It's finally happening. Today marks the official, long-overdue launch of the Essential Phone PH-1 with Essential and Sprint making announcements that you can pre-order Andy Rubin's new device today.

Both Essential itself and Best Buy have the unlocked model for $699, and Sprint will be the exclusive carrier in the U.S. Both versions of the phone will work on all major U.S. carriers. Speaking of Sprint, however, the company is offering an interesting and sweet deal for the launch. Going through its Sprint Flex Lease program, you'll get 50% knocked off the price of the phone, meaning that your monthly payments will be just $14.58.

And for a limited time, if you purchase the phone through Essential, you can get the 360° camera for another $50.

All three outlets are showing as "Reserve," "Pre-order," and "Coming Soon" for me at the time of writing. Also, it looks like you can only get the black model through Sprint at the moment; the white one will be "available at a later date." There will be a few source links below, so pick which one best suits you.

Also, keep in mind that Sprint says that "full retail availability is expected within a few weeks," which makes me wonder about Essnetial's claim that previous pre-orders will be shipping with the next week.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Source: Essential, Sprint, Best Buy