Andy Rubin?s Essential is shutting down

And now Essential, the phone company created by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, has announced it’s shutting down too.On one hand, the news comes as a surprise, considering it was just in October the company announced it was working on a “radically different” smartphone dubbed Project GEM. Given this, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations and shutdown Essential.As a parting gift, Essential shared a few videos of Project GEM and its unique interface.However the phone might’ve turned out, it seems it would have at least provided a unique entry in a crowded phone market.Essential shutting down is bad news for owners of the original PH-1 too; the company will no longer provide updates or support for the device.Though the phone came out in 2020, Essential has been remarkably consistent about providing quick updates, giving the PH-1 some of the best long-term support we’ve seen from any device on the market.