It’s no secret that the Essential Phone is not a hot seller. whether or not you believe the sales estimates, it’s difficult to move massive volumes of a $699 phone with limited carrier deals (in the us, only Sprint) and no brand recognition outside of smartphone enthusiasts. And Essential knows it — Andy Rubin’s outfit has dropped the price of the phone to $499 several weeks after its late August launch.
If you purchased an essential Phone prior to Oct 22nd, you will get a $200 Friends & Family code to use towards a new Essential Phone or Essential 360 Camera. Customers will be able to check in to redeem the $200 credit on the Essential page, using their phone’s IMEI and serial numbers, along with the email address they used to purchase.
The company hasn’t directly attributed the cut to sales performance, but it argues that “making it easier” for you to buy the Essential Phone should be more effective at drawing attention than running a marketing blitz. and that we cannot entirely disagree. The all-screen device was a tough recommendation at its original, flagship-worthy price given the sub-par camera performance and lack of water resistance, but it’s much more compelling as an higher mid-tier phone competing with the likes of the OnePlus 5. that is very true knowing that Essential has improved its camera software since we 1st reviewed the handset within the summer, even if it isn’t about to make a pixel 2 owner nervous.
With that said, there is no question that Essential faces an uphill battle even after the price cut. it isn’t the worth proposition that is the problem — it’s that it is very hard to break into the smartphone business as a new brand, even if you’ve Rubin’s pedigree and many funding. The North american phone market specifically revolves heavily around Apple and Samsung, and even heavyweights like LG have trouble breaking that grip despite ample marketing and multi-carrier deals. Essential will likely have to play the long game if it needs to convince the mainstream that it’s a viable alternative to Galaxies and iPhones.
Nokia’s retro 3310 3G coming to the USA on October 29
source;engadget.com
