What are the pros of Essential Phone (PH-1) — Titanium & Ceramic Flagship Review?

Exquisite and incredibly durable titanium and ceramic build quality , Pioneering edge-to-edge display with a centered camera notch , Clean, bloat-free stock Android experience with fast updates up to Android 10 , Compact and rigid pocketable form factor , Magnetic pogo pin modular accessory connector

What are the cons of Essential Phone (PH-1) — Titanium & Ceramic Flagship Review?

Dual camera low-light performance lagged behind mainstream flagships , No 3.5mm headphone jack or microSD expansion slot , Company ceased operations, ending official hardware support

How much does Essential Phone (PH-1) — Titanium & Ceramic Flagship Review cost?

The Essential Phone (PH-1) — Titanium & Ceramic Flagship Review is priced at $699.

Primary

Essential Editor's Choice 2017

PH-1

Essential Phone (PH-1) — Titanium & Ceramic Flagship Review

Display 1312 x 2560 pixels 19:10 ratio (~504 ppi density)

Performance Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835...

Battery 27W wired fast charging USB Power Delivery 2.0

Size 5.71 inches

Expert Score

4.3

90% Confidence

Community Score

3.7

0% Confidence

AI Score

4.3

89% Confidence

Final Score

4.2

90% Confidence

Storage

RAM

Color

Regional

In Stock

$699

Lowest $150 Best: Amazon Refurbished

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Category Scores

Overall hardware score: 88/100 — groundbreaking titanium and ceramic build quality, clean stock Android interface, and pioneering all-screen design language.

Performance Great

Snapdragon 835 chip delivers snappy, fluid daily...

Display Excellent

Distinctive 5.71-inch QHD edge-to-edge LTPS disp...

Camera Great

Dual 13MP RGB and monochrome sensors offered ave...

Battery Great

3040 mAh battery provides moderate daily enduran...

Gaming Great

Adreno 540 handles legacy mobile titles smoothly...

AI Great

Basic machine learning assistance through stock...

Security Excellent

Fast rear-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor.

Value for Money Great

Aggressive price cuts late in its lifecycle enha...

Design Excellent

Exquisite unpainted titanium frame and glossy ce...

Repairability Fair

Notoriously difficult to repair due to extreme g...

Software Support Excellent

Pioneered fast stock updates, officially upgrade...

Connectivity Great

4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and USB-C.

Audio Great

Single bottom-firing loudspeaker (lacked 3.5mm h...

Durability Excellent

Extremely rigid titanium frame highly resistant...

Charging Great

27W fast wired charging via USB Power Delivery.

Specifications

Display 4

Size 5.71 inches

Type LTPS IPS LCD, 500 nits brightness

Resolution 1312 x 2560 pixels, 19:10 ratio (~504 ppi density)

Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5

Processor 3

Chipset Key Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 (10 nm)

CPU Octa-core (4x2.45 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo)

GPU Key Adreno 540

Memory 2

RAM Key 4GB

Type LPDDR4X

Storage 3

Internal 128GB

Expandable No

Standard UFS 2.1

Battery 2

Capacity 3040 mAh non-removable

Wired charging 27W wired fast charging, USB Power Delivery 2.0

Camera 2

Main 1 13 MP, f/1.85, 1/3.1", PDAF, Laser AF

Main 2 13 MP B/W monochrome sensor, f/1.85, 1/3.1"

Front Camera 1

Sensor 8 MP, f/2.2, 4K video recording

Video 1

Max resolution 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, 720p at 120fps

Connectivity 4

Network 4G LTE, HSPA, CDMA, GSM

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE

USB USB Type-C 2.0

Sensors 2

Fingerprint Rear-mounted capacitive

Accessories Magnetic pogo pins for modular 360 camera attachment

Dimensions 3

Height 141.5 mm

Width 71.1 mm

Depth 7.8 mm

Weight 1

Weight 185 g

Materials 3

Frame Key Titanium frame

Back Ceramic back panel

Front Corning Gorilla Glass 5

Colors 1

Options Black Moon, Pure White, Stellar Gray, Ocean Depths

Operating System 1

OS Android 7.1.1 Nougat, upgradable to Android 10

Expert Review

By Mutwassim

Design

The Essential Phone set a new benchmark for industrial design with its cold-to-the-touch unpainted titanium frame, glossy ceramic back, and completely flat, minimalist profile.

Display

It features an edge-to-edge 5.71-inch C-cut LTPS LCD screen with QHD+ resolution (1312 x 2560 pixels) and an unusual 19:10 aspect ratio.

Performance

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.1 storage, ensuring fluid day-to-day operation.

Gaming

Adreno 540 graphics handle period-appropriate mobile games smoothly.

Camera

Equipped with a dual 13MP camera system combining an RGB sensor and a dedicated monochrome sensor for enhanced contrast and detail capture.

Battery

The 3040 mAh battery provides standard working-day endurance supported by 27W USB-PD fast charging.

Software

Shipped with unadulterated stock Android and received prompt updates all the way up to Android 10.

Ai

Basic Google Assistant integration via clean system software.

Pros

Exquisite and incredibly durable titanium and ceramic build quality
Pioneering edge-to-edge display with a centered camera notch
Clean, bloat-free stock Android experience with fast updates up to Android 10
Compact and rigid pocketable form factor
Magnetic pogo pin modular accessory connector

Cons

Dual camera low-light performance lagged behind mainstream flagships
No 3.5mm headphone jack or microSD expansion slot
Company ceased operations, ending official hardware support

The Essential Phone (PH-1) designed by Andy Rubin introduced minimalist industrial design to the smartphone market, utilizing an ultra-durable titanium chassis and ceramic back panel. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, it featured a near bezel-less 5.71-inch QHD display with an early front camera cutout and magnetic pogo pins for modular accessories.

Verdict

The Essential Phone (PH-1) remains an iconic piece of modern smartphone history, celebrated for its bold use of titanium, ceramic, and all-screen design.

Final: 4.2/10 Best for: Value seekers Segment: Premium

Product Intelligence

Unpainted Titanium Frame and Glossy Ceramic Back Near Bezel-Less 5.71-inch QHD Display with Notch Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Processor Clean, Bloat-Free Stock Android OS (Upgraded to Android 10) Magnetic Pogo Pins for Modular Accessories

Who Should Buy

Design enthusiasts, tech history collectors, and fans of clean, bloat-free stock Android software.

Who Should Avoid

Users requiring modern multi-lens camera versatility, headphone jacks, or active software security patches.

Key Takeaways

A monumental design milestone that popularized screen notches and premium materials
Unrivaled structural rigidity thanks to its commercial-grade titanium chassis
Cult classic status among Android purists