The Essential Phone Review: Save Your Money!

Durability

Marques Brownlee reviews the Essential Phone's materials, highlighting its titanium and ceramic construction. He notes that the titanium sides are more durable than typical aluminum, offering better resistance to chipping and drops. The polished ceramic back, while harder than glass, is more prone to breaking due to its brittleness. Marques appreciates the phone's industrial design, stating, "It's simple, not too flashy, but obviously still has a signature look." However, he points out the lack of waterproofing, which is common in other phones at this price range 1.

   

Design

The Essential Phone's design features a 5.7-inch display with minimal bezels and a unique cutout for the front-facing camera. Marques Brownlee initially thought the design might be distracting, but found it quickly became unnoticeable. He mentions, "The phone looks awesome in my opinion, with the thin bezels," and appreciates the clean software experience with stock Android 2. Despite the LCD screen not being OLED, which limits some display tricks, the phone's aesthetic and software simplicity stand out.