Today, over two years since the Essential Phone (PH-1) was announced and nearly six months since it was discontinued, Essential CEO and Android co-founder Andy Rubin has teased a potential second-generation smartphone.
In reply to a Twitter thread that was originally started way back in September, Rubin revealed that Essential has plans to “make an announcement” but, in the meantime, customers should “hang tight.” No further information was provided, but the context does strongly suggest that it relates to a new device – the thread was started by somebody asking Essential to make a new smartphone.
Thanks. We'll make an announcement. Hang tight.
— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) June 11, 2019
The company itself has teased new hardware in the past and recent patents did suggest an all-screen design with essentially no bezels could be in the works. Nevertheless, no concrete information has surfaced. Moreover, there were reports last year that work on a second-generation model had been canceled.
Ultimately, it’s unclear what Essential has up it’s sleeves but it’ll certainly be interesting to see what a new smartphone would look like. After all, the design of the original is often considered ahead of its time thanks to its waterdrop notch and thin bezels. Even by 2019 flagship standards, the device doesn’t look too dated, although the chin could benefit from a slight reduction in size.
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