Obi Hornbill Beats Samsung Galaxy S3 with Specifications

Obi Mobiles, a smartphone company establish by John Sculley, previous CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, has entered East Africa, beginning Kenya and Tanzania after tasting success in East Asia. On the other hand, it is as of now confronting rivalry from set up brands, for example, Samsung, Tecno Mobiles, Huawei, HTC, and so forth. With yet another player guaranteeing the predominance of its cell phone in the business sector adds to the test of picking the right item. Through this comparison, we have analyzed the relative qualities of Samsung Galaxy S3 and Obi Hornbill S551 with the aim to empower buyers to settle on an educated decision.

Obi’s Hornbill in display screen size, operating system technology, cameras and battery life including more advanced processor and the ability to function on multiple networks (2.5G, 3G and 4G), leaves Samsung’s Galaxy S3 behind. Looking at the price tag, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is priced around KSh 40,000, where as Obi Hornbill is pleasantly priced around KSh 18,000. Obviously, Samsung has the brand quality to legitimize the cost, however a smart buyer would beyond any doubt consider a few discriminating features while settling on choice.

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Lenovo RocStar A319 vs Huawei Y330: Will front camera make a difference?

By introducing the Android operating system (OS), Google changed the smartphone game for good. It does not take huge amounts in order to buy a smartphone anymore. This warrants that look at select budget smartphones competing in the Kenyan smartphone market to help customers make more informed choices. Therefore, in this review, we are comparing two budget smartphones Lenovo RocStar A319 and Huawei Y330 to see what they have to offer.

Design & Display 
We start with the design of the two smartphone models. While Huawei is available in black, white, red, blue and yellow colour, Lenovo’s RocStar comes in red, white and black variants. Furthermore, although the dimensions are quiet similar, Lenovo’s RocStar gives a slightly sleeker feel with 123.5x63.8x10.2mm dimensions. On the other hand, Huawei with 122.1x63.5x11.3 dimensions is relatively smaller and thicker. Both the devices have a comparable display screen size of 4 inch, resolution (800x480) WVGA, and a multi-touch LCD capacitive touch screen. 

OS & Processor 
Both the devices are powered by MediaTek MT6572 1.3 GHz dual core processor. However, RocStar’s OS Android 4.4 KitKat is an upgraded version over Huawei’s OS Android 4.2 Jellybean. Though Huawei has tweaked the OS and made their own skin Huawei Emotion UI 2.0 Lite which gives display a distinctive look but still it just can’t match up to the performance of an upgraded Android OS.

RAM & Storage 
Both Lenovo’s RocStar and Huawei’s Y330 has a 512 MB RAM. If one is looking forward to have many Apps, lesser RAM may be a limiting factor as it helps apps run smoother with reduced time lags. In addition, both the devices have internal storage space of 4GB that can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card.

Battery & Camera
Both the devices have same battery capacity. With 1500 mAh battery size both the devices give around 3 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time. However, the major difference lies in the cameras. RocStar has a 5 megapixel rear (primary) camera with flash and a 2 megapixel front (secondary) camera with a fixed focus. Huawei, on the other hand, with a 3MP rear camera without flash and no front camera looses out to RocStar on the camera front.

Connectivity 
As far as connectivity is concerned both the devices have a Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g/n standards supported, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5 mm audio jack and FM receiver.

Price in Kenya
Considering that most of the specifications are comparable, the price difference between the two devices is rather small. In Kenya, while Huawei Y330 is priced at around KSh 6500, Lenovo’s RocStar A319 is at around KSh 7500. Slightly higher price in case of RocStar seems justified on account of three major advantages over Huawei Y330, which include a more advanced version of OS, a superior front camera and a rear camera, which Huawei does not provide.

Concluding Remark 
The two models are pretty much comparable on most of the indicators. On the whole, Huawei Y330 offers relatively more colour options to choose from, whereas Lenovo’s RocStar A319 provides a definite camera advantage. Not having a front camera these days means loosing out on the all time selfie-advantage, which has become a necessity these days, particularly among the youth.

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Obi Fox is out for a kill in Kenya, Huawei needs to watch out

If you are looking for an entry-level Android handset, the choices are generally limited, and sometimes even the budget market seems pricey. In Africa, Huawei has received notable praise for its affordable but high-performing smartphones. Huawei has added another member to the Y-series of entry level budget smartphones which is Huawei Y330. On the other hand, Obi Mobiles, co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, is already making its mark in Africa since it entered the African market couple of months ago. Therefore, we have picked up Huawei Y330 and ObiFox S453 for our comparative analysis. Let us see how do they fare against each other.

