Bloomberg reported in January 2017 that Andy Rubin, co-founder of the Android operating system acquired by Google in 2005, was preparing to announce a new hardware company called Essential, whose first hardware product would be the "Essential" Phone.

The phone first appeared in a tweet by Rubin, posted on March 27, 2017.
In a quote of the tweet, Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt confirmed the phone would run Android.
A few days prior to the official announcement, Essential tweeted an image of what appeared to be a 360-degree camera attached to the smartphone.
The Verge exclusively announced the device on May 30, 2017, hours ahead of Rubin's onstage announcement at a technology conference.
Bloomberg reported in January 2017 that Andy Rubin, co-founder of the Android operating system acquired by Google in 2005, was preparing to announce a new hardware company called Essential, whose first hardware product would be the "Essential" Phone.
The phone first appeared in a tweet by Rubin, posted on March 27, 2017. In a quote of the tweet, Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt confirmed the phone would run Android. A few days prior to the official announcement, Essential tweeted an image of what appeared to be a 360-degree camera attached to the smartphone. The Verge exclusively announced the device on May 30, 2017, hours ahead of Rubin's onstage announcement at a technology conference.
Essential Phone