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I never got the hype around the Essential phone. Apart from the specs, what sets it apart from other flagship devices. I've been using a Pixel2 for last few months and it has been quite good so far. How does the Essential phone compare to Pixel/Pixel2?

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Exactly, no clear differentiator. There's a number of online interviews where even the founders couldn't clearly articulate what was novel.

I think their idea was to establish a consumer brand recognized as high quality, and then expand in other spaces. But entering the Home market these days will be hard, facing Google/Amazon/Apple.

To establish a new brand, you must offer something new. Essential phone had nothing new and had a number of drawbacks compared to its peers. Oh and it was priced like Samsung's new flagships.

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