The shipment of pre-order Essential Phone units were expected to begin on June 30. However, Andy Rubin’s company, Essential Products failed to begin the shipments in July. On July 21, the official Twitter handle of Essential revealed a vague confirmation that the Essential Phone would be releasing in “a few weeks.” Its release seems to be drawing near as it has got listed on Best Buy earlier in this week. Amazon will be also selling the Essential Phone and Sprint will be the only carrier selling the Essential Phone in the U.S. Still, the company is silent on its release date.
Earlier in this month, Rubin confirmed that the mass production of the Essential Phone has already started. He added that the company is prepping the release of the smartphone to retailers and service providers across the U.S. Essential Products has confirmed that its investors have pumped $330 million to the company. Some of the well-known investors that invested in Essential Products like Foxconn, Alexa Fund from Amazon and Tecent Holdings from China.
Niccolo De Masi, the president of Essential Products has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the company will be announcing the Essential Phone release date in about a week. In the beginning year, the Essential Phone will be selling in single digit millions and its distribution will be also limited. In Canada, the smartphone will be available through the U.S. Telus Corp. The Essential Phone will be sold unlocked through Essential.com, Best Buy and Amazon. The unlocked Essential Phone will be usable on any carrier network. The company will be announcing international carrier relationships later this year.
He has said that the U.S. release of the Essential Phone will happen in a few weeks. As mentioned above, Rubin has also said in the previous month that Essential Phone would be arriving in a few weeks. This indicates that the Essential Phone will be hitting the market at a time when popular smartphone brands will be releasing be highly anticipated flagship phones in the coming weeks.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 would be unleashed would be Aug. 23 and the LG V30 will be launched at the end of this month. And Apple will be unveiling the iPhone 8 will be announced in the next month. The Essential Phone will face stiff competition from these smartphones that will be available through multiple carriers in the U.S.
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