Look & Feel

We start with the design of the two smartphone models. First point of difference is Huawei Y330 comes in black, white, red, blue and yellow colours, Obi’s Fox is only available in white colour, so if you are keen on a colourful device, there are more options with Huawei. However, there are other design considerations too. With 131.7x64x9mm dimensions, Obi Fox gives a more sleeker look than Huawei that is 122.1x63.5x11.3mm and has slightly shorter and thicker appearnce.

Display

The main difference lies in the display screen size which is 4.5 inch in case of Obi Fox and 4 inch in case of Huawei Y330. Furthermore, both the devices have a capacitive touch screen where Obi Fox display screen produces 854x480 pixels resolution where as Huawei Y330 slightly lags behind with 800x480 pixels. A larger screen is always a plus from the point of viewing experience. It particularly acquires more significance for the youth where video viewing and gaming on the smartphone is part of their everyday life.

Processing Capacity

Obi’s Fox is powered by MediaTek MT6572 1 GHz dual core processor, as compared to Huawei Y330 which is powered by similar MediaTek MT6572 1.3 GHz dual core processor, offering a slightly better clock speed. However, Obi Fox’s OS Android 4.4.2 KitKat is an improved  version over Huawei’s  Android 4.2 Jellybean OS. Moreover, Huawei has tweaked with the OS and has their own skin Huawei Emotion UI 2.0 Lite which gives the display a distinctive look. Both the devices have internal storage space of 4GB that can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card. However, the major difference between the two is RAM where Obi Fox’s 1GB RAM completely outshines Huawei Y330 which comes with 512MB RAM. Extra RAM helps apps run smoother with reduced time lags, and when coupled with a powerful processor, it enhances overall quality of user interface and experience.

Battery & Cameras

Obi’s Fox has a leg up on the battery front too. With 1600 mAh battery size, Fox gives 6 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time while, on the other hand, Huawei Y330 has 1500 mAh battery that gives 3 hours of talk time and 240 hours of standby time. Also, Fox S453 has an impressive 5MP primary camera and 2MP Front camera, whereas Huawei Y330 comes with 3MP primary camera and no Front camera. Huawei’s decision to bring a device without a front camera seems to be a big blunder considering the selfie generation. Needless to say that Obi Fox has emerged as a clear winner in this feature.  

Additional Features
Lets sum it up
Concluding Remark

As far as connectivity is concerned, both the devices have 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g/n standards supported. Both the devices also have a dual sim card slots, Bluetooth V4.0, GPS, 3.5 mm audio jack and FM receiver.

We note that Huwaei Y330 offers more colour options, slightly more powerful processor and an operating system with its own skin for a distinctive effect, but also has a major drawback in terms of not having a front camera. On the other hand, Obi Fox S453 takes a clear lead on every other key component which includes a larger display screen with a slightly better resolution, double RAM, more advanced OS, higher battery capacity and, most of all, it comes with a 2MP front camera to respond to the needs of selfie generation. We also explored the price in the Kenyan market, where Obi Fox is priced at around KSh9000 where as Huawei Y330 is at around KSh6500. The price difference is justified on account of front camera.

It is important to note that both the devices are made for people on a limited budget and therefore it is obvious that in order to maintain the low price the manufactures have made some sacrifices. However, we find that Obi has been able to work out the trade offs better and manages to put together a device that balances youthful aspirations, specifications and price better. If one can squeeze out a better price deal, even better.

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OPPO vs Huawei: Two Chinese brands fighting it out in Africa

Two Chinese smartphone makers are trying to outdo each other across the continents, particularly in Africa. One of them, Huawei, is an established player in the global smartphone market, where as the other one, OPPO, is a rather new player that entered African market in March 2015 but is already proving to be a formidable rival. To get an insight into how the two Chinese companies are differentiating their products from each other, we picked up Huawei Ascend Y530 for a spec to spec comparison with OPPO Joy R1001. Given our African focus currently, we have taken prices from the Kenyan market to arrive at some indicative cost comparison.

DESIGN: We start with the overall shape and size of the two devices. OPPO Joy is 124x63x9.9mm and weighs 125g where as Huawei Ascend Y530 comes in size 132X67X9.3mm and weighs 145g, about 20gm heavier than OPPO Joy. Both, Oppo Joy R1001 and Huawei Ascend Y530 are similar looking, bar shaped devices, curved at all four ends, but with larger length and width and lesser thickness, Huawei gives a relatively sleeker look. Both the models come in black and white colour variants, however, Huawei Ascend Y530 brings in an added colour statement as its black variant comes with a tint of red at the base and the top and the white variant with a silver tint at the base and the top. Design and colour are a matter of personal preference.

