Android creator Andy Rubin launches Essential Phone: Price, specifications and more

Andy Rubin, the man hailed as the creator of popular Google operating system Android, has launched a new smartphone, a smart speaker and a 360-degree camera under the umbrella of his company Essential.

The handheld device, dubbed Essential Phone, boasts of specs and a price (USD 699) that can give flagships from the stables of Samsung and Apple. Besides, the company is looking to disrupt the smartphone-plus ecosystem with offerings such as Home smartphone to take on similar devices from Google’s smart assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. Given the dominance of Google and Amazon, Essential has a tough job ahead.

The Essential Phone boxes in a 1.9 GHz processor with a 3040 mAh battery under a 5.7-inch nearly-bezel-less screen. Such bezel-less screens are found on Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S8 series phones.

The Essential Phone is crafted using titanium and ceramic and has the world's thinnest dual camera system.

While it houses a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera, the cherry on the top comes from the 360-degree camera accessory that can be mounted on the phone. Essential aims to make clicking photographs and videos a truly immersive experience with the 360-degree camera. The add-on camera costs USD 199, but the company is selling it at USD 50 if purchased with the phone.

Other features include a 4GB RAM and a 128GB internal memory which can easily fulfil OS and storage requirements. The Essential Phone is a single-SIM smartphone with a nano-SIM slot. On the connectivity front, it offers WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, USB OTG, 3G and 4G.

Specifications: Display: 5.71-inch | Processor: 1.9 GHz octa-core | Front Camera: 8MP; Rear Camera: 13MP | Display Resolution: 2560 x 1312 pixels | 4GB RAM | Android OS | 128 GB Storage | Battery Capacity: 3040mAh | Price: USD 699