Remember how we questioned the positioning of Andy Rubin’s Essential and its Essential Phone as a premium Android smartphone with its US$699 price tag? Turns out that those on Telus have it pretty awful.
The Canadian network, which has exclusivity over the PH-1’s carriage, is now offering those who registered with Essential’s Canadian site a chance to pre-order the device in either its Black Moon or Pure White looks for CA$1,050 (US$825) outright. That’s an 18 percent premium.
The company is offering two tiers of financing through a service plan over two years:
- $290 down with a minimum service plan price of $95 monthly ($2,570 over 24 months)
- $490 down with a minimum service plan price of $85 monthly ($2,530 over 24 months)
To be fair, a lot of smartphones cost more in this country — Telus and Rogers have the standard iPhone 7 above CA$900 or US$707.
The product page states that units will begin shipping out in the next 3 to 4 weeks — some good news for those watching from the south, especially as Essential is due to announce a firmer shipment timeframe this week. Rubin tweeted that mass production, while way later than promised, is underway.
[alert variation=”alert-warning”]Update: The pricing on the two contract tiers has been clarified to reflect that service plan charges must start at the minimum amounts signified.[/alert]
