The guy who started Android just teased the new phone he's building

pulse

March 27, 2017 7:27 PM

Andy Rubin plans to release a new phone from his startup, Essential.

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Andy Rubin, the founder of Android who sold the smartphone operating system to Google, teased a new smartphone he's working on through his stealthy startup on Twitter on Monday.

Take a look:

Rubin, who left Google in 2014, is now the CEO of Essential, a startup that plans to release a high-end smartphone to compete with the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy phones, sources have told Business Insider. The Essential phone is expected to launch this spring or summer.

Essential has also gathered a roster of notable executives in the smartphone world, from companies like Apple, Magic Leap, Samsung, and HTC. The company was expected to announce a major round of funding, but The Wall Street Journal reported last week that SoftBank backed out of a deal to invest $100 million.

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