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Canada is getting the Essential Phone too, and (surprise!) it will be a carrier exclusive

Mountains and a white background—seems about right. Essential will visit the Great White North this summer. (Source: Twitter)
Mountains and a white background—seems about right. Essential will visit the Great White North this summer. (Source: Twitter)
Andy Rubin's Essential has nabbed an exclusivity deal for its handset with one of Canada's largest mobile carriers. Telus Mobility will begin selling the Essential Phone, along with its attachable 360-degree camera, this summer at a yet unknown price.

Exclusivity and Essential are two words that seem to go hand in hand these days. Andy Rubin's upcoming smartphone was recently announced as a Sprint exclusive here in the United States, and it's now coming exclusively to Telus in Canada too. This new announcement makes Canada and the US the first and only two countries so far to get the Essential Phone—see what I mean about exclusivity?

All talk about the 'E' word aside, Telus has also announced a few details regarding the device's availability. The Essential Phone will launch in late summer, both online and in retail stores. Pre-orders will be accepted on telus.com at the end of July. Customers will have the choice of purchasing the phone outright or through one of Telus' Your Choice plans once it is available.

Telus did not provide any info on price, except that details "will be shared in the coming weeks." Given that the price of the Essential Phone in the US will be $699, there is a chance that the handset could cost upwards of CAD $900 upfront.

As to why Andy Rubin chose Telus, this is what he had to say:

"We selected Telus as our preferred partner in Canada due to our strong alignment on the importance of continuous innovation and support for customer choice."

To which Telus representative David Fuller replied:

"We're excited to be the launch partner for the Essential Phone in Canada. We take pride in carrying the latest smartphones and technology ... This partnership is another opportunity to do just that."

Fuller also said he was "pleased" to sell the Essential 4K 360-degree camera, which Rubin believes will be perfect for creating immersive VR video, alongside the Essential Phone. There were no details provided on its price, but it should launch at the same time as the Essential Phone.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2017 06 > Canada is getting the Essential Phone too, and (surprise!) it will be a carrier exclusive
John Garcia, 2017-06-15 (Update: 2017-06-15)