Essential Phone gets certified, will now work on Verizon's network

While the only U.S. carrier selling (and leasing) the Essential Phone is Sprint, the carrier branded model and the unlocked version available from Essential, Amazon or Best Buy are now both certified for use with Verizon's network. A text disseminated by Essential on Friday night, and one sent by Andy Rubin, both confirm that the Verizon certification is now complete for the handset that features a 5.7-inch edge-to-edge LCD display.

If you have a Verizon SIM card, all you need to do is insert it into the phone. It might take a reboot (according to Andy Rubin) before your Essential Phone starts rockin' Big Red's 4G LTE network. With this news, the PH-1 (PH-one or phone) is now able to work on all four major U.S. carriers. If you're looking to purchase the handset, Sprint will sell it to you for $699.99. Or, you can enter into an 18-month lease for $29.17 a month. After 12-months, you can upgrade to the latest models including the Apple iPhone 8, Apple iPhone 8+, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and more. After 18-months, you can buy the phone for $699.99 minus the amount you've paid to that point. Sprint currently has a 50% deal on an 18-month lease allowing you to pay $14.58 a month for 18-months. You do need to activate a new line or have an eligible upgrade to score that discount.

Best Buy and Amazon are both offering the unlocked version of the phone for purchase at a price of $699.99. Like the Sprint model, this variant will also work with all four major U.S. carriers.

Powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset, the Essential Phone carries 4GB of RAM and 128GB of native storage. A 3040mAh battery is inside, and while the handset currently has Android Nougat pre-installed, the upgrade to Oreo is expected within the next month or two.

Check out our review of the Essential Phone. It's hot off the press and it just might surprise you! To read the review, click on the link.


source: @essential, @Arubin via AndroidPolice