Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone is now available in the US, but to-date the company has sold just 5000 units. That’s right: five thousand – and that, my friends, is a truly pathetic number even by the lowest standards of the mobile space.
BayStreet Research published its findings, confirming the utterly awful response from consumers to the Essential Phone. The numbers won’t be 100% accurate but that doesn’t really matter; you could stick another zero on the end and it’d still suck.
I was immensely impressed with the Essential Phone when I saw it; it looked like the future of Android phone design. The handset is stunning to behold and features quite a few, unique party pieces that separate it from the crowd.
Turns out this wasn’t enough to convince US shoppers en masse to buy the phone. The handset is also only available via Sprint in the US, which likely didn’t help. Then there’s the issue of a new phone actually getting store space in bricks and mortar shops.
Sprint is now offering 50% off the Essential Phone, so if you're in the market for a new phone that literally NO ONE else has, you might want to check that out.
The handset is available SIM-free via Amazon, Best Buy, and Essential’s own website. Is $700 too much for an unproven phone, though? Maybe. I guess a lot of people when parting with that much money, would rather go with an iPhone or Samsung device.
This is where OnePlus got it right; the company knew its limitations, doubled down on cheap, effective marketing, mainly via social media, and priced its phone at an alarmingly low point. This is why it was successful – it didn’t try and take on Apple directly.
Perhaps Essential Phone bit off more than it could chew? I know Andy Rubin is a big deal in the tech space, but customers and the phone buying public really don’t care about that, they want either a trusted safe bet (Apple or Samsung, for instance) or value for money.
The Essential Phone is destined to get a release in the UK during Q4. Perhaps it will have more success here? If so, Essential will need to get all the biggest networks to carry the handset. Failing that, we could be looking at no more Essential Phone, as 5000 units are not enough to cover costs inside a $1.2 billion company.
by rgoodwin via Featured Articles
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