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The Essential Phone is reportedly coming to Japan, the UK, and other European countries

The Essential Phone is reportedly coming to Japan, the UK, and other European countries

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US launch is ‘imminent,’ says Essential’s COO

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Essential Phone
Photo by Asa Mathat / Recode

The Essential Phone may not have hit its June release date in the US, but Andy Rubin’s new smartphone company is already setting its sights beyond the States. Per a new report in the Financial Times, Essential executives are already working to launch the upcoming flagship phone internationally in Europe and Japan. More specifically Essential is said to already be in talks with several UK carriers, including EE, to finalize a launch date for the device.

And while the company is mostly remaining quiet on the missed US launch, Niccolo de Masi, chief operating officer of Essential, says that the release in the States is “imminent.” He didn’t elaborate on a specific date that preorder customers will actually receive their devices, however.

The Essential Phone is the latest project from Android creator Andy Rubin, who hopes his new device will shake up the entrenched upper end of the smartphone market. The device offers high-end specs, including an edge-to-edge display and modular attachments like a 360-degree camera. The phone was expected to ship sometime in June, but no formal release date beyond that has been announced.