Taking a different tack in the ultra-competitive smartphone market, Obi Worldphone has claimed that its new range will offer the value and features of a $700 equivalent at a price point of $199.
Bearing that in mind, it is perhaps pertinent to take a look under the hood of the company’s two new smartphones – or in this case, what’s exactly under the Gorilla Glass.
According to the company’s official statement, users can expect to find the following features:
The SF1
Obi Worldphone SF1 is the company’s flagship 4G/LTE smartphone featuring state-of-the-art photography and audio capabilities. The SF1 has a raised 5-inch display made of durable Corning Gorilla Glass 4 – an instantly recognisable signature element that emphasizes the interplay of the hardware with the user interface. The SF1’s premium feel comes from its reinforced fiberglass body and metal accents at the top and bottom of the phone. The SF1 also features a long-life, quick-charge battery and easy-access, dual SIM slot with micro secure digital (SD) expansion. The SF1’s suggested retail price is $199 for the 2 GB RAM / 16 GB internal memory version and $249 for the 3 GB RAM / 32 GB internal memory version.
Obi embraced the full capabilities of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor to power the SF1’s 13-megapixel camera and best-in-class Sony IMX214 Exmor sensor to enable people to capture more professional-looking images. Hybrid auto focus enables split-second, perfect focus in any light – even when shooting into the sun – through phase-detection technology. The camera makes use of the Qualcomm ChromaFlash camera feature to quickly snap two photos — one with flash, one without. The final image takes the brightness from the one with flash and the colour accuracy from the other, creating a single, well-balanced image. Users can select their focus after taking a picture through the Qualcomm UbiFocus camera feature. After the photo is taken, users can also zoom in at a resolution beyond normal digital zoom levels, with crisply detailed images powered by the Qualcomm OptiZoom camera feature.
The SF1 features Dolby Audio, which delivers powerful and crystal clear surround sound though the device speakers and with headphones, for all your entertainment, everywhere. Dolby Audio simulates the placement of surround sound speakers to deliver sound true to the creator’s original concept, and as a result, consumers experience premium audio quality, with outstanding fidelity, bass impact, and dynamic range.
The SF1 also features Qualcomm Quick Charge 1.0 power management technology, which dramatically decreases the time required to charge the battery. The SF1 can charge to full power in less than three hours, which is about 40% faster than older phones. The SF1 runs on Google Android Lollipop. The SF1 is named for its city of origin, San Francisco.

The SJ1.5
The Obi Worldphone SJ1.5 is a 3G smartphone powered by the MediaTek MT6580 Quad-Core processor. The SJ1.5 has an asymmetrical design, with a crisp, squared-off top and a curved bottom that gives it a distinctive silhouette. The screen is made from 2.5D curved glass built flush with the body of the phone to give it a seamless feel in the hand. The SJ1.5 offers unique colour and accent options, taking a more expressive approach. In addition to featuring easy-access dual SIM slots, the SJ1.5 comes with 16 GB of internal storage and a card slot for memory expansion. The SJ1.5 sports front and rear cameras and is protected by scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The SJ1.5 uses the Android Lollipop operating system and its suggested retail price is $129. It’s named for Silicon Valley’s other major city, San Jose.

Security and App Partnerships

Obi’s two security and privacy features at launch are AVG AntiVirus PRO for Android to help protect Obi devices from malware, viruses and theft, and Google Android’s built-in security layers for protection against intrusions.

The SF1 and SJ1.5 can run Google Play Store supported Android applications. Besides the AVG Anti-Virus app, other apps loaded on the SF1 and SJ1.5 will be Swiftkey, AccuWeather, Clean Master, and ColorNote.