Essential Products was an American consumer technology company co-founded by Android creator Andy Rubin together with Matt Hershenson and Joe Britt, and incubated with backing from Rubin's Playground Global studio. The company developed, manufactured, and sold one shipping product, the Essential Phone, an Android smartphone with a titanium frame, ceramic back, and edge-to-edge display, together with magnetic snap-on accessories including a 360-degree camera and a charging dock.
It also announced the Essential Home smart speaker, which never reached the market, and operated the Newton Mail email service after acquiring its developer in 2018. A planned second-generation phone and the Project GEM successor were cancelled, and Essential announced that it was ceasing operations in 2020 after finding no clear path to deliver its next device. The Essential brand was purchased by Nothing in 2021.
