When the Essential PH-1 came out (check our full review) it held high hopes for many. Considering it was the brainchild of Android creator Andy Rubin, it made sense that it created a stir. But the Essential PH-1 didn’t pan out exactly as many had hoped. Camera problems were probably its biggest downfall, considering the $699USD asking price. To its credit, the company has updated the phone and the camera several times to make improvements but it’s still not on par with other major flagships.
Fast forward a few months and the company suddenly dropped the price to $499USD ($435USD on Amazon now). It was then that the Essential PH-1 looked like a much better deal. I personally picked one up on the used market for $350USD and frankly, at that price, I love the phone. There’s no question the build quality is one of the best on the market, though the camera still does not perform as well as I’d like. Now, that we have some history out of the way, let’s talk Oreo.
Seeing as Essential is headed up by Android creator Andy Rubin, many were hopeful that the Essential phone would be regularly updated to the latest version of Android. Essential users have been waiting for Android 8.0 Oreo now for some time. The company has had it in beta and has been testing it for weeks now. Last night, on Twitter, the company informed users that they will be skipping Android Oreo 8.0 and testing Oreo 8.1. Essential cited “stability” issues with 8.0 on the PH-1 and have elected to wait a few more weeks to push 8.1.
An update on the public release of Oreo: pic.twitter.com/fPJRtX7kvY
— Essential (@essential) January 30, 2018
This announcement doesn’t sit well with everyone but it is understandable what Essential is doing. While I personally would have loved to have Oreo 8.0 on my PH-1 yesterday, I would rather the software be stable. Essential is pushing a beta version of Android Oreo 8.1 for those who want to try it out and give feedback. Just check out their Beta Builds page for more information. In the meantime, I guess we’ll all have to wait a bit longer.
What do you think of Oreo being delayed on the Essential PH-1? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
