Essential, a new phone brand by Android creator Andy Rubin, will begin shipping phones within 7 days, 9to5Google reports.
The technology blog obtained emails sent to customers that pre-ordered the phones, indicating the shipping date. According to 9to5Google, the shipment will only include phones with a black finish (it also comes in at least one shade of white). The shipment also will not come ship with a 360-degree camera attachment, the emails indicate.
Rubin revealed the phone at Recode’s annual Code Conference in May, when the company said it would be aggressive in getting the $699 product to market. That was despite the fact the company had a team of about 100 people at the time, Niccolo De Masi, president and chief operating officer of Essential, told CNBC.
With a damage-resistant finish, the Essential phone seeks to evolve with technology by offering interchangeable attachments, like a 360-degree camera that’s designed to “democratize” the video format. It is expected to run on Android software.
Essential has raised $330 million from investors like Tencent and Amazon, according to Crunchbase data.
Source: Tech CNBC
The Essential phone — backed by Amazon — will reportedly start shipping next week