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Essential Phone preorders to start shipping in 7 days

After Essential missed its first shipping target, preorders of the highly-anticipated phone from the father of Android are set to ship within a week.

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Claire Reilly
2 min read
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The Essential PH-1 is finally close at hand. 

Essential

That new Essential Phone you've been eagerly awaiting? Essential has promised preorders will start shipping within a week.

The announcement, sent today via email to customers who've preordered the device, promises the device will ship within seven days after payment is received.

It's been a rocky road for the Essential PH-1, as it's officially known, with the company missing its original shipping target. Essential announced on May 30 it would ship within 30 days, but by July, there was still no phone in sight. The company updated customers in late July promising it would arrive "in a few weeks."

But while it's a crowded market for phones, this isn't just any old Android device. The Essential PH-1 is the brainchild of Andy Rubin, former Google exec and father of the Android software that now runs on 2 billion active devices around the world.

The phone certainly has high-end looks to match its Android cred -- thin bezels wrapping around a 5.7-inch display as well as magnetic modules, like a 360-degree camera, that snap on to the device.

At $700 (which translates to £550 or AU$940, though Essential is currently only shipping to addresses in the United States), the Essential PH-1 has a price tag to match its high-end looks, setting you back roughly the same amount as the iPhone 7 or the Samsung Galaxy S8.

And now, with a release just around the corner, we'll be able to see how it stacks up against its heavyweight rivals. 

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