Essential’s next smartphone is in early testing phase

Essential confirms it is working on a new smartphone and says it is currently in early testing. There are no concrete details about the device. According to an earlier rumor, Essential is working on an ‘ai phone’ with a small screen.

A spokesperson for Essential has confirmed to XDA Developers that a new device is coming and that first tests are being conducted with that smartphone. It is not clear how long it will take before the new phone comes out. The spokesperson did not provide any details.

XDA Developers itself has found some clues that could reveal specifications. The site spotted commits from an Essential developer to the Android Open Source Project. It appears that the company is testing with a device that runs Android 10 and has the code name ‘gem’. There are also references to the SM7150, or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730-soc.

The prototype uses microg, an open source alternative to Google Play Services. It is possible that Essential only does that in the test phase and later opts for the Google package. Essential has always been very fast with Android updates so far. For example, the Essential Phone from 2017 was the first smartphone after the Pixel devices to receive Android 10.

At the end of 2018, there was a rumor that Essential would be working on a small ‘ai phone’ with voice control. That device would be different from regular smartphones. The clues XDA has found do not confirm the rumor, but do not disprove it either.

Essential was founded by Android founder Andy Rubin. The company has released one smartphone so far, the Essential Phone PH-1, which came out in 2017. At the end of 2018, Essential announced that it would stop production of that device, without giving details about a possible successor.

Essential Phone PH-1