Like OnePlus and Motorola, Essential is likely to focus on direct-to-consumer sales at launch. It's a strategy that appeals to early adopters who want the handset SIM-free and without any carrier bloatware. Most people, however, still acquire new phones through their network in a bricks-and-mortar sore. If Essential wants to sell its first phone in big numbers, it will need the support of major carriers around the world. In the UK, they don't come any bigger than EE, which is now owned by infrastructure juggernaut BT. First, however, the company needs to finish the phone — Rubin promised to ship the first units in June, but that deadline is long gone...