Insider gives rare glimpse of unreleased essential phone

Essential's unreleased PH-2 has seen the light of day, partly; an insider has shared visuals of the unreleased 'candy bar' device

Tech Desk - Jul 20, 2024

An undated image of Essentials unreleased PH-2. — Bob Wainright — An undated image of Essential's unreleased PH-2. — Bob Wainright

Announced back in 2019 under ‘Project Gem’, someone has gained access to Essential’s unreleased ‘candy bar’ phone.

The device sports a rather unconventional look, with its narrow but tall display making people wonder how devices would look if they kept getting taller, not wider.

Bob Wainright, a software engineer at Nova Launcher, got hold of the handset from eBay. In the video he published, apps appear in a card style while the clock mimics the look of one on a smartwatch.

Following the release of its inaugural ‘The Essential Phone’, the company noted a rather subdued response with only 150,000 units sold. Sexual misconduct allegations against founder Andy Rubin didn’t help either, leading to cancelled plans and the company shutting down in 2020, having no ‘clear path to deliver’ to customers.

The PH-1 houses a 5.7-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 2160 by 560, a non-functional fingerprint reader, and a protruding camera at the back.

The user interface (UI) is usable but seems out of place. Gestures at the bottom are used to interact, and apps feature web versions that are operable but not as intuitive.