Obi Worldphone, on Thursday launched the ‘Obi Worldphone SF1’ in the Indian market after hugely successful entries in high-growth markets like the UAE, KSA and Vietnam. It will be available for consumers from December 7th, exclusively on NDTV Gadgets360. The smartphone will be available in two variants – one with 2GB RAM/16GB storage for Rs. 11,999 and another with 3GB RAM/32GB storage for Rs. 13,999 with the option of expandable memory in both the variants. Obi Worldphone SF1 is set apart by iconic industrial design complimented with the Obi Lifespeed, a custom user interface for Android that unifies the software and hardware experience.

Obi Worldphone SF1 features a unibody with metallic accents and floating glass display. The smartphone comes with a 5 inch JDI In-Cell IPS full HD display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution with a pixel density of 443 ppi. It also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for screen protection. It runs Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OS with the Obi Lifespeed UI and is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) SoC clocked at 1.5GHz coupled with Adreno 405 GPU. The Obi Worldphone SF1 supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 64GB). It comes with 4G LTE and supports FDD B3 1800 MHz and TDD B40 2300 MHz bands.

Obi has endeavored to integrate elegant design with high-end technology from Qualcomm, Dolby, Sony, Corning Incorporated, Google, MediaTek, Japan Display Inc. and Samsung to deliver a powerful performance.

Obi has also partnered with world-acclaimed San Francisco-based design studio Ammunition, founded by the former director of industrial design for Apple Computer, Robert Brunner. Obi Worldphone is the first to address the market need between designer smartphones at high prices and generic smartphones at low prices. Obi Worldphone was co-founded by John Sculley along with Obi CEO Neeraj Chauhan and other partners last year. John is the former head of Apple & Pepsi-Cola and a successful investor in consumer technology companies. Neeraj who has run IT and telecom distribution companies, started working with John Sculley in 2007 during the Sloan Fellowship program at London Business School.

“Smartphones have emerged as one of the world’s greatest cultural tools for communication, entertainment and connection. Globally, for many people, the smartphone serves as a highly personal device that lifts up their lives. Obi has taken the best of Silicon Valley – creating a new standard for design, craftsmanship and performance, the SF1 seamlessly blends premium materials with the state-of-the-art technology to offer consumers an unmatched mobile experience at attractive prices. Our efficient cost structure and broad distribution combine to present a compelling value proposition that helps our customers achieve their aspirations,” said John Sculley, Obi Worldphone co-founder and former head of Apple Inc. and Pepsi-Cola.

“We are launching in India as there is a significant opportunity for Obi – each element of an Obi Worldphone has been designed with intention from the very beginning from the details of the industrial design to the custom UI that highlights the iconic silhouettes of the phone. And they reflect their birthplace: Silicon Valley, which carries a unique mind set and a way of doing things that creates original, no-compromise form and function products to help consumers step ahead. We have defined our offering around what is relevant to our target customers. The attempt is to deliver high quality, iconic designs at attractive prices, said Neeraj Chauhan, Co-founder and CEO of Obi Worldphone.

Obi has entered an exclusive partnership with the Generali Group, through which Generali expects to leverage the mobile channel in as many as 20 high-growth markets including India by 2017. Generali’s apps will be embedded in Obi’s Worldphones with the aim to reach a prospective customer base of more than 10 million people.

“Today, every industry is undergoing technological and digital transformation. Insurance is no different. We are living in an ‘on-the-go’ era where customers want everything at their fingertips,” said K.G. Krishnamoorthy Rao, Managing Director and CEO of Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited.

“With the increased use of technology and mobile devices, it is important that we have provide innovative solutions to deliver superior customer experience, and we have charted a clear digital roadmap to make this happen. This partnership with Obi will be an enabler to help us in reaching and interacting with more target customers through technology,” said Munish Sharda, Managing Director & CEO of Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Limited.

Key Specifications:

Display – 5 inch JDI In-Cell IPS|
Processor – Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615|
Front Camera – 5 MP with LED Flash
Resolution – Full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels), 443ppi|
RAM – 2 GB/3GB|
OS – Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Storage – 16/32 GB|
Rear Camera – 13MP AF with LED Flash; Sony Exmor IMX214 Sensor; f/2.0 Aperture|
Battery – 3000 mAh|