Android creator Andy Rubin took the tech world by storm on Tuesday by introducing his own smartphone, dubbed the Essential Phone. Apart from an impressive set of specs and features, what exactly grabbed everyone's attention is the fact that the new handset doesn't carry any visible branding like logos or the company's name.
While consumers in the U.S. can reserve their Essential Phone, there's no word on the official release date of the device. However, at the Code Conference 2017 later on Tuesday, Rubin provided the timeline of when the phone could be expected to start shipping.
According to Rubin, the Essential Phone would go on sale in the next 30 days, which means that consumers should be able to get their hands on the device before the end of June.
In addition to release details, Rubin also revealed that the new phone would feature its own digital assistant, which would also be available on Essential Home smart speaker. The new smart home device, which will run on a proprietary operating system called Ambient OS, is expected to compete with established players in the segment, including Amazon Echo and Google Home.
The Essential Phone, running on stock Android 7 Nougat, comes with a 5.71-inch display with an unusual screen resolution of 2560 x 1312 pixels and 19:10 aspect ratio. The handset sports a titanium body and a ceramic back while its bezel-less screen is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The $699 phone features a dual camera setup at the back with 13-megapixel RGB + 13-megapixel monochrome lenses and f/1.85 aperture. The camera is also capable of shooting 4K videos at 30 frames per second. There is also an 8-megapixel front camera with an aperture of f/2.2 with fixed focus.
The Essential Phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which is also found inside the Samsung Galaxy S8. Other specs include a 3,040mAh battery, a USB Type-C port for fast wired charging, 4GB RAM and 128GB storage capacity. The phone, however, lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Meanwhile, major carriers in the U.S. have reportedly said that the Essential Phone would work on their networks. However, none of them shared details of their plans to sell the phone directly.
"While the phone might work on Verizon, we can't promise the same experience and quality of service as devices that have been tested and approved for use on our network," Verizon told the Verge.
T-Mobile, on the other hand, sounded somewhat optimistic about the Essential Phone, but also implied that it won't be selling the handset directly. The carrier urged customers purchasing the phone to bring it to the network through its BYOD program.
"We'll have more to share closer to general availability in terms of what advanced network features might be available in Essential," T-Mobile reportedly said.
Sprint also confirmed that the phone would work on its network, but said that it would share more information "at a later date."
