Essential's upcoming 'Project Gem' smartphone has a very unusual design

A couple of years ago, the company Essential launched its first and only smartphone called the Essential Phone. The smartphone got in the news primarily for its tiny notch design, which was new for the time. Two years later, the company has teased another smartphone that has a very unusual design, resembling a remote control.

Essential’s founder Andy Rubin has tweeted a few photos and videos showing off the upcoming Essential smartphone. The new smartphone features a shiny, reflective rear panel with 'GEM colour-shift material'. It has four different shades of blue, gold, magenta and cyan, which shift colour depending upon the light thrown on it.

While we are at the rear panel, another thing noticed is that the phone has a single lens setup inside a circular camera module. Below the protruding rear camera module is a fingerprint scanner.

...still dialing in the colors pic.twitter.com/4gEpFU7mpZ

— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) October 8, 2019

On the front, the elongated smartphone has an unusually tall display with a punch-hole camera. Due to a different form factor, the smartphone features a new UI with widgets and cards for apps.

Rubin did not reveal any other specifications or details about the upcoming smartphone. The company’s official Twitter handle shared more images of the smartphone, giving a more clear look. The smartphone could be launched as Essential Gem if we go by the hashtag used in the tweet.

The company has confirmed that the Essential phone is currently under testing, which means we shouldn’t be expecting a launch anytime soon.

We've been working on a new device to reframe your perspective on mobile. It's now in early testing with our team outside the lab. Look forward to sharing more in the near future! #ProjectGEMpic.twitter.com/BnVy7yM2Kj — Essential (@essential) October 9, 2019