Andy Rubin’s Essential phone announces carrier availability and it’s… Sprint

Essential

Andy Rubin, the father of Android, has a new smartphone company in the works called "Essential." Its first flagship smartphone, the "Essential Phone," is launching soon in the US for $699. While most upstart smartphone companies (see: OnePlus) opt for an unlocked-only, direct-sales model, Essential is actually doing carrier deals. Well, one carrier deal: the device is going to be a Sprint exclusive.

Speaking to USA Today, Essential President Niccolo de Masi was very nice to his launch partner, calling Sprint "the network of the future" and saying, "We like to bet with where we think the market is going as opposed to where the market was."

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