



Financial Times





You didn't think Andy Rubin's Essential Phone will be exclusively available in the United States, did you? Even though the company behind the quirky smartphone hasn't yet come forward with an official statement to confirm its expanded availability,reports the Essential Phone will be released in many other countries.Apparently, Andy Rubin's company negotiated the release of the Essential Phone in the UK with local carriers. Last week, Essential execs held talks with EE and other UK network operators to find a suitable time frame for the launch the Essential Phone in the country.Besides the UK, Essential plans to brings its smartphone to western Europe and Japan. There was no mention of pricing options for these regions, but the Essential Phone will be available in the United States via Sprint for around $700.Unfortunately, the Essential Phone missed the June deadline announced by Andy Rubin, but its debut is imminent, said Niccolo de Masi, chief operating officer of Essential.The Essential Phone gained its popularity since it's been developed by Android founder's company. Many analysts believe that if not for Andy Rubin's involvement, the Essential Phone would not see too much interest from the mass market.Either way, the Essential Phone brings a couple of innovations that smartphone lovers will probably find appealing. Now let's see if it's worth the price of a flagship.