Essential Phone review: An arcane artifact from an unrealized future | Hacker News Reader

Essential Phone review: An arcane artifact from an unrealized future

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90 pointsdhd41566 comments

I wish smartphone manufacturers would shift the focus from making better cameras to improving battery life. The performance of every phone becomes zero once the battery runs out. This review claims excellent battery life, but for me to really find the phone compelling, the battery life needs to be more than excellent so that I can believe it will still be able to last a full day two years after I get it. Are magnetic accessories really that great if I'll have to get a new core phone anyway once the battery gives out (from what I understand, the Essential Phone's battery is not replaceable)?

Before 360 degree pictures, VR, or a better AI assistant, I just want a phone that I'm actually willing to use as much as I'd like to instead of dimming down the screen to the point that I can barely see it when I know I'm going to be away from a charger for most of the day.

The foolproof way of extending battery life, which is to make the phone thicker, has been roundly rejected by the marketplace (and there are many benefits to limiting the number of models, so most manufacturers won't make an "extended battery" model). Battery life is also important to me so I take an external battery everywhere I go.

I got a phone last week that has "more than excellent" battery life: Asus Zenphone 3 Zoom.

With two days of heavy use I still had 15% left. It also is good or great in just about every other category.

Nice. I'll definitely be looking for a phone like that when my current contract is up.

I also mentioned the Moto Z Play (not the Z2 Play) which easily does 2-3 days of standby (I'm looking at my GFs phone right now and it's sitting on 73% after a full day).

You can add a moto mod with additional battery capacity further boosting that to probably something like 5-6 days.

Why does one need more than a single day of heavy use? Is charging while you sleep an issue?

What if you want to go camping, or go to a concert in a far away city (you can sleep on the train, but not charge your phone there), or crash in a friends house and you forgot to bring a charger (maybe they don't have a USB-C phone)?

2 days seems enough for most use cases, although I miss having phones with batteries that lasted for a week or more.

We take our el cheapo Moto Gs camping. With everything except calls/texts turned off, and using them only a couple of minutes each day, they last about 4 days before we have to break out the solar power bank.

Why don't you buy a battery pack as those are rare occasions (don't need all that battery weight for day to day use) and batteries are cheap nowadays.

I'd generally be happy with a full day of heavy use, but a phone that can last that long when it's brand new won't be able to do it 1-2 years later because of battery degradation after many charge cycles.

"Need" is a strong word. It would be a luxury, in my case. I'd really like a phone that could take two days of heavy use, for the times that I forget to charge it the night before, and spend the next day constantly on the move. Or even my usual "Damn it, I have to get out of bed to plug the phone in..."

Then again, everything that it does beyond talk+text is already a luxury. Why not wish for one more?

So get something like https://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-mods/moto-turbopow...

I have that. It's a beast.

I absolutely agree. I was fortunate to see what this looks like a couple weeks ago when I went camping for three nights.

My Galaxy S6 had a "Max" Power-Saving Mode that only allows 8 apps to be used during that time, four of which are pre-chosen (internet, phone, and a couple others) and the other four can be chosen from a curated list of apps that I assume are capable of the mode (including maps). Since I was out of range, I also kept my phone in airplane mode so it wouldn't waste battery trying to connect to anything.

I pretty much only used the phone for the camera, and maps. After two days I was at about 75% battery, which was excellent. Then I dropped into "Min" Power-Saving Mode for about an hour so I could take panorama shots. That dropped my battery to around 55%.

All in all, I was impressed. It reminded me of our pre-touch-screen phones of a decade ago. It would be incredible if I could get that much battery life with normal daily use.

I recently replaced my phone with a Galaxy S8. The battery use is far better, but I'm still not getting more than a day and a half out of normal daily use.

The market has spoken and by far people prefer thinner lighter phones than greater battery life. It's silly to build a fat heavy long battery life phone because it can only ever address the preferences/needs of a small niche.

