The Essential Phone was the first non-Pixel smartphone to receive the Android 9 Pie update. Google released the update earlier this month and the Pixel handsets were the first to get it in addition to the Essential Phone, the device made by the company founded by the co-founder of Android. It was the unlocked variant that got it first and it’s now being rolled out for the Sprint variant.
The Essential Phone is the first smartphone made by Andy Rubin’s company called Essential. It didn’t really turn out to be a hit even though it’s a flagship-level device. It’s also unclear if the company will be making any additional smartphones. Its future has been the subject of much speculation recently.
Essential quickly released the Android 9 Pie for the unlocked Essential Phone earlier this month. It was expected that the company might take some time in getting the update ready for the Sprint variant as it requires more software optimizations since it ships with additional apps.
It hasn’t been a substantial delay, though. Merely a week after the company released Android 9 Pie for the unlocked variant, it has confirmed that the Sprint variant of the Essential Phone is now receiving the much-awaited Android 9 Pie update.