Key Takeaways
- Essential’s PH-2 prototype features a tall, candybar-shaped 5.3-inch AMOLED display.
- The phone’s homescreen focuses mostly on widgets instead of app icons.
- Essential’s failure to deliver the PH-2 can mostly be blamed on low sales of the PH-1.
A newly-released video showcases a prototype of the PH-2, Essential’s unreleased sequel product, which was an attempt to radically alter how people use smartphones. The prototype was bought off eBay by Nova Launcher engineer Rob Wainwright, and appears to be mostly functional, although its fingerprint sensor doesn’t work and a number of interface elements aren’t finished. The centerpiece of course is its unusual 5.3-inch, 2160×560 AMOLED display, which is almost literally candybar shaped — it can be used one-handed, despite belonging to an all-touchscreen Android phone.
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The PH-2’s homescreen is primarily widget-based, although tapping on widgets like Weather or YouTube opens up a web app instead of native software. Had the prototype been finished, it’s likely that a lot more optimization would’ve happened — YouTube in particular looks strange, with video relegated to a stamp-sized area and the rest of the screen taken up by things like comments and recommendations. There are very few apps present in the first place, some others being Uber, Spotify, and Instagram. Essential would’ve likely had to build many native apps itself to match the phone’s tall resolution.
Cameras include a round, protruding one on the rear — with flash — and a holepunch camera embedded within the display. Sensor and aperture details are unknown, and unfortunately they may never be without a complete teardown. The same goes for most other specs on the phone.
Why was the Essential PH-2 never released?
While Essential premiered to a lot of publicity, with former Google executive Andy Rubin at the helm, it never found its footing. The company’s first phone — released in 2017 — was praised for things like its aesthetics, battery life, and support for add-on modules. Its camera cutout was also unique at the time, serving as a template for many smartphones to come. The Essential Phone only sold about 150,000 units, however, which didn’t give the company much revenue to operate from.
Compounding matters is that while the PH-2 was in development, revelations emerged about the sexual misconduct claims that forced Rubin out of Google. Essential eventually closed up shop in 2020, admitting that there was “no clear path” to delivering the PH-2 to customers. Its only real public exposure had been as “Project Gem,” a device teased back in 2019. The firm also never got around to releasing a promised smart display, which would’ve dipped into a smart home market ruled by Amazon and Google.
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