The makers of the Essential Phone held another Ask Me Anything session over at Reddit, mainly answering questions about the phone's forthcoming updates, including the arrival of Android Oreo, night mode, and other useful additions.
The Essential Phone, dubbed PH-1, was one of the most anticipated phones this year, but its launch was pretty rough. Mired by multiple delays and broken promises, the Essential Phone only "properly" launched this September, to mixed reception.
Despite glowing reviews, the Essential Phone got smack for its allegedly underwhelming camera, but the rest of the phone — a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, 4 GB of RAM, decent-capacity battery — made it one of the most attractive offerings included in this year's smartphone lineup, not to mention that it also has a unique design on top of everything.
Still, several reports say Essential only managed to sell 5,000 units, which if true would mean the Essential Phone is a major flop. But Andy Rubin's startup is still pretty stinking rich, so there's room for trying again next year. But hold on — the Essential Phone is not being abandoned anytime soon, because as the developers make clear in the AMA, there are plenty of great updates still ahead.
Essential Phone: Android Oreo Release Date
Here's the good news: Essential says the public beta for Android Oreo might be available "within several weeks." The bad news: several weeks can mean anything from a month to two, or perhaps even longer. Also, keep in mind that Essential has already proven that it doesn't do well with deadlines.
Night Mode
Essential also confirmed that Night Mode, which reduces the screen's blue light to prevent eye strain, will be coming alongside Android Oreo.
Essential Phone: Jittery Scrolling And Laggy Touch Response
The Essential phone isn't perfect. In addition to its disappointing camera, its display jitters sometimes, and users have experienced a certain lag with its touch responses. Fortunately, those will be fixed in "a few weeks" via an OTA update.
Where's The White Essential Phone?
Essential previously promised four Essential Phone colors: black, green, gray and white. So far, only one of those has shipped — black. The company says the green and gray variants are still under development, but confirms that the white variant is ready for shipping. It's being delayed by the Chinese holidays, though, so folks who ordered the white model will have to wait a bit longer.
Those are basically the most important details from Essential's AMA session, with the Oreo update quite possibly the most crucial one because it basically means Essential hasn't given up on supporting the phone despite its alleged underwhelming sales numbers.
Expect due coverage as Tech Times learns more.
Thoughts about the Essential Phone? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
