Pre-ordered Essential Phones will start shipping next week, according to an official email sent to the customers who pre-ordered them. In the email sent on Wednesday, the startup says shipments of the Essential PH-1 will start within seven days, reports CNET.
Essential PH-1 to be shipped in seven days
Apart from the shipping details for the Essential PH-1, there was no further information, but the California-based startup did say that more details about the smartphone are lined up for release. It must be noted that the announced shipment date is only for the PH-1 smartphones and not the Essential 360 Camera. The company stated that shipping details for the camera will be disclosed later in another email.
Almost a week ago, Rubin shared some more pictures of the phone on the assembly line.
“We are in full mass production, ramping up to deliver your Essential Phone. Find out where you can get yours next week!” he tweeted.
No information on which mobile carriers will sell the Essential Phone has been officially released. However, a screenshot that was leaked on Reddit suggests that Sprint will offer the Essential Phone starting on August 18, which is a week before the official “First Look” event that the company is reportedly planning to hold, notes PhoneArena. As of now, Sprint has not given any hint about pricing for the phone, but expectations are that the unlocked model will be priced around $699. The handset is still available for $699 if you buy it directly from the California-based startup.
Essential’s first smartphone will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 3,040mAh battery. The phone will have USB Type-C fast wired charging, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage capacity. The handset will sport a 5.71-inch screen with a narrow bezel and have a titanium frame and ceramic back.
Further, some of the specifications look similar to those of the the Moto Z2 Force and Moto Z2 Play, such as the modular capabilities, which include a 360-degree camera add-on. Additionally, the 360-degree camera does not require separate charging like the Samsung Gear 360.
Must meet the deadline this time
Essential, the startup founded by Android creator Andy Rubin, is already valued at $1.2 billion even though it has not shipped a single product yet. It is widely expected that the phone will be available from Amazon and Best Buy after the official launch. With this sort of valuation, Essential comes in the tech unicorn category, a status given to startup companies valued over $1 billion. In July, Essential was estimated to be valued at around $997 million, so hitting the $1 billion mark was just a matter of time.
The phone’s launch timing is perfect given the fact that a few weeks from now, both Apple and Samsung will release their next-gen smartphones. However, the first-generation Essential Phones have yet to be shipped, so nothing can be said surely for yet.
Essential has already missed one launch date when, after unveiling the phone in May, Rubin stated that the phone would be available by the end of the month. The company will definitely have to do everything it can not to miss yet another deadline, or it could risk losing its lofty valuation.
