Obi Worldphone SF1 Review: Can You Buy It in India?

Obi Worldphone SF1 is a different feather in the smartphones wing in looks and functionality. Though based on the Android, the custom OS looks far different than the other smartphone custom OS editions. The variety comes along with the packing itself. The Obi Worldphone comes packed in a wrist watch box like case which is larger than a normal phone’s package.

The former CEO of Apple Joh Sculley founded this company and looks to be implementing all the design aesthetics and usage principles that Apple is following in manufacturing its devices.

This US based mobile company have recently entered the Indian market with its budget version of phones having the moderate configurations that an average budget phone is having these days.

Let’s take a look Obi Worldphone SF1 specifications, pros and cons and see if India is a right place for its existence and if so what factors are helping and hindering this company in the country to survive.

obi-worldphone-sf1

Design

Obi Worldphone has totally a new design. The company looks like focused to make this product a stunning gizmo in hand. With the matte black finish, and floating screen and rounded edges, the handset looks completely different and you may get reminded of the Xiaomi Mi3 from some perspectives. I got a picture of old Nokia Lumia’s with such designs when I saw this device for the first time.

The technicalities of the design bare 146x74x8mm measurements in which the popped up floating display alone takes 0.2mm from the 8mm thickness. This handset is a unibody metallic device weighing just 147gms. The built quality is very good and looks premium.

If you are looking out for a phone with whole new design and looks to standout in the crowd, Obi Worldphone SF1 can be your digital and style companion.


Display

Obi Worldphone SF1 comes with 5 inch JDI In-Cell IPS Full HD display with 1080x1090 pixel resolution at 443ppi density. The display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and Oleophobic coating and is fully-laminated One Glass Solution (OGS). The touch is 5-point multi-touch display for better interaction with the handset.

1080p resolution with 443ppi is a great deal on 5 display. Multimedia and gaming would be a great fun on this display.

Processor, RAM & Graphics

Obi SF1 is powered with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 64-bit Octa-core processor that runs at 1.5GHz clock speed. It is supported by 2GB and 3GB DDR3 RAM (versions based on price) which are great in handling smooth multitasking. The whole chipset is added with Adreno 405 GPU which is good enough to run high graphic games on the device to give better experience on 443ppi 1080p display display.

Memory

The phone comes in two internal eMMC memory variants, 16GB (with 2GB RAM) and 32 GB (with 3GB RAM). The both versions can be expanded up to 64GB through a micro SD card.

The memory expandability is not so bad but when compared with the other 128GB expandable phones in the same price segment, the question to have it or not raises. The better thing about OB SF1 is that it did not restrict the users with memory expandability like as the Apple admirer, Xiaomi did for their phones.

Operating System

Obi Worldphone SF1 runs on Android Lollipop v5.0.2 based custom OS with a different home screen apps alignment. It have no dedicated navigation buttons on the display but only have onscreen buttons. Air gestures are supported and it supports almost all the Indian regional languages.

Camera

Obi SF1 comes with 13MP AF rear camera with LED flash and Sony Exmor IMX214 Sensor; f/2.0 Aperture. The front camera is a 5MP shooter and also have the LED flash. Taking selfies in low lights would be better on this phone.

Though, the camera performance is found to be average according to the feedback on the internet. Even the other gadget reviewers also not satisfied with its camera performance.

Connectivity

  • Dual SIM (1 Micro + 1 Nano / MicroSD™ card expandable up to 64 GB)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Dual-Band, Wi-Fi Direct
  • Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP
  • A-GPS, GLONASS**
  • MicroUSB v2.0

Sensors

  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity
  • Magnetic
  • Gyro
  • ALS (Ambient Light Sensor)

Battery

Obi Worldphone SF1 is embedded with 3000mAh Li-Po battery with quick charge 1.0. The battery usage is maintained well on this Obi phone and you can get a full day charge on moderate usage.

Pros

+ Different and good design
+ Good built quality
+ Good color reproductive screen
+ Good battery
+ Dolby 7.1 surround sound

Cons

- Average camera
- Minor lags while gaming
- Floating screen vulnerable to break (though it is Gorilla Glass 4 protected)
- Snapdragon 615 processor heating issues

Reasons to buy Obi Worldphone SF1 in India

The Obi Worldphone SF1 is a totally out of jar version of budget android smartphones by its looks and design. If you are planning to buy a phone that stands out in the crowd with its looks and design, Obi is the one for you. Because the price it is available for is a worth buying to show off.


Reasons to not to buy Obi Worldphone SF1 in India

The Obi is new to India and it is not that it has no more enough service points available across the country but it might take little longer time to get the spares delivered and service done. If you live in major cities, the servicing might be done quicker. Go for it if you live in a major city in India.

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