DISPLAY SCREEN: OPPO Joy has 4.0” IPS TFT screen that comes with a resolution of 800X480 pixels. The multi-touch, capacitive touch screen is highly sensitive with the glove mode feature that enables access to the screen and operate the phone using gloves. It also comes with added smart function of Gesture Panel that allows users to go to a desired App by drawing a simple picture on the gesture panel. On the other hand, Huawei Ascend Y530 has a larger 4.5” screen with comparable 854x480 pixels but without any added smart features.

OPERATING SYSTEM (OS): Both the devices run on Android Jelly bean, though Huawei Ascend Y530 features Android 4.3 where as OPPO Joy lags behind with Android 4.2 version. Although Ascend has a leg up, both OS are a bit oldish considering that more latest Android versions are now available and being used by various smartphone makers.

PROCESSOR: OPPO Joy R1001 has a MediaTek MT6572 1.3 GHz Dual-Core processor with 512MB of RAM where as Huawei Ascend Y530 carries a MSM8210 1.2 GHz Dual-Core processor with 512MB of RAM, which gives OPPO Joy a slight edge in terms of clock speed. Both the devices have an internal storage of 4GB, expandable up to 32GB via a micro-SD card. On the whole, both the devices are more or less comparable on these accounts.

CAMERA & BATTERY:  Both the devices have comparable 3MP primary  cameras with soft light flash support and 0.3MP secondary cameras. Also, the battery capacity in both the devices is about the same: OPPO Joy comes with a removable 1700mAH Li-Ion battery where as Huawei Ascend has a slightly better 1750mAH Li-Ion battery but without the option of replacing the same with a higher power battery.

CONNECTIVITY & OTHER FEATURES:  On the connectivity front, Huawei Ascend Y530 has a WiFi 802.11 b/g/n support, Bluetooth 4.0 and high speed USB support. OPPO JOY too has the same WiFi but it comes with Bluetooth 2.1EDR support. Furthermore, OPPO Joy R1001 supports additional features like Distance Sensor, Light Sensor and G-Sensor where as Huawei Ascend Y530 comes with Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor and Ambient Light Sensor.

CONCLUDING REMARK: We note that Huawei Ascend Y530 has the design advantage of being sleeker with a colour statement, larger display screen, relatively more advanced OS and slightly higher battery capacity, where as OPPO Joy comes with a slightly advanced version of the processor and offers new features such as the glove mode feature and the gesture panel. Finally, we also noted the price at the Kenyan e-commerce portal, Jumia. Both the devices are priced about the same; Huawei Ascend Y530 is marked at KSh10,500 where as OPPO Joy R1001 costs around KSh11,000. On the whole, the two devices are more or less comparable, with Huawei acquiring slight edge on more fronts than OPPO.

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Huawei Ascend sure has an edge over Obi Octopus, but for a price

Huawei has been an established player in the global smartphone market, where as Obi Mobiles, co-founded by ex-PepsiCo and Apple CEO, John Sculley, is a relatively new player that has rapidly expanded its foot prints across India, Middle East and Africa. In many countries, Obi’s devices are now directly competing with established players like Huawei.  Therefore, in this comparative review we have decided to focus on two impressive smartphone models, i.e. Huawei AscendG750 and Obi Octopus S520, even when we realise that Huawei’s Ascend is pegged at a much higher price point than Obi Octopus.
Let us get to the design first. Both Obi’s Octopus S520 and Huawei’s G750 are bar shaped smartphones that are curved at all the ends. Obi’s Octopus comes in 145x75x8.4mm dimensions, where as Huawei’s Ascend is 149.5x77.4x8.9mm which makes the device comparatively larger (It is important to note that Huawei’s official website does not provide the dimensions of the device, and the aforementioned stats have been sourced from Fone Arena). The overall size reflects in the display screen size which in case of Octopus is 5” with TFT technology and in case of Ascend it is 5.5” inch HD IPS display, which provides Ascend an edge but only in terms of size as both the devices have similar resolution i.e. 720x1280pixels. Moreover, while Huawei’s Ascend comes in textured plastic back cover, Obi’s Octopus has a full-aluminium back cover.

