Essential Phone (128GB + 4GB RAM) 5.71in QHD, Water Resistant IP54, GSM/CDMA Factory Unlocked (AT&T/Sprint/T-Mobile/Verizon) - Black Moon (Renewed)

I was very interested in the Essential PH-1 when it first hit the market, but wasn't very interested in the phone's initial price. It seems that the phone has fallen out of favor with critics and tech reviewers, but in my opinion, this is a fantastic phone. I purchased the reconditioned PH-1 after the screen on my Pixel shattered. The reconditioned phone arrived in less than 48 hours, and was ready to make a call within 5 minutes of installing my old SIM and powering the phone up. It downloaded the Android 9 (Pie) update within the first 10 minutes, and I was good to go. It seems that the phone I received (and based on forum posts, the phones most people receive) was setup for Sprint. I am a Verizon subscriber, which required some tweaking of the mobile network settings to get the best download speeds and take advantage of the Enhanced LTE (LTE+) capabilities of the phone.Pros:- Camera: the dual-lens camera is very capable, but the default Essential camera app software is lacking. The Google Camera port that can be easily found online allows the camera to be used to its full potential.- Audio: the stereo speaker is very loud and clear, much better than the speaker on my Pixel and previous Galaxy phones.- Construction: the titanium/Gorilla Glass 5 construction is very solid. Within the first 3 days of having the phone, I've dropped it a few times (including off a deck from 5 feet onto hard soil) and had it stuck in the track of the seat in my car - no permanent scratches or markings. The phone has a very solid feel to it, and is comfortable to hold. I don't like the giant phablet sized phones and this one is comfortable even with my large hands.- Radios: the WiFi radio seems to function at the full capability of the 802.11ac bands, and the LTE speeds are very good. The internal system info screen reports that the phone has a max download speed on Verizon of 102Mbps.- Battery: the battery life is excellent compared to my Pixel and previous Galaxy phones. With a full day of use (including downloading all my backed up information from Google Drive), I still had over 70% battery remaining when I got home.- Fingerprint sensor: the sensor is extremely fast, and the phone unlocks immediately upon touching the sensor. It even works when humidity is high or when my fingers are wet, which I can't say about previous phones.- Expandability: the module attachment system is novel and unique. I like magnetic connectors, and am looking forward to trying out the 360-degree camera (especially since it's less than $40 right now), and may even splurge on the Essential Audio attachment with built in DAC and amp since there is no headphone jack. I have this USB-C audio adapter on order and will review it once received: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FC8J3F4/ref=crt_ewc_title_oth_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATUSMACZ576Z6Cons:- Removable storage. Like many have identified, this phone doesn't have a microSD card slot. That's not a show-stopper for me, but may be an issue for others. I don't see the lack of removable SD card to be a disadvantage, as 128GB of internal storage is more than enough for my needs (Google Drive and included unlimited Google Photos storage reduces the internal storage that I use).- Single SIM. Not a show-stopper for me, but it seems many people expect dual-SIM capability from high-end phones.- Fingerprints. The case is a fingerprint magnet, but easily cleaned.- No headphone jack. This seems to be the trend for all new phones, but is a problem for me because I work in an environment where Bluetooth isn't allowed. I have several pairs of very good wired headphones, which I can't use with this phone without a USB-C adapter. I don't like the idea of needing an adapter just to use regular headphones, but understand the trend.- Wireless charging. This phone does not have wireless charging, which seems to be an oversight by the manufacturer. My Pixel didn't have wireless charge capability either, but going back to my Galaxy S5, wireless charging has been available. It would be difficult to put into the already impressive small footprint of this phone, and I can live without it. Fast charging works with most of my existing chargers (Anker wall chargers).TL;DR: this is a fantastic phone and I would buy it again. I may actually purchase another reconditioned phone for my business line.Note: I completed setup of this phone without the backup from my old phone due to the screen being damaged. I was able to restore a backup of my old phone even after completing setup of the new phone by downloading Nova launcher, then creating an Activity widget for Android.Setup.Cloud.Restore and importing my Google Drive backup.

Have had the phone for 3 days now. Came well packaged and included a wall charger and cable. Also imcluded a bonus phone case. That was a nice surprise. The phone itself was as advertised. Slight wear marks on the sides that wouldn't be seen with a case on anyway. Also was a very light scratch on the screen that is somewhat noticable but much less so after applying a screen protector. Everything else seems to function perfectly. It was easy to activate on Verizon. Just take the sim card out of the old phone and insert it in the Ph1 and start the phone.Then follow the on-screen instructions. The phone upgraded to Android 10 as soon as it connected to the internet, which did take awhile to download. As other reviewers have said the camera isnt awesome as it is, however it isnt horrible. To get the most out of the camera just download the google camera apk and it will add a lot of functions and take the camera to a whole new level. The only other slight downer so far is battery life. With moderate use i can still get a full day on a charge. Sunrise to Sunset. Which isnt that bad however not as good as the moto g6 that this phone is replacing. This is no fault of the manufacturer or the seller. This is a used phone and can't expect the battery to hold a charge like it's new. So far I am very happy with this phones style and quality of materials. It seems solid and well built. It is considerably smaller than I was expecting. Smaller than moto g6. It easily fits in a pocket. Overall I would highly recommend this phone. Just remember it is used so you really can't expect it to be as new. In my opinion this phone does everything that the 800 dollar vanity phones will do and do them as well or better than. And to top it off it looks more modern or even futuristic. And I am very hard on my phones. This is my third phone in 8 months. It hurts a lot less at this price. Time will tell. But for now its all good.

I love this sophisticated product even I just use 3 days so far.Pros: Cool feeling when you grip it because of ceramic(back) and glass (front) - I don't use phone case. Very clear screen due to high resolution (I can't see big differences between LCD and OLED) Android 9 Pie (I can see much better functionality than Android 7 - My previous phone) Very fast perfomance of processor (no clottering) Very fast finger print recognition (less than a second, I think) No Carrier's App (I really hate those App)Cons: small scratch on bottom side of frame (this phone is renewed one, so for me, no problem) two times charging required for a day (I have charging cable at home, at office and my car. no problem) under the Sun outside, screen is not bright enough but still I can use without issue. Sim card slot is not aligned nicely with body frame. so it looks like empty slot of memory card. minor thing. Mic hole was just beside SIM card slot, I put SIM card tool to Mic hole. If I broke Mic, omg....need something to protect Mic hole or mark something to SIM card slot hole. Camera App need to be improved because it does not catch enough light than other free camera app under auto mode. (I am using Footej camera app and it takes better photo than stock app)overally, I love this phone. Price is very nice for this kind of high quality Android phone. ( I have been using Apple iPhone for 10 years, LG G6 one year and Samsung Galaxy 7 one year)

This phone arrived in what appeard to be the original box with all factory components, manuals and even the little Sim removal tool. It may have been refurbished but it looked new to me and has no scratches, dents or other issues so far. Great phone. I am please for the price and the presentation, Startup was a breeze, immediately accepted my bell sim, setup went strait to android 9 Pie. I will update in a few months .

Came with dead pixels. 4 in total. Battery had been abused as well. No replacement in stock. Great.