Everything We Know About the Unusually Thin Project Gem Smartphone
The first details about the upcoming Project Gem smartphone have finally surfaced. This is the latest creation of Essential , a company founded by former Google CEO Andy Rubin. The phone itself looks unlike anything that came before it, confirming longstanding rumors that Essential has been working on a custom smartphone for some time now.
Official images and earlier leaks show a striking visual design of the phone that is somewhat different from what we would expect from modern smartphones. Additional leaks and rumors indicate Gem has a very different user experience. Here’s what we know so far about Project Gem:
Form factor
Our first official look at Project Gem – which will be referred to simply as “Gem” in trademark registrations upon release – was thanks to Essential’s official Twitter account and tweets from CEO Andy Rubin.
The first thing you’ll probably notice is the unique Gem form factor, which resembles a TV or streaming remote instead of a modern smartphone. Gem is certainly not the only phone to experience a new design, but it is one of the most radical deviations we’ve seen in quite some time. Another notable aspect of Gem’s design is the metallic color options, which have a subtle color-changing effect based on your viewing angle.
We also catch a glimpse of the location of the Gem volume control and what basically is the fingerprint sensor on the back of the device (which XDA claims can be used to call Gem’s built-in voice assistant). The raised rear camera lens is also visible on the back of the Gem, as well as what appears to be a front camera in the upper left corner of the screen, although camera specifications have yet to be determined.
Speaking of the specs, some expect Gem to be powered by Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 730 chipset, but there is no official word yet.
User interface
The tweets also give us insight into Gem’s unique card interface. Some promo photos even seem to have multiple apps and / or widgets open on the screen at the same time . Of course, the final product may differ slightly from what we see in these photos, but the Gem form factor and custom user interface raise a number of questions, especially regarding how the phone will handle apps designed for different aspect ratios.
Voice control and AI assistant
Developer reports XDA and Bloomberg show Gem will rely on its AI assistant even more than other modern smartphones. Essential ‘s design philosophy is to create devices that will curb smartphone addiction, and the company’s previous smartphone, the PH-1, was also designed with the same minimalist spirit . All this counts, it looks like Gem will be another stripped-down smartphone geared towards … uh … essentials, with a heavy emphasis on voice controls and voice-to-text input, but that’s purely my guess.
Availability
While Essential is finally talking openly about its upcoming Gem smartphone, it hasn’t confirmed a release date, pricing, or final color options. The company says it will share more information soon, but we have no idea what time frame it is thinking about. how the company sold the PH-1, but again, this is just my best guess based on what we know so far.