Essential Phone Will Be Compatible To All Major US Carriers, According To FCC Filing

Ever since Andy Rubin revealed the Essential Phone last month, we haven’t heard much new details about the upcoming device. However, the upcoming phone has appeared on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website, signaling that its release in the U.S. is very near.

The FCC filing reveals that the Essential Phone, with model number A11, will be compatible to all major mobile network carriers in the U.S., even those that use CDMA networks, according to Slash Gear. The Essential Phone is expected to arrive in the country as a Sprint exclusive device, but at least it’s good to know that it will be able to support other carriers.

Other than that, the FCC filing doesn’t give much of new information on the Essential Phone. However, this does mean that the device will soon be shipping to customers soon. Essential opened reservations for the device on May 30, and Andy Rubin did say that he wouldn’t have let that happen “if it wasn’t going to ship in 30 days or so.”

The FCC filing also listed down the Essential PH-1’s specs, and everything seems to be inline with what was announced last month. The device will arrive with a Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Essential Phone features a 5.71-inch display with a screen resolution of 2,560 x 1,312.

For cameras, the device will arrive with a dual 13-megapixel cameras on the back and an 8-megapixel camera up front. There’s also a rear-fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C, fast charging support for the 3,040 mAh battery, support for snap-on accessories and the 3.5mm headphone jack. The device is confirmed to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and Essential says that it’s committed to delivering frequent software updates.

There’s still no word on whether the Essential Phone will be water-resistant, but Essential Products Inc. might have something to announce about that soon. “We’re finalizing the testing to validate our official IP rating,” Essential responded on Twitter when asked about it.

The Essential Phone is believed to come with at least an IP5x rating. This means that it can withstand light sprays of water, or can be used outside while it’s raining lightly. Until the IP rating has been finalized, there’s no way of telling if the Essential Phone can be fully submerged underwater, as pointed out by GSM Arena.

The company also told a fan on Twitter that “something’s cooking” and that he should “stay tuned.” The company might be hinting on announcing an official release date for the Essential Phone.

Essential Products has been quite active on Twitter recently answering questions from fans and customers. However, it looks like it’s trying to keep a lid on any new information until an official announcement has been made. It also seems like the company’s standard response for questions right now is that they have no updates to share yet, and that more information will be coming soon.