In an unexpected move, Essential has quietly released an exclusive version of their Essential Phone on Amazon. The new Halo Gray variant comes with Amazon Alexa built-in but is identical to any other variant of the phone as far as specs and features. The Amazon exclusive is $449, the same price as other colors.
The addition of the Halo Gray color comes on the heels of three color variants being released by Essential themselves. Those colors – Ocean Depths, Stellar Gray and Copper Black – are price $100 more than the standard color models.
Not much detail is given on the Alexa integration into this variant of the Essential Phone but it is generally assumed that it functions similar to the way it works on the Huawei Mate 9. That is, the default Assistant app is set to Alexa and there is a pre-installed Alexa app. It doesn’t have the depth of integration as Google Assistant but certainly is functional and helpful for those who use Alexa.
Essential Phone Halo Gray
If the new Halo Gray color tickles your fancy, you can order one over at Amazon. They are in stock now (over the weekend they were showing a pre-order) and can be shipped to you as early as tomorrow. Head over to Amazon for more details.
