2 questions for Essential owners

[happy0506]

My Nexus 5x has been a great phone, but it is showing its age now and getting slow. Time for a new phone. I strongly prefer vanilla Android, so my top two contenders now are the Pixel 2 and the Essential Phone. Pixel is having some issues and the price is considerably more. My two big concerns/questions for the Essential Phone are:

1. The camera. I've read some reviews that it is a mess. I've also read the update made it better. Some say it is pretty good now and others say it is still pretty bad. How do you like the camera on your Essential Phone?

2. Case or no case? I read it doesn't need a case cause of the premium materials make it strong enough to withstand a drop. However I also read the screen has cracked in some drop tests. Also, if you get a case, the whole special connector in the back system seems pretty useless. Do you have a case for yours?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[Hadron]

I don't own one, but the screen is glass so of course is breakable. Even if it got through some silly "drop test" unscathed a drop face down on an uneven surface (or an even one with a piece of grit on it) would risk breakage.

No screen is invulnerable. Glass breaks, while plastic ("shatterproof" screens) scratch.

 

[Clementine_3]

Mine should be here tomorrow, yay!

I ordered plastic screen protectors and a case. Right now there are only like 2 cases so I went with the better reviewed Tudia. The screen protectors apparently don't fit exactly right yet either.

After much reading too, I've seen that the black moon shows scratches and fingerprints like crazy, the pure white not so much. I have never gone caseless and probably won't for the Essential either, we'll see though

I'll update on the camera but I'm not that picky about them usually.