The devices were designed by the San Francisco-based product studio Ammunition, which also developed Obi Lifespeed, a custom user interface for Android. Obi integrates elegant design with high-end technology from to deliver a powerful performance.
This, paired with the Obi Worldphone being a fresh start-up, makes John’s company more free to swap components and change smartphone designs to better server users.
Obi Worldphone SF1 is the company’s flagship 4G/LTE smartphone featuring state-of-the-art photography and audio capabilities. Thus, these phones will feature components like processors from Qualcomm and MediaTek, a camera from Sony, and Corning Gorilla Glass and Dolby Digital sound. For an extra $50 you can have 3GB RAM and 32GB storage-both phones have microSD slots.
The SJ1.5, which is named after San Jose, also has the flag-edged top but has a flush display. “It features a 1080p 5” IPS screen with a “signature floating glass display” that lends the Gorilla Glass 4-capped front of the phone a distinct look. Along with dual SIM slots, the SJ1.5 comes with 16GB of internal storage and a card slot for memory expansion. Despite the fact that this is the more affordable of the two, it runs a later version of Android, namely 5.1 Lollipop. This is the market that Obi Worldphone wants to target as it believes that its aggressive pricing and no-compromise design will make it an option that buyers can refuse.
The two latest offerings from Obi Worldphone seek to fit firmly between the premium and entry tiers of the smartphone market, do so at prices that rival the low end of the segment.
“The SJ1.5 is cheaper at $129 and will still maintain the 5″ display but will only be 720p.
Obi also announced support from global insurance giant Generali Group, which invested in Obi with a venture capital fund. The Obi Worldphone line will be available starting in October in retail stores in some countries and online in others. The new company, Obi Worldphone, which aims to offer premium-designed phones to developing markets.
SJ1.5 with 3G technology has a Quad-Core processor and it is available in three colors, namely red, white and black. The device is powered by MediaTek MT6580 clocked at 1.3 GHz and comes with 1 GB of RAM. The rear camera shoots 8-megapixel images while the front snapper manages 5-megapixel shots.
By Mark Davison in San Francisco – Obi Worldphone, which last night launched a family of smartphones specifically targeted at the youth sector in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, will officially establish its presence in South Africa in November.