Essential is working on an A.I.-Powered follow-up

It seems that Essential Phone has a successor. According to a new Bloomberg report, Essential would have started working on a new phone that will use an artificial intelligence imitating the user to perform tasks such as automatically answering messages.

It seems that Essential is working full throttle on the new project. In fact, it would have interrupted the development of items such as a planned domestic speaker and possibly other products in order to focus on the new phone.

Even the design of the new phone would be totally different from that of other smartphones, according to the report. It would have a small screen and the user would interact mainly with voice commands, which would work with Essential's artificial intelligence software. In other words, the device will aim to become more a digital assistant than any other phone before.

It all sounds a bit sci-fi, but it's apparently the essential. Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android and founder of Essential Products, is said to be creating a device that will "capture the imagination of people" by being totally different from the competition.

Of course, Essential still has a long way to go. Currently, the consumer A.I. Space is dominated by Google, Amazon and Apple, but even the assistants of these companies sometimes fail, forcing the user to manually perform the task requested by the wizard. With a phone that has only a small screen, performing tasks manually can prove much more difficult. However, the new device could be for those who want to spend less time using their phone.

So when will we see the new Essential device? Essential would apparently aim to prepare the first prototype by the end of the year, but it is unlikely that consumers will see what this prototype looks like. According to the Bloomberg report, Essential wants to introduce the device to industry partners at the Consumer Electronics Show in January in Las Vegas – although consumers will likely not see it until 2019.

Even though Essential eventually releases the new device, there is no guarantee it will be sold. Otherwise, it could be one of the last devices offered by Essential.