Android founder Andy Rubin is giving a sneak peak to what might be the next Essential smartphone — and apparently it has a very narrow display.
On Tuesday, Rubin tweeted out images of the unnamed device, which appears to be about half the size of a standard smartphone, and looks almost like a TV remote control. "New UI (user interface) for radically different form factor," he said in one of the tweets.
New UI for radically different formfactor pic.twitter.com/Es8hFrTuxx — Andy Rubin (@Arubin) October 8, 2019
One image shows the smartphone running a mapping app over the narrow display. Another depicts the product showing all the services running over the phone, which include the calendar, Weather and Uber apps. (However, it remains unclear how the phone will ensure third-party apps fit the unusual screen size.)
The images also show you can easily hold and access the smartphone with one hand. According to Rubin, the devices are fitted in a "GEM Colorshift" material, which has a reflective metallic sheen.
GEM Colorshift material pic.twitter.com/QJStoiDleH — Andy Rubin (@Arubin) October 8, 2019
So far, Rubin's startup, Essential Product, is remaining tight lipped about the product. "We've been working on a new device that's now in early testing with our team outside the lab. We look forward to sharing more in the near future," the company told PCMag in an email.
However, Essential has been rumored to be working on an AI-powerd smartphone that'll largely work over voice commands instead of a touch screen. This may explain the unusual design to the new phone that Rubin is teasing.
The Android founder and his startup have been pretty quiet over the last year after launching the Essential Phone PH-1 back in August 2017. The PH-1 was notable for its edge-to-edge screen that sported a small notch for the front-facing camera. However, the company has so far refrained from following up the product with a new model.
The relative silence may be due in part to how Rubin found himself embroiled in a controversy over how he left Google back in 2014. Last October, The New York Times reported the tech giant had forced him to resign over a credible sexual misconduct claim, but not before negotiating an exit package that paid Rubin $90 million.
In response, Rubin claimed the The Times' story was part of a "smear campaign" involving false allegations. However, details of his exit package along with Google's handling of workplace sexual harrassment cases sparked a one-day massive walkout of Google employees at company offices worldwide.