2 No Branding

Sure, at the surface, this seems like a small detail. And sure, it may be a bit of a marketing gimmick. But the fact that the device ships without any logos or company branding could speak to Essential’s deeper philosophy: placing the consumer over the company. This is also indicative of Rubin’s deeper belief that open platforms are inherently better than closed ones. It’s hard to say at this point, but it’s worth venturing that this belief will carry on into other facets of the Essential phone. For example, the version of Android that it runs on will probably be devoid of sluggish, preloaded apps and bloatware. And the Essential phone might have more opportunities to be customized to its user, becoming more of a bespoke device than a mass-market handset. It’s a small thing, but something that’s almost unheard of in the high-end smartphone market.