The Essential Phone might not have been a huge success, but it did win the company a loyal set of followers who have been eagerly waiting for its next smartphone. Today, the company has finally teased its new device which it is calling Project GEM.

This new device from Essential is not a successor to the Essential Phone. Instead, with Project Gem, Essential is looking to “reframe your perspective on mobile.” From the photos shared, it is clear that the phone has an unusually tall and slim display. It looks like Essential is looking to create a secondary smartphone companion here, something like the Palm Phone. The photos shared by Essential also show off some bold colors in which the handset might possibly be available.

Android co-founder and Essential owner Andy Rubin also shared some photos of the new UI on Project Gem for its radically different form factor. It is likely that this phone is running a modified version of Android. Given that the Essential Phone is praised for its fast update experience and stock Android experience, it will be interesting to see how fast Essential is able to roll out software updates to the Gem due to the heavy modifications it has made to it.

https://twitter.com/Arubin/status/1181688574975983616

The device is in “early testing” and Essential promises to share more details about it in the near future. What are your thoughts on Essential’s next device? Disappointed? Or excited that the company is trying something new?