Essential Phone gets permanently discounted by $200

Andy Rubin's Essential Phone has been an exciting product to watch but also a frustrating one to root for. There have been shipping delays, identity phishing fiascos, a lacklustre camera and reports that it isn't selling well at all.  

My own time with a Canadian unit was fraught with software glitches, poor camera experience and promised firmware updates that didn't come within the review period. Another key complain about the device is the high price. This is something Essential is in control of, and starting this weekend, the company is takingUS $200 off the price of the Essential Phone.

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Pure White version of Essential Phone now available on Essential.com

While TELUS is exclusively distributing the Essential Phone here, if you have a way to buy it through Essential’s site the Pure White version of the phone is finally available. Nothing is different with the internals of the device (you can check out our first impressions here) but if you’ve been charmed by this “panda” look of having a black front and white back design, you might want to check this out. The rear is still made with ceramic and its frame is titanium. On top of Pure White and Moon Black, there are two other color options Essential hasn’t launched yet: Stellar Gray and Ocean Depths. In the US, this model is expected to be available on Amazon, Best Buy, and Sprint.

Source: Android Police

Research firm claims only 5,000 units of the Essential Phone have been sold in the US

First Look at the Essential Phone

The Essential Phone doesn’t seem to be doing so well, if we are to base it on this new report from research firm BayStreet. The company, which tracks phone shipments in the US, found that only 5,000 Essential Phone units have been sold since its launch. That seems unthinkable for a company that has been valued at around US$1.2 billion. But this might be due to the fact that the phone was supposed to come out back in June and only started shipping this month, plus its premium price tag might have brought consumers to other flagships that offered more. In the US, it’s exclusive through Sprint but there are unlocked models available on Best Buy and Essential’s online site. Here in the country it’s exclusive through TELUS and we don’t have the figures yet of how much they’ve sold here.

Source: Phone Arena

Essential Phone will get Android Oreo update within two months

The Essential Phone just recently launched (you’ve probably seen photos on our Instagram) and the company has great news for those who got the phone, it’ll be getting Android Oreo pretty soon. According to Rebecca Zavin, vice president for software at Essential, the update is coming “in the next month or two.” She made the announcement on a Reddit AMA she had with Essential’s founder Andy Rubin and three other execs from the company.

Aside from that, they announced that, they are working on a high-end audio accessory that comes with a 3.5mm headset jack. Just like its other accessories, this will connect through the two magnetic pins at the back of the device. Now, you might question why didn’t Essential just put the headset jack on the phone in the first place? Dave Evans, the VP of design for Essential, said that would’ve resulted in putting a bigger bottom bezel under the screen, reducing the battery capacity by 10 percent, or having a big bump to accommodate the jack. They weren’t comfortable with the tradeoffs so they didn’t put it in.

Source: GSMArena