Google Android Creator To Launch New Smartphone

Android creator Andy Rubin will launch a new consumer hardware company called Essential anchored around an original flagship smartphone, Bloomberg reports.

Essential currently touts around a 40-person team drawn from recruits from Apple and Google. According to Bloomberg, the company aims to develop a suite of consumer electronics that would target mobile and smart home markets.

The expected centerpiece of the product family is a premium smartphone that is intended to go head to head with competitors like Google’s Pixel lineup and the Apple iPhone. Shipping plans for the phone are still being established, but Essential tentatively hopes to launch the phone later this year at a potential price point of around $650.

While the phone and its potential operating system are still in development, Bloomberg notes early prototypes have several upscale features:

At least one prototype of Rubin's phone boasts a screen larger than the iPhone 7 Plus's (5.5-inches) but has a smaller overall footprint because of the lack of bezels, one of the people said. The startup is experimenting with enabling the phone's screen to sense different levels of pressure, similar to an iPhone, the person said. Rubin's team is testing an industrial design with metal edges and a back made of ceramic, which is more difficult to manufacture than typical smartphone materials, two of the people said.

The smartphone and hardware family are also possible starting points for several new software and hardware technologies. Modular add-ons like those found on the since-cancelled Project Ara smartphone are one possibility for Essential. Per Bloomberg, developers are working on a connector that could connect to accessories like improved cameras.

While the extent of Essential’s scope is still up in the air, technology like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa could also be a likely area for the company’s hardware and smart home development. Since leaving Google in 2014, Rubin has been an active presence in the artificial intelligence space and launched startup incubator Playground Global, which focuses on AI and robotics-based ventures.