The Essential phone created by Android co-founder Andy Rubin was unveiled at the end of May this year following months of leaks and rumors. During the release of the high-end smartphone at Recode's Code Conference in May, Rubin stated that the handset would be shipped within 30 Days of placing the order. The company also started accepting pre-orders, charging $699 per unit. However, contradictory to the promise made by Rubin, there is no sign of the device on the market even 30 days after its release.
Delay in shipping
More than 30 days have passed since the phone’s release with Essential failing to ship its premium handset.
According to prior calculations, the smartphone should have made its way to consumers by June 29. However, even after a week there is no sign or word of when the device will arrive. The company is yet to respond to either Business Insider or CNET as to when one can expect to get the handset in hand.
Essential is currently accepting pre-orders for the unlocked version of the smartphone through its official website. However, the company also has plans to make the handset available to consumers through Sprint, the only U.S.-based operator, which confirmed it will sell the handset. A Sprint spokesperson was quoted as saying to Business Insider that the Essential Phone is "expected to debut this year.” However, the spokesperson was not aware of the exact date of release.
According to Bloomberg, the company has raised so far raised $300 million. Apart from the premium handset, the company also plans to unveil a voice controlled smart speaker similar to Google Home and Amazon Echo. However, when it comes to the Essential Phone’s delay, one cannot be quite sure as to what is causing the postponement.
While some tech enthusiast feels that the company is trying to improve the camera quality, others are of the thought that the company is facing hurdles in manufacturing the device.
Essential Phone: specs and features
The Essential Phone is available in two colors – black and white – if one wishes to place their orders. The price is same for both the colors.
Sporting a 19:10 aspect ratio, the handset boasts a 5.71-inch QHD display screen with 2560 x 1312 resolution. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and comes with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage.
Whether the company will be able to ship the device soon remains to be seen.
