Almost two months since creator Andy Rubin promised the arrival of his much awaited smartphone, Essential Phone units have begun shipping to customers who have pre-ordered them.
Essential Products told its supporters through a tweet to look out for an email containing the tracking information of their handsets. "We appreciate everyone's patience!" it said.
Priced at $700, only the glossy black variant of the phone is currently shipping. Those who ordered a different colored variant will have to wait a little longer, as no specific dates for their arrival have been announced yet. The white variant is still marked "coming soon," while the matte design is not yet listed on the company's order page.
Additionally, the phone will be shipping to customers without its highly-marketed Essential 360-degree camera, since the accessory is not shipping. Customer who opted to purchase the Essential Phone and 360 camera package have been charged for both the unit and the camera. However, the company has yet to reveal when the accessory will begin shipping.
Consumers waiting on the phone have suffered a series of missed deadlines by the company, who first promised that the phone will be arriving in June. In May 30, Rubin announced that the phone will begin shipping within 30 days. The company was largely silent about missing the deadline despite many consumers pre-ordering the product.
In July 22, he said that the new Android competitor will be coming "within a few weeks." After missing that deadline, Rubin announced to consumers on Aug. 16 that the units will start shipping within a week.
The Essential Phone has garnered support from many largely due to Rubin's reputation as one of the founders of the Android mobile operating system and being a former Google executive. He served as Google's senior vice president of mobile and digital content before leaving the company in 2014 to focus on startup projects.
