Andy Rubin Gives Us a Flagship Level Essential Smartphone at $699

Andy Rubin, the creator of Android, launches a smartphone called Essential. Price, specifications and more.

Essential smartphone by Android creator Andy Rubin.(Photo: essential.com)

I am sure the name Andy Rubin doesn’t instantly ring a bell in most people’s ears, unlike Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. But you should know that he’s the man responsible for making Android, the operating system that’s running more than 99% of smartphones all over the world.

Reports of Rubin’s venture into hardware really sparked a lot of interest in the tech world, and now, finally, the father of Android has launched a smartphone dubbed Essential.

Specifications

• Titanium Body
• Gorilla glass 5
• Thickness: 7.8mm
• Weight: 185 gm
• Display: 5.7-inch quad HD
• Resolution: 2560 x 1312
• Processor: Snapdragon 835
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 128GB
• Rear camera: 13+13-megapixel dual lens, f/1.85
• Front camera: 8-megapixel, f/2.2
• Battery: 3040mAh
• Price: $699

The phone is currently available on for reservations only in the US and has been priced at $699. No news on when it will come to India.

The phone comes with a modular design with an attachment for a 360-degree camera, touted to be the world’s thinnest 360-degree snapper. Specifications of the phone are top notch. It comes with the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM. Another interesting feature of the phone is the 5.7-inch quad HD edge-to-edge display of the phone.

Some other specifications of the phone include a 3040mAh battery with a 13+13-megapixel dual camera, with f/1.85 aperture and an 8-megapixel front camera that also records in 4k. Also, it does not sport the 3.5mm headphone jack and comes with 128GB of storage space.

The phone is in direct competition with the flagships of today like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the iPhone 7 Plus.