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Essential, the new hardware startup led by Android cocreator Andy Rubin, on Thursday said its debut smartphone was now available to preorder.
Essential says the device, called the Essential Phone, is available at Sprint, Best Buy, and its website.
According to businessinsider.com previously announced, it costs $699 outright and is available in only the US to start. Only the black version of the phone is available, too — Essential said earlier this week that models with a white finish were delayed.
Sprint is running a promotion in which you can lease the phone for $14.59 a month for 18 months, though you’d have to either purchase the phone outright or trade it in for another device once that period is up. Sprint estimates the phone will ship by August 28.
Essential has come under fire for missing previous release deadlines. Rubin said in May that the Phone would start shipping within 30 days. The release on Thursday comes a little over two months after the device’s unveiling.
The Essential Phone is a high-end device designed to be in the same class as popular flagships like Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S8. It comes with the usual slate of top-level specs, a titanium-and-ceramic finish, a clean version of Android, and a display with minimal borders. (Apple’s next iPhone is expected to use a similar display design.) The Essential Phone will also support a family of “modular” accessories, beginning with a 360-degree camera.
