Hear me out here:
The Essential Phone was let down by a LOT of other factors. Camera Quality was the biggest for sure, but also the touch screen could be glitchy and in general not as responsive as it’s peers. Lack of wireless charging, poor marketing, etc…
But…
As far as design goes; how it felt in the hand, the size of it, the build materials (ceramic and titanium), the screen-to-body ratio, the weight, even simply how it felt in the back pocket of your jeans. I have never met it’s equal.
So much so that there is STILL a dedicated group keeping her going through projects like LineageOS and e/OS.
Heck, I still use it as my daily driver (on e/os) and ever time I think I’m going to put my sim-card into something slightly newer because the Essential doesn’t have 5G, I quickly realize that I don’t really need 5G that damn badly after all and I switch back.
Someday, the battery will stop holding a charge for more than a day and a half. Or someday, I’ll drop it and the ultimate failure of the Ceramic back will slap me in the face. And on that day I’ll be sad.
I’d argue phone design peaked at the iPhone 13 pro in that amazing blue color. The polished stainless steel feels amazing in the hand. Apple switching to titanium was a mistake. It has sharp edges, but unlike other phones, it felt nice in my hand. Plus it was the first iPhone with mmWave 5g, and the last (in the US) with a physical sim card slot. If only it had USB C I’d still be using it as my main phone. I keep mine around purely because I like to fondle it.
iPhone 13 Pro user here: I don’t like it. Heavy as f… and sharp edges all around. The best iPhone designs were the 3G(s), which felt natural in the hands because of the size and rounded back, and - from the more recent designs - the X and 11 series. The rounded frame was just so much better.
The only way it sits flat is face-down like in the picture and using a phone with a lopsided camera bump on a table suuuccckks.
I think if your phone design requires a case for functionality that basic, it may not be the worst design but…it’s far from the best.