The Obi SF1 was recently launched in India. This is a snapdragon 615 octa core powered smartphone that comes in two options – with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage and with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. This handset is priced at ₹11,999 and ₹13,999 respectively.
Unboxing
The box packing is impressive, one can actually see the handset without opening up the box pack. It’s a big toy style box that houses the handset, user guide, warranty card, data cable and travel charger (5V~ 2A). Earphone is not included.
Design
The unique part about the SF1 is the design. On the first look the handset looks somewhat similar to the Xiaomi MI3, however there are a lot of other changes that makes the handset look different. The first thing you will notice is the elevated screen, a new concept. The bottom, left and right sides are curved.
It a unibody design with metallic accents. Weight with built in battery is 143 grams and dimensions are 74.03 x 145.92 x 7.8 (mm). The Obi Worldphone SF1 review unit I got was black coloured with a matte finish. The handset is comfortable to hold and use.
This elevated screen might look a bit odd to many users but once you use the handset you will realized why it was made that way. Your finger will hardly be touching the screen the elevated design makes it even more comfortable to use the touch screen without worrying about accidental touch response (check video review).
Power button and volume rocker is on the left side. SIM tray is on the right side. Audio jack on the top and micro USB port and speaker out vent is at the bottom. There are dual mics for noise cancellation.
This is a dual SIM handset – SIM 1 + Hybrid SIM 2. You can either use micro SIM + micro SD card or micro SIM + nano SIM. 4G works on both the SIM slots.
Native video calling is not supported (you can use Skype) and there is no LED notification. The SF1 is packed with accelerometer, light, proximity, gyro and magnetic sensors.
Display
The elevated screen is of size 5 inches (JDI In-Cell) supporting 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. The screen also comes with corning gorilla glass 4 protection clearly mentioned on the box. Colour reproduction, touch and viewing angles are very good.
Memory, Storage and OS
The handset I got for review was with 2GB RAM (1GB free) and 16GB storage (12GB free). If you are using micro SD card, do note that apps are getting installed on the internal storage (you can move selected app to SD card after installation). OTG is supported.
This handset is running customized UI based on Android Lollipop 5.0.2. The interface is a little different, especially the home screen (by default), but it can easily be changed if needed.
Performance
SF1 is using well known qualcomm snapdragon MSM8939 615 64 bit octa core processor with Adreno 405 GPU. Performance is smooth handset does heat up with heavy usage. Max temperature I encountered was 43 degrees.
Benchmark
| Benchmark App | Score |
| Quadrant | 19019 |
| Antutu (64 bit) | 1st – 33505 , 2nd – 32997 |
| Nenamark 2 | 57.2fps |
| Internal Storage speed | Read – 93MB/s, Write – 13MB/s |
| Multi touch | 5 point |
Gaming
I played Asphalt 8, it got installed on internal storage. Game is playable, there was a very minor lag hardly noticeable – check video review.
Camera
SF1 is packed with a 13MP AF camera on the rear with flash and a 5MP camera on the front. Though this handset is using the SONY EXMOR IMX214 sensor the camera quality is just about average. Focusing is not very sharp. Rear camera can shoot FHD videos.
In the camera app you will also find the ReFocus, Chroma flash and opti zoom options. Do check the sample images and videos at the end of this review to get an idea about the camera quality.
Others
Sound output is loud and clear. In-call sound is also clear. No issues found with 4G, 3G, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. This handset comes with Dolby Audio effects and you can experience the same using good quality earphone.
When playing Asphalt 8 the sound output was pretty low, not sure what the reason was. I tried disabling Dolby but that did not help.
Battery
Obi SF1 houses a 3000 mAh non-removable battery that does a pretty good job. You can expect 4 to 6 hours of continuous moderate to heavy usage on a single charge. Here is how the battery performed.
| Performance | Time | Battery drop % | Battery Max Temp |
| Benchmark | 12 Minutes | 4% | 42 degree |
| Gaming (Asphalt 8) | 22 Minutes | 8% | 43 degree |
| FHD movie play with full brightness + Wi-Fi on | 34 minutes | 9% | 37 degree |
| Wall Charge (on standby) | 2 hour 33 minutes | 12% to 100% (wall charge) | 38 degree |
Verdict
The Obi Worldphone SF1 is unique looking handset with a decent price tag. Camera quality is average could have been better, the OS also needs little more tweaking (I guess it will keep getting further updates that should improve it further).
The Obi SF1 is a good buy for ₹11,999 (2GB RAM + 16GB storage).
Image Gallery
Rear Camera Sample
Front Camera Sample
Video Review