Android co-founder teases his upcoming bezel-free smartphone

midian182

Posts: 9,663   +121
Staff member

It was way back in December 2015 when reports first arrived of Android co-founder Andy Rubin’s apparent interest in launching a mobile hardware startup. Yesterday, more than ten years after Google bought Android Inc., Rubin teased what’s likely to be the first handset to come from his new company, Essential.

Rubin’s tweet and image don’t give away very much information about the device, other than its resemblance to the Xiaomi Mi Mix. It certainly appears to follow the current smartphone trend of ‘less bezel, more screen.’ You can also see a button on the side, and the phone seems to be running stock Android.

An earlier report by Bloomberg notes that at least one prototype of Rubin’s phone featured a screen larger than the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5-inches) but with a smaller footprint, thanks to the reduced bezels. The team is also said to have been testing an industrial design with metal edges and a back made of ceramic.

The handset still doesn’t have a name, and there’s no official word on when it might arrive. Citing a person familiar with the matter, Bloomberg states that Rubin is aiming to put the phone on sale around the middle of the year for about $649.

Essential is focusing on high-end hardware, putting its smartphone up against the next iPhone, Pixel 2, and Samsung flagships. With the company boasting former Google, Apple, and HTC executives, Essential’s doing everything it can to position itself as a major industry player.

Permalink to story.

 
Personally, I like a slight bezel, if anything else a bit of protection to the screen, but, on the other hand, I've never dropped or damaged any of my 4 smartphones either.
Price is too high...smartphones, even flagship pricing has gone out of control.
300-500 MAX. But as long as people are willing to throw that much money at A PHONE, the price won't come
down.
 
"I'm really excited about how this is shaping up. Eager to get it in more people's hands..."
His excitement and eagerness will reach a crescendo if he brags less about the 'bezel' and more about the 'free' part. He may just find his device in the hands of more people than he could ever have imagined in his wildest dreams.
 
Ever since I bought my ZTE Axon 7 (which has no bezels on the left and right sides but speakers top and bottom), I won't be buying a phone with no bezels anymore. I like the no bezels on the left and right but those front facing speakers are golden! I will make sure my next phone also has front facing speakers.
 
Its like designers don't even live in the same world as the rest of us. Or maybe they just don't give a damn about usability - they just hope we'll be dumb enough to buy the new junk that's always harder to use than what came before. And more expensive.
 
Man I hate bezeless phones. even my G3 is annoying that way. The only reason people even remotely care about bezel is it looks scifiish.
 
Back