Essential gets into the accessory business with USB Type-C earphones and more

The Essential Phone may have had a mixed reception at launch, but its accessory ecosystem always held promise, thanks to those modular pogo pins on the back.

That ecosystem has yet to reach its potential, as the 360 Camera is the only one that takes advantage of those pins, but you have to learn to walk before you can run. That might be why Essential recently launched several accessories, all of which address basic necessities (with one huge exception).

First up is Essential’s USB Type-C-to-3.5mm-headphone-jack adapter. It comes with the Essential Phone but can now be purchased separately for $15. The dongle comes in either black or white, and can presumably be used with any smartphone with a USB Type-C port.

Related: Here are the very best smartphone accessories

Next up are a pair of earphone models: the Earphones Mini and the Earphones HD. Both feature a USB Type-C connector and a multi-function button that lets you answer and end phone calls, control music playback, and bring up Google Assistant. Both earphones also include extra ear tips and a carrying case for extra portability.

The Earphones HD are slightly larger than the Earphones Mini. That’s to make room for a 9.2 mm high resolution driver, which is supposed to make your listening crisper. That difference is reflected in the price tag — the Earphones Mini cost $49, and the Earphones HD ramp up to $99.

Essential also launched a 27W fast charger, which promises to deliver up to four hours of battery life in 10 minutes of charging. The fast charger supports USB Power Delivery 2.0, so you can presumably use it with other phones that support the standard. The charger also includes a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable.

You can pick up the fast charger, which is available in black and white, for $39.

Finally, Essential announced a pair of accessories not yet available. The company showed off a new carrying case for the 360 Camera, available in black and red. Pricing and launch date were not announced.

More prominent is the Click Connector, which uses the Essential Phone’s modular pogo pins to charge the phone. Even though the dock was announced last May, we still do not know how much it costs or when it will be available.

You might have noticed most of these accessories do not use the Essential Phone’s pogo pins. You might have also noticed Essential is not selling any sort of case. In previous AMAs on Reddit, the company confirmed it will not make accessories, since the phone’s ceramic and titanium exterior should hold up well to most forms of abuse.

In any case, most of these accessories are available now and we’ll update you with information on the others as we get it.