(Telecompaper) Sprint has announced the beginning of pre-orders for Essential Phone, the first smartphone from Android co-founder Andy Rubin's Essential Products. In a statement, Sprint confirmed it's the exclusive US retail carrier for Essential Phone, with the black version available for pre-order now and the white model to made available at a later date. Full retail availability is expected within a few weeks. The phone costs USD 699 but for a limited time Sprint customers can acquire the device through the company's Flex Lease programme at a 50 percent reduction by paying USD 14.58 a month for 18 months and no down payment.