The inventor of Android has a new company, Essential, and its debut smartphone will be available to pre-order from Telus Mobility by the end of July.
Andy Rubin, the CEO of Essential, is known for co-founding Android prior to its acquisition by Google. That OS is now the most widely-used mobile OS in the world, so you can see why Rubin’s next company is getting a lot of attention. Now Rubin says in a press release that Essential look forward “to delighting Canadians with our premium crafted materials and powerful components.”
In Canada, the smartphone will become available for pre-order from Telus.com at the end of July, and will be available for purchase online and in stores by the end of the summer. Pricing details aren’t being shared at this time. The Essential website is selling pre-orders of the unlocked device for $699 USD.
On Essential’s website, Rubin writes about how technology has ended up complicating people’s lives, and how his company will design hardware that is simpler to use. Part of that design ethos means wireless data transfer and magnetic connections for accessories and cables.
A 4K, 360-degree camera accessory that snaps onto the device camera is sold in an optional bundle with the phone. Rubin says that will allow users to create VR content “anywhere, anytime” and will be a shift in how we interact in social media and with other media channels.
The device also has a titanium body with a ceramic backing, which Rubin says provides more strength compared to other phones on the market. It uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for the screen. The display, which sprawls across the bezel-less design on the front, is 5.7-inches and supports a 2560×1312 resolution.
The phone runs on Android and is powered by a Kryo Octa-core processor and Adreno 540 GPU. It has a 13 megapixel camera on the front and a 8-megapixel camera on the back.