A thin light phone can always add greater battery life with a battery case, so it can address both markets. My wife is a heavy user, I got her Apple's battery case for her iPhone 6, and she loves it (it's actually works really well). And she can always take it off if she tires of it's heft.

The market had spoken in 2003 - people wanted phones with small screens that were indestructible and lasted a couple of days in terms of battery life. Then the iphone happened.

That's not a reasonable reply though. Thicker phones were made and they flopped in the market.

I'd be happier if software updates did not screw up battery life every now and then, like they do on Nexus.

Did they flop because they were thicker, or because they had any other failing?

That's a fair question. My reading is that their only differentiating factor was battery, but that wasn't accepted.

OTOH, you can never prove that a thicker phone with higher battery life succeeded was because of extended life :)

People who build the vast majority of phones believe thicker hurt sales.

And they do lots of market research. I'm pretty sure their market researchers aren't telling them customers want thicker with longer battery life and the phone makers are just responding "oh no they don't!" Even if all the phone makers in the world ignored customer's wishes, it would only take one company to listen to market research and suddenly dominate the market to change everything.

The market speaks every year. And it continues to say no to heavy duty battery life phones. If someone ever designs one that comes with substantive user benefits that thin phones can't provide, fat phones can become a standard again.

But again, thin phones can provide as much battery life as you want, just add a battery case. It's like demanding Porsche include permanent, unremovable trailers on every 911, because some minority of users wants to occasionally tow stuff with their sportscar.

How can a market "speak" when there's no way of buying anything but the same practially 99% copied black slab for each company?

The basis of market competition (and the ability for market to "speak") is the concept of choice. In mobile phone market there is little choice and the device themselves are more than a single feature.

May I suggest a thought experiment? Imagine you cannot use a smartphone for a period of 12 months; certainly, you would expend a not insignificant effort in finding a very capable flip-phone, or other mobile option, combined with perhaps two or three other devices (GPS, MP3 player) which would adequately replicate these smartphone features.

Now apply that mental effort to seeking a suitably differentiated mobile phone and I am sure you will find success.

Here is a list of 20 hour battery life phones. You may note they aren't best sellers.

https://www.cnet.com/news/smartphones-best-long-battery-life...

While there is lots of similarities, every phone is differentiated in some way. You want bigger differences but right now bigger differences aren't perceived as a plus by most users.

exactly.

in 2003 people wanted "phones."

in 2017 people want computers in their pockets, without thinking of them as "computers"

my question:

how long until we abandon the mental modal and service contract model of these being "phones?"

[edit: formatting]

I tried to buy a google pixel from the verizon store to do some VR programming and they wouldn't sell it to me without a contract. I'm standing there trying to hand them $800 for a product they have on the shelves and they refused. It was a very strange moment.

They make less money on the phone sale than a contract sale, and the pixels have been supply constrained, so I don't know why you're so surprised.

The stupid part about that desire is that most consumers put their phone in an ugly, terrible feeling case and make the phone just as thick as if they had improved the battery life.

As a device designer the demand for thinness strikes me as something where customers demand something that they really don't care about in practice, but think they do when they are buying the device and holding it in a store so they need to design devices like this. Related to this, the whole camera bump thing just flabbergasts me. Does anyone really think a phone that wobbles when you place it on the table is worth 1mm of thickness reduction?

Unfortunately, I've come to realize that nobody is ever going to build the phone I want, because it just doesn't market well compared to everything else on the market, even though I'm convinced it meets the needs of far more people than the invariably flawed devices every manufacturer is putting out these days.

Agree with the sentiment that better battery life is needed.

Disagree with the premise that battery life is suffering due to camera engineering/effort. Battery life could be instantly improved by just making a slightly (in absolute terms) thicker phone. They don't need better battery through chemistry; just the will to be thicker.

