Obi unveils the super sleek MV1 smartphone aimed at emerging markets

Obi Worldphone, co-founded by ex-Apple CEO John Sculley, has announced a new MV1 smartphone at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The smartphone will be available in two variants — with 1GB and 2GB RAM space, priced at $139 (₹9500 approx.) and $149 (₹10,000 approx.) respectively.

The MV1 is primarily targeted at emerging markets across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, the company said. The main highlights of the smartphone is its sleek design and Cyanogen operating system that offers many customisation options. Not to mention of course the cheap price tag.

"This is an industry with 200 different brands vying for consumers' attention. There will be 1.4 billion Android phones produced in 2016 alone, so there needs to be a way to stand apart from the pack," John Sculley said. "The components for all these different phones are mass produced, in the same countries, and often in the same exact factories. What we've done with the Obi Worldphone from the very beginning is show that it's possible to have a beautifully designed phone that fits into your lifestyle at an accessible price without sacrificing form and technology. You don't have to give up style in exchange for substance. With the MV1, you can have both."

In terms of specifications, the Obi Worldphone MV1 features a 5-inch HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Powering the smartphone is a 1.3Ghz quad-core processor with Adreno 304 GPU.

Optics on the smartphone include an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing cam. The dual-SIM Obi Worldphone MV1 gets 16GB of built-in storage expandable upto 64GB via microSD slot.

The device features a 2500mAh battery along with a bunch of sensors which include Accelerometer (gravity) proximity, ALS (light).

The smartphone is set to begin shipping immediately in Asia and Africa, while it will arrive in Latin America and Europe in March.