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 Wolverine is a better deal than Samsung S Duos 2 in Kenya

This comparative review focuses on two mid-range smartphones that are competing against each other in East Africa, particularly Kenya. Samsung S Duos 2 has been a choice of many for a long time in Kenya, where as Wolverine S501 from Obi Mobiles, a company co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of Apple and PepsiCo, has entered the Kenyan market in March this year. In spite of being new Obi Mobiles, as the review indicates, stands a good chance to give a healthy competition. So, as part of our comparative review series, in this review we compare Samsung S Duos 2 with Obi’s Wolverine S501.

Design: In the first look, we note that Samsung S Duos 2 (Size: 121.5X63.1X10.57mm) is comparatively much smaller looking device than Obi’s Wolverine (Size: 144X73X9.6mm) and weighs much lighter too, just 118g as compared to Obi’s 167g. With such dimensions, Samsung Duos fits well in the hand and easy to carry around, however, larger size is not necessarily a disadvantage, probably more of a matter of preference. Moreover, Duos 2 has a metallic body finish and comes in white and black colours, where as Wolverine comes in impressive black, leather-like cover that protects the device from cracks and scratches.

Display: The overall size seems to reflect in the display screen size, which is 4 inch in case of Samsung S Duos 2, where as Wolverine offers with a screen size of 5 inch; a significant one inch difference obviously means larger visuals. Moreover, while Duos comes with a display with TFT technology and a screen resolution of 420X800 pixels, Wolverine S501 has a TFT IPS Screen with capacitive touch with a screen resolution of 480X854 pixels. Given its larger screen size, superior display technology and slightly higher resolution, Obi’s Wolverine takes a slight lead on the visual experience front.

OS & Processor: Samsung Duos 2 runs on Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean packed with a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 processor, where as Wolverine S501 runs on Android KitKat (4.4), powered by a MeditaTek MTK6572 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, that gives it an accelerated touch screen and superior performance. On the OS front too, Wolverine has a leg up over Samsung Duos.

RAM & Storage: Samsung S Duos 2 comes with a mere 0.75GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage that luckily Samsung gives you an option of expanding up to 64GB, however, a low RAM and extra storage option can make the performance of the device suffer. Obi Wolverine S501, on the other hand, has a more balanced 1GB RAM support and 4 GB internal storage with external memory support up to 32GB via a MicroSD card.

Camera & Battery:  Samsung S Duos 2 sports a 5MP primary camera with flash. It also has a VGA secondary camera which with time has run out of fashion. Obi Wolverine S501 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. On the battery front, both Samsung S Duos and Obi Wolverine S 501 have removable batteries with 1500 mAh capacity that gives you a standby time of 280hrs in Duos and 180hrs in Wolverine. While Obi Wolverine takes a lead on the camera front, Samsung S Duos 2 claims better standby time.

Connectivity: On the connectivity front, both Samsung S Duos 2 and Obi Wolverine S501 are dual-sim phones, Wolverine being the smart one for it has 3G support for both the sim-cards, where as Duos 2 uses one as 2G and the other as 3G. Both the smartphones have WiFi 802.11/b/g/n and Bluetooth v4.0 support.

Conclusion: Both the devices are pretty much comparable on most of the indicators, however, there are specific differences. Samsung S Duos 2, with a certain brand value, would appeal to those looking for an elegant, easy to carry, smaller looking device, where as Obi’s Wolverine would appeal to those looking for a device that could afford better visual experience, especially youngsters who like to watch videos on the smartphone. The leatherish feel in the Wolverine design is unique too. In addition, Obi’s Wolverine has the advantage of superior OS, higher RAM and superior secondary camera.

Price: Finally, we look at the price in the Kenya market, where Samsung S Duos 2 is marked around 11,500KSh, where as Obi’s Wolverine S501 is at around 9000KSh. Therefore, unless there is specific brand priority and design preference, we find Obi Wolverine to be a better overall deal considering the specifications and the price point at which it comes.

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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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In Africa, it’s Obi’s Leopard aiming at Samsung’s Galaxy

Samsung has been a global force to reckon with. It has consistently grown with the evolving smartphone market and pioneered the advent of the AMOLED display. On the other hand, relatively speaking, Obi Mobiles is a less than a year old smartphone company, co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of PepsiCo and Apple, which is already begun to make its mark in Africa and Middle East. So, for today’s review, we have chosen two smartphone models from these two brands that are in the similar price range, i.e. Samsung’s GalaxyGrand Neo and Obi’s Leopard S502.

