Andy Rubin (creator of Essential and father of Android) spoke on Tuesday night at the annual Code Conference about his new company and phone, Essential. When asked when the Essential Phone would be available, he replied with: “soon”—but quickly assured people that he wouldn’t take reservations if it wouldn’t ship in 30 days.
So with that, it sounds like the Essential Phone should be available sometime in June—although delays could always happen. However, that doesn’t mean you should wait to get one. Rubin also revealed that while his goal is to get to scale with Essential, he realizes that won’t happen right away. So since we don’t have any indication of how many devices they’ll make, it’s probably best to go on Essential’s website and reserve a phone immediately (take a lesson from Google Pixel and Nintendo Switch owners). And given it’s lower price point compared to iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S8, and Google Pixel XL with as good, if not better, specs.
Currently, Essential will work with all U.S.-based carriers—although it’s still unclear whether all carrier features for each network—like HD voice, Wi-Fi calling, and more—will be supported at launch.
Essential Phone will cost $699, but payment isn’t due when reserving the device.
