Essential, the startup founded by Android creator Andy Rubin, is reportedly bringing its first smartphone to the UK later this year.
According to The Financial Times, Essential has been in discussions with UK carriers on a deal to launch the phone here. One potential partner is EE. It's also thinking about bringing the phone to western Europe and Japan.
Essential's first phone, simply called Phone, hasn't actually launched in the US yet. But the startup has shown signs of trouble already. Business Insider reported last week that the company's VP of marketing Brian Wallace had left. Head of communications Andy Fouché also left, though he remains an advisor.
Essential is promising a high-end $700 (£535) device which will compete directly with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's flagship Galaxy range. The phone comes with magnetic connectors, meaning people can pin accessories to the back, such as a 360-degree camera which will be sold separately.
The company will begin selling the unlocked phone through its site this summer, and it has an exclusive US carrier deal with Sprint. It hasn't given an exact timeframe though, and the company has already missed its launch deadline once.
Ben Wood, an analyst for CCS Insight, told The Financial Times that there would be "little or no interest" in Essential were it not for Andy Rubin.
Here's what we know about the phone so far:
Rubin reportedly raised $300 million (£231 million) recently for Essential. According to one analysis, the round values his startup at $993 million (£765 million), making it almost a unicorn before it even has a product on the market.
NOW WATCH: Watch the US government sink a giant ship called the 'Kraken' on purpose
SEE ALSO: Everything we know about the Essential PH-1, the phone made by one of Android's founders
AND NOW: The creator of Android explains how his new phone can take on Apple and Samsung
No comments:
Post a Comment