1. barelyincollege

    barelyincollege Nice Pit Bull

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    Picked this up a few days ago, and I like it so far.

    Why I bought it:

    - The price: at $449 with 128GB of internal storage, it's about half the price of other phones with a similar design and specs.
    - The display: This phone's LCD panel looks great and doesn't exhibit the color shift and burn-in issues that are plaguing some of its OLED-based competitors.
    - Solid build quality and excellent design. It's a looker.
    - Near-stock Android.
    - Fast software updates: Essential's issued four software updates since launch with a fifth incoming this week, and their reps claim that 8.0 Oreo will be released within the next month.
    - Reasonable compromises for the price, IMO, especially since 2017 flagships also have some issues to deal with (e.g., the aforementioned display and overall QC issues, manufacturer skins and UI lag, very high prices).

    What I don't like:

    - The cameras: The front-facing camera is poor, and even though the Google Camera mod improves the rear shooter quite a bit, it's still not flagship-grade. Images aren't as bad as initial reviews make them look, but they're not Pixel-level good.
    - There's some occasional UI stuttering, though not more than what I've seen on other non-Google phones. I updated my phone as soon as I got it, but apparently it's exponentially smoother now than it was at launch, and Essential's releasing fixes pretty quickly.
    - It's slippery, even with a case, and the ceramic back isn't particularly drop-resistant. Don't drop this phone.
    - No headphone jack, although that seems to be the norm nowadays. I haven't used the 3.5mm adapter enough to comment on it yet. Looks like the DAC being used inside the dongle is a Conexant CX20988.

    If you're looking for a new phone, but don't want to pay flagship prices, this thing's worth a try at its new price.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2017
  2. JustAnotherRando

    JustAnotherRando My other bike is a Ferrari

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    Has the company behind the phone publicly committed to a decent/good security update policy? I did a quick search, didn't find anything.

    My phone buying decisions are driven by security updates, which probably makes be a bit weird. And has limited me to Google phones (sticking with Android).
     
  3. barelyincollege

    barelyincollege Nice Pit Bull

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    Seems like it, at least in the early going. They've patched the KRACK vulnerability, and they're planning to release the November security update that Google just released today at some point next week. My security patch level is dated October 5, 2017.

    EDIT: They just released the November update, a day after Google.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2017

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