In an intriguing turn of events, a never-released smartphone from Essential, known as the PH-2, has been discovered and shown off in a recent video. Originally unveiled in 2019 under the codename “Project Gem,” this unique device took the “candy bar” phone design to an extreme. It appears as though someone split an already tall Sony Xperia 1 in half, resulting in a phone that looks straight out of a meme about ever-taller screens.
Rob Wainwright, a software engineer working on the Nova Launcher, claims to have purchased the phone on eBay. His video showcases the mostly functional PH-2, featuring card-style widgets for apps like Spotify and Uber, along with a smartwatch-style clock display at the top.
So, why didn’t this quirky device make it to market? The first Essential phone, released in 2017, reportedly sold only around 150,000 units. Before a follow-up could be launched, disturbing reports about company founder Andy Rubin’s departure from Google, due to sexual misconduct allegations, surfaced. These revelations led to the cancellation of plans for a second phone, and in early 2020, Essential shut down, citing “no clear path to deliver” the device to customers.
The video highlights the PH-2’s tall 5.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,160 by 560 pixels and a hole punch camera on the front. The back of the device features a protruding camera and a non-functional fingerprint reader. Much like its predecessor, the PH-1, this phone is also a fingerprint magnet.
Although the user interface is not fully developed, the video demonstrates the custom Android launcher that uses swipe-up gestures from the bottom corners to navigate home or back. Many of the cards on the home screen are essentially web apps that, when opened, look quite out of place. For example, a YouTube video appears as a small postage stamp sideways at the top of the screen, with the rest of the display filled with descriptions, comments, and suggested videos.
In conclusion, the PH-2 provides a fascinating glimpse into what could have been a revolutionary design in the smartphone market. Despite its unusual form factor and the company’s unfortunate demise, the device stands as a testament to Essential’s innovative spirit and bold design choices.
