In this edition of AndroidBeat’s Daily Briefing, we talk about Essential selling only 5,000 units of the PH-1, Pixel XL 2 leaks, and more.
Essential Has Only Sold 5,000 Units of PH-1
The Andy Rubin-backed Essential managed to create quite a hype with its Essential Phone even before its launch. However, all that noise has done little for sales as estimates from BayStreet Research claim that Essential has only sold 5,000 units of the PH-1 so far. This number is far lower than what anyone might have expected from the company.
Some of the blame for the poor sales of the Essential Phone goes to the company itself. The $699 price tag, subpar camera performance, and delayed availability of the handset have likely played a huge role in its abysmal sales numbers.
Pixel XL 2 To Feature Front-Facing Speakers, Portrait Mode
So far we have only heard about the second-generation Pixel but today quite a bit of information about the bigger Pixel XL 2 has leaked as well. The handset will sport front-facing stereo speakers similar to the Nexus 6P and Nexus 6. It will also come with an Always On Ambient Display mode and a new Portrait mode for the Camera app which will work with the single camera setup at the rear of the device.
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Sony’s Next Flagship To Feature Bezel-less Design
Every other OEM has jumped or plans on jumping on the bezel-less display trend. Sony has now also confirmed that its next flagship device will feature a completely new design with a bezel-less front similar to what is seen on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG V30.
Sony has not had much success with its Xperia lineup, and one of the reasons behind that is their stale design. With a refreshed design, the company does have a better chance of meeting with some success in the fiercely competitive smartphone market.
YouTube No Longer Available on Amazon’s Echo Show
For no technical reason, Google has pulled the YouTube app from Amazon’s Echo Show. The lack of YouTube makes the Echo Show decidedly less useful in a living room as most users will not be able to use the device for watching recipe videos in their kitchen or more. Amazon says there has been no explanation or announcement from Google regarding this change, and this move will hurt the customers of both companies.
What do you think about Google pulling the YouTube app from Amazon’s Echo Show? Do you know anyone using an Essential Phone?
