Essential Phone Will Ship Next Week, Shortly After Breaking $1 Billion Valuation (9to5google.com)

New submitter cloud.pt writes: Andy Rubin's Essential Phone will be released next week according to 9to5Google, just shy from its initial June mark. The company has been speculated to be worth around $1.2 billion, after giant Foxconn filed yesterday for a 0.25% acquisition at around $3 million -- clearing unicorn status as it hasn't shipped a single unit at the time. According to Engadget, future and existing pre-orders will have a chance to switch to the Pure White version of the slab, despite initial shipments being scheduled to be of the Black Moon variety. Essential's storefront orders will get the device unlocked, while the only parties offering the device will initially be Sprint. Rumor has it Amazon plans to sell the device as it invested in the company through its Alexa fund. No matter the contract attached, it will come with the full range of network capabilities unlocked.

Comments

$1b in value

[hsmith]

Haven't sold a single thing. Rofl. World has gone fucking insane.

Re:I just don't care anymore

[Hadlock]

Unless you're in the Northeast, $600 will buy you a ticket to anywhere in central america, anywhere in the northern half of south america, and most of southeast asia. If you're on the east coast, you can sometimes fly to Spain for that.
 
If there's a 2% noticeable difference between the $150 phone, and the $650 phone, is that $500 difference going to be worth the opportunity cost of traveling somewhere new and interesting for a weekend? Or getting that cavity filled? Sending your kids to summer camp for two weeks? Maybe you're 23 with a college degree, no responsibilities and unlimited disposable income, but that's a boat payment for me. I have hobbies and uses for $500. A phone is a phone, and the quality difference is almost impossible to tell the difference; my pixel next to my moto G4 requires knowledge of which one has a textured power button. Don't let marketing delude you.