The Essential PH-1 Phone is now priced properly at $499

The Essential Phone has just dropped in price to $499 and is now properly priced to compete with other Android devices on the market. If you’ve never heard of the Essential Phone, it’s because it is a new device from a new company looking to make headway into the premium smartphone market. The Essential Phone is the first smartphone from Andy Rubin, who is a founder of Android Inc. That’s right, the Godfather of Android.

Rubin and his team saw a need to give smartphone users complete control and ownership of their devices. He also wanted to give them an ultra-premium device that could last more than a year. The Essential Phone, launched with massive hype with a price tag of $699, but failed to meet the standards of reviewers almost universally. That’s nothing to be ashamed of for Essential, as its first smartphone is still a great device. Today, Essential dropped the price of the Essential Phone to $499 permanently and at that price, it’s an excellent buy.

Beyond the internal specs, the Essential Phone is built with ultra-premium materials: Titanium as a frame, which is more durable than aluminum, and a ceramic back which resists scratching and cracks better than glass. Internally it has all of the specs you will find in high-end phones from Samsung, LG and Google. It runs a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB storage, QHD 2560 x 1312 QHD display, dual RGB rear cameras, 3040mAh internal battery, USB-C, Bluetooth 5.0LE, is compatible across all four major carriers in the US and carries an IP54 water and dust resistance rating.

The Essential PH-1 comes with an almost bezeless display, but its main focus is running a clean version of Android with an ultra-premium build. It’s not perfect with a so-so performing camera app, but that’s okay for a first ever smartphone from Essential. At $499 the trade-off with an average performing camera might be worth it, considering the Pixel 2XL costs $849, the Note 8 costs $949 and the iPhone X costs $999.

You can get the Essential PH-1 in Pure White and Black Moon, but I’ve been holding off for the Ocean Depths color which is due out soon. Learn more at www.essential.com.