Obi Worldphone
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics, Telecommunications |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Neeraj Chauhan, Shane Maine, Gordon McMillan, John Sculley |
| Headquarters | Silicon Valley , United States |
Area served | Latin America, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, UAE, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Asia, Africa, Europe |
Key people | John Sculley (promotional involvement) |
| Products | Smartphones (SF1, SJ1.5, MV1) |
| Parent | Etisalat |
Obi Worldphone, initially known as Obi Mobiles, was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Silicon Valley and operated as a subsidiary of Etisalat. Established in 2014 by Neeraj Chauhan, Shane Maine, Gordon McMillan, and John Sculley, the company specialized in creating cost-effective smartphones aimed at emerging economies including Latin America, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, UAE, United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Its strategy centered on less saturated markets rather than targeting highly competitive developed regions.
History
Founded in 2014 under the name Obi Mobiles, the enterprise recognized an opportunity in the market for stylish yet affordable smartphones. John Sculley partnered with Robert Brunner, former Apple Industrial Design Director and co-founder of Ammunition Design Group, who was responsible for the signature raised screen design present on all Obi devices. Ammunition also engineered the phone's chassis and developed the proprietary user interface overlay named "Obi Lifespeed".
The company launched operations in India in July 2014 but exited the market by early 2015 following a disappointing debut, with intentions to return later that year. Shortly thereafter, the brand was rebranded as Obi Worldphone.
On August 27, 2015, Obi Worldphone unveiled two affordable Android models: the SF1 and SJ1.5. Their third release, the MV1, was introduced in March 2016 and distributed across markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
By mid-2015, Obi had captured a 5.7% share of the smartphone market in the UAE, marking its strongest international presence.
In September 2017, John Sculley publicly stated that his involvement with Obi was primarily for promotional purposes.
SF1
Debuting on August 27, 2015, the SF1 sports a distinctive raised 5-inch display with a resolution of 1080 × 1920 pixels at 443 PPI. Powered by Obi Worldphone’s customized Android variant "Obi Lifespeed," it features Dolby Audio multi-channel sound technology, noise cancellation capabilities, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset paired with an Adreno 405 GPU, and a 3000 mAh battery supporting 4G connectivity. It is offered with either 32 GB storage combined with 3 GB RAM or 16 GB storage with 2 GB RAM options and comes in black or white finishes. The unlocked device was initially priced at $199.
SJ1.5
Released simultaneously with the SF1, the SJ1.5 includes a 5-inch screen but with lower resolution and does not support 4G networks, which enables a more affordable price of $129. This model features a fully plastic casing available in multiple colors, offers 16 GB of internal storage, houses a 3000 mAh battery, and supports dual SIM functionality.
MV1
The MV1 is equipped with a 5-inch HD display protected by Gorilla Glass 3 (1280 × 720 resolution), runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor, includes 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage capacity, and supports dual SIM cards.
Awards
In Vietnam’s VNExpress "TechAwards 2015," the SF1 earned recognition as the fifth-best smartphone of that year.
See also
External links
- Mobile phone manufacturers
- Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Manufacturing companies based in San Francisco
- Electronics companies established in 2014
- Telecommunications companies established in 2014
- 2014 establishments in California
- Companies based in San Francisco
- American companies established in 2014