The solution to this seems to be to purchase one of the very popular phones -- a Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone being the two sure bets I'm aware of -- and adding one of the cases that includes an integrated supplemental battery.

Pricey and somewhat bulky, but it works.

Plus, if the battery in the case goes, you can replace it. My friend had a case for her S6 from Mo-something-or-other, that had a "lifetime" warranty, and when the case battery became borked, she did indeed get a warranty replacement relatively painlessly -- though she did have to do it via mail with Mo-whatever, even though she purchased the case from one of her carrier's bricks and mortar stores.

This was a disappointment for me with my Nexux 5X; when the battery seemed to be coming up a bit "short", I found no source for a case having an integrated supplemental battery.

I'm pretty sure everyone wants this, but it will likely require the development of a new battery chemistry that doesn't yet exist (or ubiquitous wireless charging). Lithium battery capacity is determined by the battery's volume. Most flagship phones have the largest possible battery that can be fit into a phablet form factor and do a good job optimizing draw when the phone is idle. There are ways to reduce battery degradation, but it's usually easier to just replace the battery after 2 years.

No, it'll just require that you will accept a thicker phone.

Since many people wrap their phones in faux leather covers that contain two handfuls of credit cards, I'd say that's very plausible.

But also, you can already buy extended battery pack covers for most popular phones (just google "battery case <phone model>). Which almost nobody seems to do. So maybe battery life isn't such a biggie?

I personally don't consider buying a battery case because an external portable powerbank seems easier to use.

So, the market has indeed spoken: you can buy these powerbanks on every corner, which indicates a demand for increased battery capacity.

Perhaps not in the form of a battery case, which only works with one device, though.

A thicker phone will increase capacity but it won't satisfy the parent's request: "I can believe it will still be able to last a full day two years after I get it."

All commercially available battery chemistries degrade over time. Lithium ion cells typically degrade over 2 years. Only a new battery chemistry can change this.

i dunno when 8.3mm became thick phone considering Lenovo P2 is able to pack there 5000mAh

Take your pick: http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2017&nBatCapac...

P.S. Don't you just love it when URLs are super readable?

results? YearMin=2017 & BatCapacityMin=5000

That tells you the capacity of the battery, but not the battery life of the phone.

Due to all sorts of factors (screen size, screen type, software, processor…) a phone can have a much larger battery and still worse battery life that the phone you have in your hand.

gsmarena sucks compared to www.kimovil.com

i will be happy if someone will find me better mobile comparison website which provides also links to various shops

Lenovo P2 Redmi 4 Pro Redmi note 4

are all great phones except camera department, you can run Lineage of all of them

Having held off so far on getting a Galaxy S8 to look at its competitors (HTC U11, upcoming Pixel, Essential, etc.), the S8 still seems to blow them all away as far as what I want, namely:

- bezel-free screen

- headphone jack

- SD slot

The only thing keeping me from buying it right now is Samsung's history of slow updates.

Which makes me think what we really, really need is to bring back the Google Play Edition devices. Looking back on it, they absolutely nailed what the smartphones should be: flagship devices, stock Android, guaranteed updates free from carrier holds. The problem was they cost the full price of the phone at a time when most people were still paying $200 upfront for subsidized phones--so the perception was that the cost was higher. Now that the full price of the phone is advertised upfront, I think we're due for a refresh of the GPE line-up.

Do want to add that the S8 has wireless charging. I had a Nexus 6 and a Note 5, both with wireless charging - I can't go back. It is one those changes that impacts how I use the phone. I never need to plug into anything.

But you have to charge it in a special spot, while a regular phone can be plugged in anywhere to charge. I still don't get the wireless charging benefit, and I have an apple watch.

Wirelessly chargeable phones can typically be charged normally. What it buys you is convenience in that special place or two where you always charge your phone (bedside, work desk, etc.). I really liked it when I did have it and wish Apple offered it too.

That's a good point that I didn't consider.

