Essential Phone is coming to the UK this year

When the Essential Phone was announced, only a US release was confirmed, but now the company has revealed that the handset will be coming to the UK this year, with launches in other parts of western Europe and Japan also planned.

It hasn’t said when the Essential Phone will land, but when it does it’s likely to be a network exclusive, as according to the Financial Times talks were held with UK networks over an exclusive deal.

That would make sense, as in the US the firm has signed an exclusive deal with carrier Sprint to bring its first phone to the country.

Seeing as the Essential Phone hasn’t even launched in the US yet, despite initial plans for a June launch, we're not holding out too much hope at the moment for a swift arrival in the UK.

According to Niccolo de Masi, chief operating officer of Essential, the Essential Phone’s US launch is imminent, but we suspect it won’t arrive elsewhere until it’s hit the US, which could mean it’s up against big-hitters like the iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 by the time it lands in the UK.

Setting a trend

While it’s unlikely to compete with their sales, the Essential Phone is an interesting handset, designed for “trend setters and technology seekers” according to de Masi.

Its key selling points include a 5.71-inch edge-to-edge display, a ceramic and titanium build, dual 13MP rear cameras, flagship power and the ability to add hardware attachments, such as a 360-degree camera, along with the fact that it’s been created by Andy Rubin, the man behind Android.

If you like the sound of it, it’s been up for pre-order for a while in the US at $699, and while we don’t have a UK price yet that equates to roughly £535/AU$885.