Both the devices are powered by 1.7 GHz Octa-Core processor and built on MTek chipsets, however, Obi’s Octopus acquires an edge in terms of its more advanced operating system (OS) Andriod 4.4.2, while Huawei’s Ascend comes with OS Andriod 4.3. However, Ascend takes a leg up with its 2GB of RAM which is 1 GB in case of Octopus. In addition, both the devices provide an internal storage of 8GB which is expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD card. Therefore, essentially the choice is between a more advanced OS and larger RAM. If a customer is more keen on having a device that provides better user interface, Obi’s Octopus has an edge otherwise RAM advantage lies with Huawei.

Looking at the additional features, we note that Obi Octopus S520 has an 8MP primary (rear) camera by Sony that records videos in 720p HD and a 2MP secondary (front) camera. On the other hand, Huawei Ascend G750 comes with a 13MP primary (rear) camera by Sony and a 5MP secondary (front) camera, thereby, acquiring an outright edge over Obi’s Octopus. Huawei’s lead continues at the battery front too, where it boasts of 3000mAh battery power over Obi’s Octopus, which comes with a lower 1800mAh battery power with 3.7V capacity, however, Obi has the advantage of having a removable battery that means one can replace the existing battery with the one having higher capacity.

On the connectivity front, both the devices support Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/g and a micro USB port, and have dual SIM cards. However, in case of Obi’s Octopus both the cards are 3G enabled, where as Huawei Ascend has only one SIM that is 3G enabled. On the whole, we note that Huawei Ascend has an edge over Obi Octopus in terms of larger RAM and display screen, superior cameras and higher battery capacity, where as Obi Octopus S520 boasts of advanced operating system (OS), removable battery feature and two 3G enabled SIM cards. However, if we look at the price tag in the Indian market, Huawei’s Ascend costs about INR18,000, where as Obi’s Octopus is priced at around INR10,000. 

In this context, going by the major specifications, Huawei Ascend G750 sure has an edge, however, if the customer choice is to be led by the finances, in comparison, Obi Octopus S520 turns out to be a good deal too.

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Obi’s black Wolverine can sure beat Huawei’s colourful Ascend

In our endeavour to provide smartphone users in Kenya with insights about various smartphone brands and models, we have this time picked up devices from two players, including an established player, Huawei, and a rather new entrant in the African smartphone market, Obi Mobiles. While the Chinese company Huawei has already carved out a name for itself in Africa, Obi Mobiles is trying to capture the attention of African smartphone users with its recently introduced smartphone range named after wild animals, the animal series. The models that we have picked for the comparative review are  Huawei’s Ascend Y530 and Obi’s Wolverine S501 for reasons that would become obvious the review progresses. 

In general, Huawei's Ascend Y530 stands out as a smaller and lighter device than Obi's Wolverine S501. While Wolverine is 144x73x9.6mm and weighs 167gm, Ascend is significantly shorter (132.5x67x9.3mm) and also weighs lighter (145gm). Also, Huawei’s device comes with 4.5 inch LCD auto-rotate (G-sensor) display where as Obi’s device has a 5 inch TFT IPS Screen with capacitive touch. Both the smartphones have a screen resolution of 480X854 pixels. The Ascend has its volume keys on the left side of the phone while as in Wolverine you have the feasibility of controlling volume through keys that are rightly placed on the back side of the phone, just below the camera. Furthermore, Huawei’s Ascend Y530 comes in red, yellow, black and white (plastic back) variants where as Obi’s Wolverine comes in impressive black, leather-like cover that protects the device from cracks and scratches. At this stage, the key distinguishing features include the display screen size, the location of the volume keys and the colour options.

When it comes to operating system (OS), Obi’s Wolverine S501, in sync with technology, runs on Google Android KitKat (4.4) that gives the smartphone an accelerated touch screen and superior performance while as Huawei’s Ascend Y530 lags behind as it runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean that is fading as the preferred choice of smartphone users. However, Ascend is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon^TM Dual-Core 1.2GHz processor where as Wolverine by 1.2GHz Dual-Core Processor by MTK, which may give Ascend the advantage of popular perception. Furthermore, Ascend is equipped with 512MB RAM and an internal storage space of 4GB that can be expanded up to 32GB via MicroSD card. On the other hand, Wolverine comes with 1GB RAM and external memory support up to 32GB via a MicroSD card. At this stage, the key distinguishing features are a more advanced operating system and larger RAM.

