Rare unreleased phone gets demoed years after being shelved
Years after a canned release, someone got hold of a prototype of Essential’s unreleased PH-2 phone, which looks bizarrely unique.
Smartphone maker Essential played a brief yet significant part in smartphone history. Founded by Android’s creator Andy Rubin, Essential released a semi-modular device called PH-1 or Essential Phone and teased another before being shut down abruptly in 2020 – just three years after it came into existence.
Now, in 2024, Rob Wainwright, a software engineer who works at Nova Launcher, has been able to buy the unreleased prototype of the phone on eBay.
Even though not all its features work, the device is still usable. Rob could install apps, use the camera, and show Essential’s unique skin that runs on top of the Android 10 operating system.
The narrow form factor of the device makes it look more like a remote control than a phone. It has an AMOLED screen and a weird aspect ratio of 2160×560, making running regular apps challenging. Even in the video, Rob shows web apps instead of regular Android applications, such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and more.
The PH-2, or “Project Gem,” was first teased in 2019 and was unlike any other smartphone that existed back then.
The comment section on this YouTube video is filled with people reacting to the design. A user named @worthless_opinion called it the “Best TV remote ever.” Meanwhile, @LaDeXi opined that the device was “Cool. Getting serious old-school Nokia vibes. We need more different styles of phones.”
Another user, DoReid0, appreciated the unusual look and wished to go back to the era when smartphone makers were open to experimenting with designs and said, “Let’s please go back to when tech was experimental, fun, different, and creative. Great vision, love this idea.”
For context, Essential was shut down due to poor sales and its founder, Andy Rubin, being embroiled in controversy. Carl Pei’s startup Nothing later acquired all of Essential’s patents and intellectual property.