You can order the Essential Phone starting today
Not interested in what Samsung, LG, Apple, or Google are expected to announce over the new few months? Or decided to pass on Motorola's healthy list of devices launched over the summer? Good news! The Essential Phone is now available.
The blog announcement states the phone is available to order today through Essential, Best Buy, and Sprint. However, Essential is taking reservations and Best Buy still has a "coming soon" tag on the product listing. The Essential Phone is priced at $699, and it's unlocked, so it'll work on all major US carriers.
On Wednesday, Essential sent an email to those who reserved a device when it was first announced in May stating once the order was completed the device would ship within a week. The attachable 360-degree camera, however, will ship at a later date.
Sprint is the lone carrier directly offering the Essential Phone, taking preorders for the black model starting Aug. 17, at a promotional rate of $14.58 per month for 18 months through the company's Flex Lease program. Best Buy is also offering the same promotion on the Sprint variant. Sprint didn't announce when preorders would begin shipping.
With the original launch date now missed, Essential is competing directly with the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Note 8, LG's V30, Google's new Pixel lineup, and Apple's iPhone refresh. As ZDNet's Mathew Miller put it, it's very likely Essential missed the opportune time for launch.