To cater to users’ photography needs, Obi’s Wolverine sports a 5MP primary camera placed in the middle of the device and comes with a LED flash. It also has a 0.3MP secondary camera. Similarly, Huawei’s Ascend also comes with 5MP of primary camera in the back with a flash and 0.3MP of secondary camera. Furthermore, Obi’s Wolverine is equipped with a 3.7Li-on removable battery with 1500mAh capacity, where as Huawei’s Ascend carries a Li-on battery capacity of 1750mAh, which is advantage Ascend. However, Wolverine comes with two SIM slots, both 3G enabled, where as Ascend offers space for only one, mini SIM card. Both the phones serve the purpose by offering Bluetooth 4.0 version, WiFi and 2.0 USB slots. At this front, the distinguishing features are the battery capacity and SIM slots; if Huawei has a slight edge in battery capacity, Wolverine takes lead in terms of SIM slots.

In the spec-to-spec match Obi’s Wolverine does take lead on many important counts such as display screen size, operating system and RAM, double SIM option while slightly lagging in battery capacity. However, the biggest distinguishing point between Huawei’s Ascend Y530 and Obi’s Wolverine S501 is the the price tag that the two devices carry in Kenyan market. While Huawei’s Ascend is priced around KSh14,000, Obi’s Wolverine is a steal at little over KSh 9000, if one is ready to go with impressive black.

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Will brand-value help Samsung Galaxy S3 to battle it out with Obi’s Hornbill S551?

Having tasted some success in a rather short time in the Middle East, Obi Mobiles, a smartphone company co-founded by John Sculley, former CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, has entered East Africa, starting Kenya and Tanzania. However, it is already facing competition from established brands such as Samsung, Tecno Mobiles, Huawei, HTC, etc. With yet another player claiming the superiority of its smartphone in the market adds to the challenge of picking the right product. Through this comparative review, we have tried to examine the relative strengths of two smartphone models, i.e. Samsung Galaxy S3 and Obi Hornbill S551 with the intention to enable consumers to make an informed choice.

With dimensions 136.6x70.6x8.6mm, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 weighs about 133g where as Obi’s Hornbill with 156x76.8x7.9mm dimensions weighs only about 126g. Interestingly, in spite of its larger frame, Obi’s Hornbill is a relatively lighter device. Furthermore, while Galaxy S3 has a Super AMOLED display, Hornbill has a TFT IPS Screen with Capacitative Touch HD. Both the devices, however, have a resolution of 1280x720 Pixels. Given the larger overall dimensions, Obi’s Hornbill has the space to offer a wider display screen size 5.5 inches, where as Galaxy S3 comes with a screen size is 4.8 inches. Considering the display screen Galaxy S3 has an edge due to being more battery efficient, better viewing quality at angles and just sharper and clearer images in general, however, a larger screen size in Hornbill simply enhances the viewing experience. 

At the performance front, both Galaxy S3 and Hornbill have the same 1GB RAM, but Galaxy S3 has a comparatively advanced Quad Core 1.4GHz processor than Hornbill that comes with Quad Core 1.3GHz processor, which gives S3 a sure edge. However, Hornbill makes up for the processor lag in the operating system. Obi’s Hornbill runs on Android 4.4 Kit Kat while Samsung’s Galaxy S3 runs on a rather outdated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which puts Obi’s Hornbill on a stronger footing. Furthermore, Galaxy S3 has an internal memory of 16GB expandable up to 64GB through microSD where as Obi’s Hornbill has an 8GB internal memory which is expandable up to 32GB through microSD. Since expandable memory of 32 GB is more than sufficient, we believe it is not really a critical differentiator.

Obi’s Hornbill also has superior cameras of 13 megapixel at the rear and 5 megapixel at the front, where Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has an 8 megapixel rear camera and a meager 1.9 megapixel front camera, an out right advantage Hornbill. Looking at the battery capacity, Galaxy S3 with 2100 mAh once again is found to be lacking before Obi’s Hornbill that comes with 2200 mAh. Maybe Samsung should have paid more attention to the battery and less on the expandable memory.

In terms of Networks and Wireless Connectivity, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is available on 2.5G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz and 4G (dependent on market) but Hornbill is available only on 3G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, WCDMA 900/2100MHz. Both devices have v4.0 Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/b/g/n), but only Galaxy S3 provides Wi-Fi Hotspot. Another differentiator is the SIM Card capability, where Galaxy S3 has only 1 slot for a micro SIM but Hornbill has two slots and can be used for micro SIMs and regular SIMs.

That brings us to the most critical differentiator, the price. In spite of lagging behind Obi’s Hornbill in display screen size, operating system technology, cameras and battery life but with the advantages of more advanced processor and the ability to function on multiple networks (2.5G, 3G and 4G), Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is priced around KSh 40,000, where as Obi’s Hornbill is pleasantly priced around KSh 18,000. Of course, Samsung has the brand value to justify the price, but a smart consumer would sure consider several critical differentiators while making decision.  

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