So far, I'm liking the Essential Phone.
You can pre-order the Phone now from Essential's website for $699. Rubin said Wednesday that pre-orders of the Phone will begin shipping in the next seven days.
Apps that aren't optimized for the Phone's display look like they would on other smartphones.
Apps that aren't designed to wrap around the Phone's camera notch display a black bar at the top of its screen. They make the device look like a regular phone with a top bezel.
Here's what Google's Chrome app looks like on the Phone. Note that it hasn't yet been optimized for the Phone's screen.
The only non-Google apps that come with the phone are the camera app and a Sprint app.
The camera app is extremely simple. The only settings you can configure are the shutter sound, which you can turn on or off, and whether to save the location of the photo with the image.
The Phone's operating system is essentially the stock version of Android 7.1.
That means you won't find the added layer of software that you'd see on a Samsung or LG phone.
When it comes to Android phones, I always prefer the look and feel of stock Android. Thankfully, the Phone's version of Android is a close as you can get without buying a Google Pixel. The main difference is that it doesn't have the launcher you'll find on the Pixel phones, because Google reserves that for its own devices.
Running on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 processor, the Phone feels snappy. It handled everything I threw at it swimmingly.
For the most part, the Phone's version of Android and its default apps make the most of its edge-to-edge-to-edge display.
Notice how the Android app drawer fills up the screen.
Apps look gorgeous when they're optimized to fill the Phone's entire screen.
Notice how the app wraps around the device's camera and sensor "notch."
What would an Android phone be without a notification light?
You'll find a diminutive Android notification light at the top of the phone near the speaker grill for the earphone.
You'll find the volume and power buttons on the Phone's right side.
Having both the power and volume buttons on the same side could be awkward for some people and might lead them to accidentally push the wrong button.
Like its back, the Phone's edges also have a mirror finish.
The device has sharper edges than you'd find on the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S8. Those sharp edges give it an ultra-classy look, but also make it less comfortable to hold.
But it does include an adapter.
If you want to listen to music with wired headphones, Essential includes in the Phone's box a USB-C headphone adapter that has a tasteful fabric exterior.
The base of the device lacks a useful feature.
On the bottom you'll find a USB-C port for charging and data transfers and a speaker grill. What you won't find is a headphone jack, which is unfortunate.
Unlike the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S8, the Phone isn't water-resistant. I'll leave that up to you whether or not that's a drawback.
You also can't expand the Phone's storage with a memory card. However, its 128GB of built-in storage should be plenty for most people.
The camera appears to be excellent.
I'll be testing it further for a full review later on. But here's a shot taken of our usual test scene.
When you take a picture, both the color and monochrome sensors capture an image at the same time. The Phone combines them to create a photo with great contrast and clarity.
The Phone's back includes some of its key features.
You'll find there the device's fingerprint scanner, its dual-lens camera system, and two magnetic, metallic dots that are used to connect add-ons, like a 360-degree camera.
Both of the device's built-in back cameras have 13-megapixel sensors, but one of the cameras takes shots in full color, while the other shoots only in black and white.
The Phone's fingerprint sensor is OK. It isn't as fast as the one on the OnePlus 5, but so far I've found that it's faster and more accurate than the Galaxy S8's.
The back also has a perfectly smooth mirror finish.
The downside of that is that the back is practically begging for scratches and fingerprint smudges.
Its back is made of ceramic, which is gorgeous
Can you spot what's missing? It doesn't have a single logo. That omission just adds to the Phone's classy and pristine design.
The Essential Phone is a beautiful smartphone.
The Phone's design is somewhat generic, but it's tasteful, and the device's titanium body and ceramic back give it a premium look and feel.
The phone has a 5.71-inch IPS display, which delivers beautifully rich and inky colors. With a resolution of 2560 x 1312 pixels, it's sharp, too. It's not quite as sharp as the Galaxy S8's display, but you won't really notice the difference.