Android co-founder Andy Rubin recently unveiled his new company Essential’s first smartphone, aptly called Essential Phone. It was confirmed yesterday that this handset will be exclusive to Sprint in the United States and will be compatible with other carriers as well. While some might be confused by this decision that Essential has taken, Sprint says that pricing advantages make it the perfect pick as the exclusive U.S. carrier partner for the Essential Phone.
Rubin has previously confirmed that the Essential Phone will be released in June and the company is going to sell it on its website for $699. It will be compatible with all four major carriers in the country.
Sprint mentions that the Essential Phone will be available later this summer and that it will be sold at all of the carrier’s retail stores, telesales, and Sprint.com. The carrier variant will also be available from U.S. Best Buy stores and via the retailer’s website as well. Interested customers can now pre-register with Sprint to be notified when the carrier starts selling it.
Sprint may be touting the pricing advantages but the carrier hasn’t divulged any pricing details at this point in time. The carrier says that it will confirm the pricing details closer to launch. So we’ll have to wait and see to find out whether it will really be worth it to buy the Essential Phone from Sprint.
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