In May, Android co-founder Andy Rubin unveiled a new flagship-class Android handset, the Essential Phone. At the time, he made a point of saying that the company "wouldn't be taking reservations if it wasn't going to ship in 30 days or so". Given that pre-orders had opened at the end of May, buyers assumed they'd receive their phones by the end of June.
But by the first week of July, the device still hadn't shipped, and Essential was telling customers that it did "not have a ship date" available. Two weeks later, on July 21, the company said it was planning to begin shipments "in a few weeks".
Now, light has finally appeared at the end of the tunnel. In an email sent today to some customers who registered for the device, Essential said: "Great news, your phone has been built! We now just need your payment details and we will ship within 7 days."
However, it seems that only the 'Black Moon' model will be shipping within that timeframe. 9to5Google's Ben Schoon said he received a different email, which stated:
Great news! Essential Phone (Black Moon) is starting to ship. As shipment of your Pure White device is still a couple of weeks away, we want to give you the option to change your order from a Pure White to a Black Moon device, which will ship within 7 days.
It seems that buyers wanting the Essential Phone in white won't get theirs until the end of August at the earliest, three months after the handset was announced - and far later than they were originally led to believe.
Source: 9to5Google
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