After having being announced as a carrier-exclusive phone in the US and unlocked, Essential has been keeping relatively quiet over the last month since its launch. Now, there is new confirmation of the phone’s availability outside of the US.
Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone was launched in June, 2017
The Sprint exclusive phone for the US and TELUS exclusive for Canada will now be able to enjoy a breath of fresh air when it hits European waters. However, the catch is that the phone will still be a carrier exclusive, with many carriers currently in talks with Essential about being vendors. EE is one of the carriers pegged to sell the phone in the UK. There has also been a launch date set for the UK release of the phone, which will be happening later this year.
Essential phone’s cost of $699 or $749 (with the 360-degree camera modular add-on) through the website alone, and the cost of it being available on contract with Sprint will offer for different preferences of usage. Sprint is currently lagging behind in the marketspace and with Essential, it can hope to pick up the pace. Considering it will be available SIM-free and carrier-based as well will open up the audience for the phone, whose availability is now reminiscent of the Original OnePlus One’s initial run. Despite word of the phone going across the pond, however, the company has still kept mum on the making its phone available in the US still, since its June release promise has not yet been fulfilled.
According to The Verge, Essential’s executives are readying for a launch in both Europe and Japan as well. While there has been a date decided for launch in the US as well, that date has supposedly not been confirmed or cleared for customers to receive their pre-ordered devices. The Essential phone is currently on the cutting-edge of features in terms of design, as it features a display that is cut out from the top to accommodate for the camera and it also features modular compatibility, for the addition of extra accessories like the 360-degree camera.
Once the phone is actually released, it is bound to cause a stir in the premium performance smartphone segment, which is currently being dominated by the Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5. Sony, LG and HTC still have their own flagships that could take the throne, but Essential scores well with initial reception to reviewers and customers alike, it could disrupt the order of things to come; at least until the iPhone 8 arrives.
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