Essential promises 2 years of updates and 3 years of security patches for the PH1 handset

Although the Essential Phone is an attractive handset considering its current price of US$499 (the Black Moon variant goes for even less on Amazon these days — US$479.98 as I write this, to be accurate), it looks like this interesting flagship will not get a successor and Essential will change hands or simply go out of business soon. Fortunately, the Essential Phone will continue to receive software updates and security patches for a (more than) decent period.

Last Friday, Essential rolled out a new Android P Developer Preview build. When asked about the continued support for the Essential Phone, the company confirmed that this handset "will continue to be among the first to receive the latest security updates and software fixes." When asked about the specific support period, Essential promptly replied: "2 years of software updates and 3 years of security patches." 

For now, everything is still shady. The Bloomberg story that mentioned the cancellation of the Essential PH-2 phone received an evasive reply from Andy Rubin, who did not get into any specifics. The company's head only mentioned that Essential is focusing on "game-changing products, which include mobile and home products" without confirming or denying the PH-2-related rumors.

If Essential ends up with a new owner, the software support period of the company's old products could come to an abrupt end. It wouldn't be the first time for such a thing to happen, but it is also very likely that the Essential Phone will continue to receive support from the Android developer community.

Do you have any hopes for a new Essential handset or maybe other products? Would you buy an Essential Phone considering its current price and software support? Take a closer look at the "6 months after" review below and let us know what you think in the comments.