Former Apple CEO's company Obi Worldphone launches budget Android MV1 smartphone in the UK

Obi Worldphone, helmed by former Apple and PepsiCo CEO John Sculley, is preparing to launch its MV1 smartphone in the UK. Powered by Android 5.1 Lollipop, the Obi Worldphone MV1 hopes to entice users with an affordable price tag and curious design. But will that be enough?

The MV1 is a £99 device (around $128) and features specs that are to be expected at this price point, namely a 5-inch “floating”, Gorilla Glass 3 reinforced 720 x 1280 display, 2GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 212 quad-core CPU clocked at 1.3GHz and coupled with an Adreno 304 GPU. The rest of the specs include a 2500 mAh battery, 16 GB of expandable storage (with MicroSD cards of up to 64 GB), an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front shooter. The standard fare.

Obi calls the display of the MV1 “floating”, as it is a bit elevated from the polycarbolnate housing, creating a unique, yet questionable in terms of practicality and sturdiness, look for the new smartphone. The design quirks do not end there, however, as the body of the device features rounded corners on the bottom and a flat top edge, which makes it look a bit as an iPhone with a weird case.

The Obi Worldphone MV1 runs Cyanogen OS 12.1.1 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop, which promises a lot when it comes to customization, and is described by the manufacturer as “Android on steroids”. The MV1 comes loaded with Obi Lifespeed which is a sort of quick launch widget on the lock screen that gives users quick access to their most used apps.

The Obi MV1 is not available in brick and mortar stores, meaning it can only be purchased online – either directly from Obi's store or on Amazon for around $128 (taxes not included).



source: Obi Worldphone via Engadget