Look and Feel

Starting with the dimensions and weight, Galaxy Grand weighs 163g with dimensions 143.7x77.1x9.6mm whereas the Leopard weighs around the same at 164g with dimensions of 142.4x72.6x8.6mm that makes Obi’s Leopard a relatively slightly smaller, even sleeker, looking device. Leopard comes in black color with a brown top and bottom strip at the back, and its back is made of a blend of hard anodized metal and vacuum electroplating that looks good and is also resistant to wear. On the other hand, Samsung Grand offers wider color choice that includes white, black, orange and lime green.

Display

From the aforementioned physical dimensions, one would assume that Obi Leopard would have a smaller screen, however, interestingly both the devices have 5.0’’ display. The physical dimensions and the display screen size imply that though the viewing experience is same on both the devices, it is the overall size of the device that could impact customers’ decision. Would one prefer a smaller and slimmer smartphone than a bigger one if both the devices had the same screen size? Furthermore, Samsung’s screen technology is the Thin Film Transistor (TFT) whereas Obi’s Leopard runs of the TFT-IPS screen technology, which is superior to the TFT technology in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles. The resolution packed by Samsung’s Galaxy Neo is 480x800 pixels with a pixel density of 186ppi, which is on the lower end of pixel density. On the other hand, Obi’s Leopard has a qHD display with a resolution of 900x540 pixels. Therefore, Leopard has a leg up in terms of display technology and resolution over Samsung’s Grand Neo.

Processing Capacity

In terms of processing speed, both are neck to neck with the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo clocking in 1.2GHz and Leopard clocking in 1.3Ghz on quad-cores. Samsung’s Grand runs of a Broadcom Spreadtrum chipset whereas Obi’s Leopard runs on a MediaTek chipset. Furthermore, operating system is Android on both models, however Leopard has Kitkat v4.4.2, a newer version of the OS, where as Grand Neo runs on the older version v4.2.2 (JellyBean), which once again gives Obi an edge over Samsung. Memory-wise, Samsung’s Galaxy Grand Neo is available in two capacities, 8GB and 16GB that are expandable to 64 GB through an external SD card. Similarly Obi Leopard is available in 8GB expandable to 32GB. Both models have 1 GB of RAM that ensures smooth running of the two smartphones.

Key Components

Obi Leopard has a definite leg up over Samsung Grand Neo as it contains 8MP primary (rear) and 5MP secondary (front) cameras, whereas Samsung’s Neo provides us with a mere 5MP primary camera and a VGA secondary camera. Moreover, both the models have the same battery capacity of 2100mAh.

Lets Sum It Up

This spec-to-spec comparison tells that both the devices have same display screen size, RAM, battery capacity and almost comparable processor; however, there are differences on other fronts. Obi Mobiles Leopard has advantage in terms of superior display technology and resolution, operating system (OS) and a definite leg up in cameras. On the other hand, Samsung offers the color choice and slight advantage in expandable memory. We also looked at the price tag in the Kenya market and discovered that Samsung’s Galaxy Neo is priced at around KSh14,000 whereas Obi’s Leopard is at around KSh12,000, which is a sure advantage Leopard.

Concluding Remark

In the end, it would come down to which specifications suit your needs better. If you are a video blogger keen on better viewing experience, use your front camera a lot and love to take selfies, then Obi’s Leopard would definitely be a better option as it comes with better display and superior cameras. On the other hand, if you are looking for higher memory then Samsung’s Neo could be a better choice.

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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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ARCHOS’ Titanium may find it hard to beat Obi’s Racoon in Kenya

ARCHOS has been a global player in consumer electronics since 1988, but it got into the smartphone business in 2013. Obi Mobiles, led by John Sculley, former CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, entered the smartphone market in mid 2014. That gives ARCHOS slight advantage of being relatively more established smartphone player, particularly in Africa, where Obi Mobiles just entered about two months back, starting with Kenya and Tanzania. Since the two companies have models in same specifications and price range, it makes them natural competitors. Therefore, we have picked up two moderately priced devices, ARCHOS’40b Titanium and Obi Mobiles’ Racoon S401, for our routine comparative review.

