepts.
Hardware:
So, to start with the first thing we see when we look at the device, the display, we have to mention the great LTPS IPS LCD technology that stands behind it. The size of the screen is 5.7″ and it has a 1312 x 2560 pixel resolution all covered by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The Snapdragon 835 processor makes sure that everything runs smoothly with the help of all 4 cores, that work at 4×2.45 GHz frequency. Also, the 4GB RAM storage could easily compare to the numbers of the Samsung Galaxy S8+, which is the best selling phone from last year. The PH-1 Essential Phone even beats the Samsung device in terms of internal storage capacity, with its 128GB storage being twice as much as this on the S8+.
The camera is awesome as well and for a phone that’s at this price, we couldn’t ask for more. I can’t think of any better device out there that sells at less than this PH-1 smartphone. It is 13MP dual-lens with the ability to record videos at 2160p, which on the display looks incredible!
Software and price:
The bad thing about this smartphone is that it still hasn’t got an update for the OS. It works on Android 7.1 (Nougat) but the manufacturer is currently working on an update, so the issue will be solved in near future. The price of $480 is more than convenient for such a device, so if you are within this price range and searching for a device – go ahead for it! You wouldn’t remain disappointed, believe me.
Should you buy it?
If its lack of headphone jack, waterproofing, expandable storage and wireless charging aren’t deal breakers for you, the Essential Phone is a solid choice today that only stands to grow into an even more essential product. But for others, it’s hard to recommend outright unless its price falls even more.
Currently, with the drop at the price of the Samsung Galaxy S8, since the new model is out, I’d rather save up another two hundred dollars and get a smartphone like this, rather than the Essential Phone, but it is just my decision. This doesn’t mean that the phone doesn’t have any parts that are better than it? It all depends on your needs, price range and expectations, so think twice before you get the device.
