Essential Phone says bye to bezels, hello to modular upgrades
Andy Rubin's first phone has dual-camera cleverness too
When the man that originally created Android comes up with a phone, you’d better pay attention – although it certainly helps that the Essential Phone is a slab of sheer smartphone beauty, too. Andy Rubin’s pet project ditches ugly bezels for a screen that fills the entire front of the phone, apart from a tiny gap for a front-facing camera that actually bulges out into the display. It’s made from an ultra-tough mix of titanium and ceramic, so dropping it won’t mean the end of the world, and it’s got a dual camera setup on the back that combines colour and monochrome sensors to give detail a much-needed boost. Add in the most powerful smartphone internals you can find like a Snapdragon 835 CPU, plus a magnetic modular connector that’ll let you bolt on optional accessories, and Samsung had better start watching its back. You’ll be able to pick one up directly from Essential when it goes on sale for $699 later in the year.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
