Essential PH-1 vs. Google Pixel: Stock Android Phones Compared
The Essential PH-1, the first phone coming out of Android founder Andy Rubin's Essential startup, is similar in a lot of ways to Google's own flagship, the Pixel. How do these two pure Android phones stack up?
The first Essential phone is out, and media outlets are already comparing the minimalistic approach of the PH-1 to the Google Pixel, which launched last year. While the Essential PH-1 has an advantage when it comes to specs, being a generation newer than the Pixel, Google's flagship still manages to show it up on a few aspects.
The Essential PH-1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, a sizable leap from the Pixel's Snapdragon 821 with the former's 10 nm architecture, as Digital Trends noted. Both come with 4 GB of memory and 128 GB of storage, although the Pixel also comes with a 32 GB storage model.
The design of Essential PH-1, however, is what sets it apart, not just from the Pixel, but also from other Android phones out there. The edge-to-edge display of the Essential phone has a 2,560 by 1,312-pixel resolution, a stunning contrast to the Pixel's conventional bezels and 1,920 by 1,080 screen.
Both phones come with rear-mounted fingerprint sensors and the same lack of water resistance. The Pixel comes with a 2,770 mAh battery, easily dwarfed by the Essential phone's 3,040 mAh power pack. The latter will need this power, however, as it features a higher resolution.
Essential's PH-1 comes with a dual-camera setup that has a monochrome and color sensor working together to capture a scene. Both cameras are 13 megapixels that have an f/1.9 aperture, not counting another front-facing sensor. The Google Pixel, meanwhile, makes do with just one 12.3-megapixel camera at the rear.
Even with the dual-camera advantage, however, the PH-1 is still outclassed by the Pixel's photo capabilities. Even without resorting to two cameras, Google's phone still manages to beat the PH-1 by producing vibrant shots even at low light, something that the Pixel has been lauded for since its release in 2016.
The Pixel is due for an update to the Android 8.0 Oreo, while the Essential Phone comes with 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. An 8.0 update is expected for the PH-1 soon, however. Therefore, enthusiasts should expect Essential's flagship to immediately catch up in that regard.
