Andy Rubin's Essential is shutting down
What you need to know
- Essential, the company behind the Essential phone is shutting down.
- The firm says that it had "no clear path" to deliver its next handset to consumers.
- The firm had previously teased the Essential Phone 2, an exceptionally tall and skinny phone as "Project Gem."
Essential, the company founded by one-time Android creator Andy Rubin, is now closing its doors for good. The firm had debuted the interesting Essential phone and had planned to create a wildly thin and tall device as a sequel to that. That's no longer happening.
From Essential's blog post announcing the move:
The Essential phone was always an odd one. It held a lot of promise, but it never really caught on, that was its major failing. The phone was sold with a lot of potential that could only be actualized if it had mass appeal. As a result of that lack of mass appeal, the first Essential phone sent a majority of its lifespan being 99% done but never really complete. Things like the camera and software, table stakes for smartphone makers, were heavily criticized post-launch.
As flagship makers of mainstream smartphones (often backed by multi-billion dollar companies or whole nation-states) innovated and came out with more and more intriguing designs aimed at every price-point, Essential never really had a chance.
Essential Phone review: One (big) step away from the flagship competition
Be an expert in 5 minutes
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android