Essential Phone drops to $499 amid struggling sales

The reason for the price drop, at least according to Essential, is “to make it even easier for you to experience our products and our brand.” Rather than creating big-budget television advertisements to bring visibility to the Essential Phone, the company believes reducing the price to $499 will gain attention and drive sales. That’s only going to get a very limited number of units sold, though, because most people don’t know who Essential is and what it sells.

The new price is already live on Essential’s site and Best Buy. Sprint and Amazon are going with the original price still, but the carrier has a special promotion in which getting the Essential Phone on a payment plan cuts the monthly payments in half. It’s possible that Amazon updates its product listing in a few hours to reflect the new price of $499 with free two-day shipping for Prime members.

If you currently own the device, Essential will give you a $200 off discount on the Essential 360 Camera or another Essential Phone. All you have to do is complete this form by Wednesday, November 15.

No one should be surprised by Essential’s decision to slash the Essential Phone’s price. Following its introduction in May, Essential hasn’t done anything to help itself be successful. Andy Rubin wouldn’t provide many details at launch, the device was delayed countless times, and the Essential Phone shipped with numerous bugs and an awful camera. Reducing the price helps make it more appealing, but there’s little reason to choose the Essential Phone over anything else on the market from a more trusted brand.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/10/23/essential-phone-price-drop-struggling-sales/