Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been using the Essential Phone for close to a month now, and am currently reviewing it after receiving my Pixel 2 phone a few days ago to test both. After playing around with the controversial camera on both devices, I am happy with returning my Pixel 2 in a few days. Make no mistake, the Pixel 2 has a wonderful camera. Even after sideloading the Google Camera app on to the Essential Phone, there were still noticeable differences in the low-light picture quality and the camera speed. I even compared them both with the iPhone X, and the Pixel 2 still arguably came out on top. But aside from that, I can't say that the Pixel 2 has anything else that I don't get with the Essential Phone, personally. Waterproofing is nice, but I've never dropped my phone in any body of water in the 10 years I've been owning a cellphone. Stereo speakers are also nice, but I use them about once a week at highest frequency. Google's timely updates do sound very tempting, but I'm very happy that Essential has just rolled out their Oreo beta a week ago, with the final build coming this year. This leaves the physical build, price, screen and battery life as the determining factors. The build quality and aesthetics of the Essential wins hands-down for me. No contest there. So is the price. I got my Essential for $400 (after taking advantage of Amazon's additional $50 gift card promo). And the Pixel 2 is priced at $740 (after the $115 trade-in credit I'd get with my old Nexus). The $300 difference is quite stark at this point. OLED is nice. Sure. But after using the 5.7in display on the Essential, I don't think I can go back to the meager 5in display found in the Pixel 2. The higher contrast attributed to the OLED panel found in the Pixel 2 is nice, but the difference is barely noticeable. The main beneficiary of this technology would be the lower power usage. Which brings me to the battery. The 3000mah battery found in the Essential should make up for the extra juice required to run the LCD panel. After testing both for the past few days, I can't say if there's a clear winner between the two. The Pixel 2's smaller battery can be compensated by the better software optimization by Google to ensure one full day of use. Essential might still have a few kinks to iron out with their software to ensure they don't unintentionally drain the battery life through poor software optimization. Both have been giving me full-day use with more than enough to spare (25%-50% left in the tank on a good day). In the end, I feel like the Essential is a better match for me. Your opinion and needs might differ, but I hope this review gave you some additional peace of mind before taking the lunge. Cheers!