The Essential Phone is definitely the kind of phone we want to see undergo Zack Nelson’s Durability Test. We want to see it scratched, burned, and bent just so we’ll know if the device is worth its $700 price. The phone was delayed a bit but now it’s here ready for our consumption. We’ve got our hands on preview and we saw that teardown treatment yesterday.
JerryRigEverything is also curious about the Essential Phone because the people behind it have many claims including one that it is future-proof. It is slightly modular in the sense you can use add-ons. We’re not quite sure that such modular design can make it last longer than the usual lifespan and use of a smartphone but it’s nice to know that Essential Products care about the device’s longevity.
For this Durability Test, the phone is scratched with Mohs picks as with the tests on other phones. It only started scratching at level 6 and a bit deeper at level 7. This is normal for a premium phone like the Galaxy Note 8 and the iPhone 7.
The glass back makes the phone look more luxurious. It’s actually ceramic so sharp items like a razor blade may not easily scratch the surface. The camera lens is glass so it doesn’t scratch easily. The titanium build is definitely stronger than plastic or aluminum so it scratches at level 6 which is already impressive. Zack noted it’s not pure titanium because some parts are made of plastic.
Moving on to the burn test, the HD IPS screen only lasted nine seconds before the heated are turned black. After some time, it went away. Bending the phone from the back proves it is one solid and sturdy phone. Flexing it from the front is the same so we know this one will withstand the test of time and some carelessness.
SOURCE: JerryRigEverything