I really appreciate the S8. Also, Samsung has some sort of trade-in deal going for $150 off the price of the phone†, which is what convinced me to grab it.

I'll offer a warning I wish I'd received a week ago. I've had mine for a week, and the shortest of drops (about a foot) resulted in a badly cracked screen. This is after two years with an S6 with hardly a scratch. I've read that it's one of the most fragile phones on the market[1], which doesn't make me feel any better, but does make me wish I didn't switch until I got my screen protector the next day.

Due to the shape and how new the screen is, I'm likely to have to pay about half the discounted price of the phone to get it fixed.

Otherwise, it's an excellent phone and a fantastic upgrade from the S6. Just make sure you get a screen protector.

1: http://www.techradar.com/news/hold-the-phone-samsung-galaxy-...

† I have absolutely nothing to do with Samsung or any phone company.

What about the LG G6? It marks your three points.

one year old SoC

bootloop reputation

I haven't seen a single reason to buy this phone. I mean, perhaps a few people might really love the design, but that's a matter of taste.

Does this thing do anything that makes it special? Motorola already did modularity better.

In a world where Samsung dominates Android phone sales, another contender has to do something to stand out. It can't be just a good phone. (And to make things worse it's missing some killer features, like water resistance and a headphone jack.)

I wish shipping unbastardized software was enough to do so, but people keep going back for more TouchWiz. Baffling.

My semi-budget android phones just get worse, appart from the camera.

My first smartphone, the desire-z had a physical keyboard. My current, the moto-g 1st gen still fits in my pocket comfortably.

My next will have a screen far bigger than I asked for, specs would still be upper middle-class and just the camera is better. There is no semi-budget android that is not large. I'll probably get the moto g5+ when prices drop with the g5s+ coming out.

I feel your pain. My all-time favorite phone was the Moto E2 (4.5-inch screen), and would still be using it if I hadn't dropped it in water. I don't think I'll ever get a budget or semi-budget phone that is as comfortable to use.

Android? Ugh!

What's with all the hardware worship, while totally ignoring the software? Hardware is cheap, low-hanging fruit. If you're going to push technology boundaries, try a more interesting, forward looking OS to start with.

Both Sailfish and QNX really are 'arcane' and 'futuristic'. Android apps can run alongside Sailfish, so why aren't these glitzy manufacturers aiming just that little bit higher?

That would be like trying to sell the average consumer on a laptop running Gentoo.

Chrome OS is based on Gentoo... ;-)

In contrast to the author's main complaint: For me, the camera is one of the least important features on the phone, and I'd actually appreciate a phone that did not have a front-facing camera.

I really wish it was waterproof though... that would have made the transition a very tempting value proposition...

The only two features that keep me on high-end smartphones are the cameras (I have kids—Apple's live photos are basically magic) and GPS. If it were only the latter I could probably drop to a dumbphone and just use physical maps, and/or scribble directions from a Maps search before leaving.

why not just use sticker or some good quality marker pen?

Sadly you and I are in the minority here.

I'm actually impressed by the design focus they kept to. Rejecting bloatware not only a user benefit, but it probably removed a lot of outside dependencies from their project and likely was a significant reason they were able to get to market so quickly.

Yeah so can I get a phone with the thickness of the old Motorola Milestone/Droid but with current guts and a proportionally higher capacity battery?

Edit: grammar

https://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-mods/moto-turbopow...

https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/07/motorola-moto-turbo...

I made a promise to myself that my next phone will be waterproof - especially for a device this expensive.

I can't understand the hype, will someone explain why this isn't just another mediocre $700 Android phone?

There's a novel wireless accessory system allowing for functional phone accessories, such as cameras. This is like the moto-z system, but wireless.

The screen has a smaller bezel and there's no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Truly, the future.

> there's no 3.5mm headphone jack

All I need to hear. No thanks.

Maybe you should read the "ad copy" because it gives the answer to your question.

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