Essential launches its Phone PH-1 in three new limited edition colors

Essential may be struggling to shift units of its Phone PH-1, but that hasn't stopped the company from trying shift a few more with three new limited edition color variants. The new colors are Stellar Gray,  Ocean Depths and a previously unseen color dubbed Copper Black. Although they have been made in a "small batch" of each, they will set buyers back an extra US$100 over the current asking price of US$499 for its Black Moon and Pure White models.

To help keep the price premium in place, the only place where the new limited edition models can be purchased is through the company's website. Even at US$599 each, the asking price the new models is still US$100 below the launch price of US$699. The company has been forced to cut its pricing as it has struggled to gain any traction in the market faced with stiff competition from Samsung, in particular, at the high-end of the Android market.

According to the startup, one of the reasons the new color variants have been made available in limited quantities is because of the difficulty in getting certain colors reproduced consistently when using ceramic. Essential has long touted the difficulty of creating a smartphone using ceramic in the way that the Phone PH-1 incorporates it into its design, as ceramic shrinks when it is baked hard. According to its website, Essential partnered with the only company in the world that could meet its technical requirements.

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