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Sprint to Sell Rubin's Essential Phone As an Exclusive

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Jun 12, 2017, 7:14 AM by Eric M. Zeman

Essential Products has found a U.S. carrier to distribute its Essential PH-1 handset, and that carrier is Sprint. Essential still plans to offer the unlocked phone directly to consumers online, but the handset will also enjoy retail presence in Sprint stores, according to USAToday. "We like to bet with where we think the market is going as opposed to where the market was,” said Essential President Niccolo de Masi to USA Today. "I feel like we are a new brand and a new consumer electronics company and we are partnering with the network of the future." This isn't the only reason. Sprint is majority owned by SoftBank, and Andy Rubin, Essential's CEO, has a long history with Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's CEO. As recently as early this year, SoftBank was expected to make a $100 million investment in Essential, though it backed out for unknown reasons. "It's certainly conscious for us to work with partners that can make an investment in supporting our brand ambitions," continued to de Masi, "and it's an approach that obviously Andy Rubin has been very successful with in the past as well as a lot of our management team." The PH-1 has a unique, magnet-based system for accepting modular attachments, such as a 360-degree camera, on the back panel. It includes a 5.7-inch quad HD screen with curved corners, Snapdragon 835 processor, and dual rear cameras. It will run a near-stock version of Android 7 Nougat and ship completely devoid of brand names or logos. The PH-1 is expected to go on sale later this summer for $699.

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Andy Rubin's Essential PH-1 Boasts Titanium Frame, Magnetic Mods

May 30, 2017
Essential Products, the startup being run by Andy Rubin, who helped create the Android operating system, announced its first smartphone today, the PH-1. The PH-1 is a high-end handset crafted from a titanium shell that Rubin claims is more robust than aluminum and more resistant to damage when dropped.

Essential's Magnetic Headphone Adapter Now Available

Nov 13, 2018
Essential Products today said the magnetic snap-on headphone jack it announced over the summer is available for the Essential Phone. Like existing Essential Phone accessories, the 3.5mm headphone jack is a modular attachment that affixes to two small poles on the rear of the phone.

Essential Updates Its Camera App with a New Look

May 17, 2018
Essential today said it has published a new version of the camera app for its PH-1 phone. Most significantly, the app has been given a fresh coat of paint with new icons that should make it easier to see and switch between photos, videos, and other modes.

Essential Phone Being Updated to Android Oreo 8.1

Mar 13, 2018
Essential Products today said that the PH-1 Essential Phone is now receiving the Android Oreo 8.1 update. Essential says both beta testers and general users should be able to check for and download the update via the systems settings.

Essential Selling Halo Gray Essential Phone with Alexa via Amazon

Feb 16, 2018
Essential Products today outed a fourth new color of its PH-1 Essential Phone that's exclusive to Amazon. The Halo Gray version of the Essential Phone is available for preorder from Amazon.com for $449 starting today.

Essential Phone

5.7" display FHD+ resolution
Snapdragon 835 processor 4 GB RAM
3,040 mAh battery
NFC, Fingerprint Reader

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