So, what do people think of the newly announced phone from Android's original architect, Andy Rubin?
Personally I'm finding it interesting. It combines a novel design, premium material and specs, and a professed philosophy of no bloat in the software. The 19:10 display means that the phone is the size and shape of a "regular" 5.1" phone rather than taller like the G6 or S8, but the front is still almost all screen. The main drawback, apart from a company with no track record (even if it's founder's record is good) and not knowing when it will become available in the UK, is the front camera intruding into the display, which doesn't look ideal for immersive apps. But against this there's a more compact design than a conventional 16:9 display, a flat screen which IMO is more practical than the S8's curves, and more durable materials than most of this year's flagships. And it's something different.
But the big thing for me is size. I don't really want anything significantly larger than my current HTC One (m7), and this device seems to fit the bill very well. In fact I worked out that it's the same width as my M7 is with the tpu case it's currently wearing, and just a couple of mm longer. And even if I don't buy one of these, it nicely illustrates why I'm personally very happy about the new trend towards trying out different screen ratios after several years of phones simply getting larger.
So, is anyone else interested in this device?
Personally I'm finding it interesting. It combines a novel design, premium material and specs, and a professed philosophy of no bloat in the software. The 19:10 display means that the phone is the size and shape of a "regular" 5.1" phone rather than taller like the G6 or S8, but the front is still almost all screen. The main drawback, apart from a company with no track record (even if it's founder's record is good) and not knowing when it will become available in the UK, is the front camera intruding into the display, which doesn't look ideal for immersive apps. But against this there's a more compact design than a conventional 16:9 display, a flat screen which IMO is more practical than the S8's curves, and more durable materials than most of this year's flagships. And it's something different.
But the big thing for me is size. I don't really want anything significantly larger than my current HTC One (m7), and this device seems to fit the bill very well. In fact I worked out that it's the same width as my M7 is with the tpu case it's currently wearing, and just a couple of mm longer. And even if I don't buy one of these, it nicely illustrates why I'm personally very happy about the new trend towards trying out different screen ratios after several years of phones simply getting larger.
So, is anyone else interested in this device?