A few days after the unlocked variant of the Essential Phone began receiving its latest update, now too is the Sprint enabled version of the PH-1. The update is the same as it was for the unlocked version of the phone, bringing the same updates and improvements to the only carrier locked version of the Essential Phone.
The update brings the April Android Security Update patch to the phone which, despite being a few days behind the unlocked variant, still makes it one of the first to get updated to the latest security patches. Also, the software to enabled Bluetooth 5.0 is in this update. The radios for 5.0 have been in the PH-1 all along but were not enabled via the software on the device. That now changes with this update.
Game Controller support is also significantly improved with this update, allowing for connectivity and stable performance of them for those of you who like to hardcore game on your phone.
Since Sprint just released the update on their network, it could take a day or two before you see it show up on your phone. You can check for the update by going to Settings.
If you are looking to pick up an Essential Phone for yourself, they are down to $499 on Amazon. The PH-1 supports both GSM and CDMA out of the box so you can use it on virtually any carrier here in the US. Keep in mind though that if you want the limited edition special colors, you have to order those from Essential directly.