In spite of slightly larger physical dimensions, Obi’s Racoon S401 actually weighs lighter than ARCHOS’ 40b. With 126x64.7x10.5mm dimensions, Obi’s Racoon weighs 109g, where as with 125x61x8.5mm dimensions ARCHOS’ 40b weighs 115g. They both have 4.0inch display with a screen resolution of 480x800 pixels, which means about the same viewing experience. However, it is worth noting that Obi’s Racoon comes with a corrosion and wear-proof back cover, a slight advantage for Obi.

Furthermore, Obi’s Racoon runs on Android OS 4.4.2 (KitKat) whereas the Archos’ 40B runs on an older version of Android OS 4.2.2 JellyBean. The KitKat not only provides unparalleled interface experience but in comparison to JellyBean, it prioritizes automatically your favorite contacts, provides the Google Hangout app, and launches searches, sends texts, plays songs directly from the homescreen. Doing the legwork on the inside of both the models is the dual core MediaTek chipset with a 512 RAM, however, ARCHOS’ 40b clocks in a 1.3 GHz processor whereas Racoon S401 is slightly behind, with a 1GHz processor. Therefore, the trade off is between more advanced operating system and slightly more powerful processor.

Obi’s Racoon has 1500 mAh removable Li-ion battery and ARCHOS’ 40b Titanium has a 1400 mAh of the same. Both are on the lower side of the spectrum, but Obi’s Racoon has slight leg up here. Both the devices provide 5MP rear cameras, however, Obi’s Racoon has a leg up again with its 2MP front camera, while ARCHOS’ 40b comes with budget-level VGA camera at the front. In addition, both the models have 4GB internal memory with the option of a 32GB external memory limit.

On the whole, Obi Racoon S401 does have a leg up on various accounts including more advanced operating system, slightly higher battery capacity, superior front camera and the wear-proof back cover, besides being a bit lighter and smaller that is actually a matter of preference. However, the cost tag makes Racoon stand out clearly. With all these advantages Obi’s Racoon S401 is priced at around KSh 6500, where as ARCHOS’ 40b Titanium is marked at around KSh 9500. Well, that makes the decision-making lot easier.

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OPPO’s Joy needs to watch Obi’s Wolverine in Africa

Riding on their significant success in the Middle Eastern markets in a short time, Obi Mobiles, led by former Pepsi Co and Apple CEO John Sculley, launched its eight smartphone-models in Kenya and Tanzania. African market already has established players like Huawei, Samsung, HTC, Tecno and OPPO, therefore it would be interesting to see how Obi manages to create its footprints in the region. At the end, it is the quality of the product that provides credibility. In this context, we have been comparing various Obi models with the competing models to examine the relative quality of the products. In the current review, we have put Obi’s Wolverine S501 up against OPPO’s Joy R1001, with the intention to help customers make a smart choice.

At the very outset we realize that there is visible different in the size and weight of the two devices. With physical dimensions of 124x63x9.9mm OPPO’s Joy comes out as a smaller device than Obi’s Wolverine with dimensions 144x73x9.6mm. On one hand, this difference in physical dimensions reflects in the weight of the devices, making Obi’s Wolverine (167gms) about 42gms heavier than OPPO’s Joy (125gms). On the other hand, it shows up in the size of the display screen, which is an inch smaller in case of OPPO’s Joy (4inch) than Obi’s Wolverine (5inch). However, in both cases the resolution is about the same; Obi’s Wolverine comes with 480x854 Pixels where as OPPO’s Joy with 480x800 Pixels. Therefore, the trade off is between a bigger and heavier device with a larger display and a relatively shorter and lighter device with an inch of smaller display. While both the devices come in black and white, Obi’s Wolverine has this unique leather-like texture at the back. 

At the performance level, OPPO’s Joy seems to lag behind as it comes with an operating system that runs on a slightly outdated Android 4.2 (ColorOS) compared to Obi’s Wolverine that runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. However, OPPO’s JOY takes a leg up over Obi’s Wolverine in terms of processor where JOY has a Cortex A7 1.3GHz dual-core processor while Wolverine has a MediaTek MTK6572 1.2GHz dual-core processor. But then JOY loses out on RAM with 512 MB RAM when Wolverine can boast of 1GB RAM. In terms of storage, both the devices have same internal memory of 4GB and an expandable memory upto 32 GB through microSD. While JOY (with 1700mAh) has a slight upper hand in terms of battery capacity over Wolverine (with 1500 mAh), a relatively advanced OS and larger RAM provide Obi’s Wolverine an edge over OPPO’s JOY. However, significant difference shows up again in the cameras; while both have the same 0.3MP front cameras, Wolverine comes with 5MP rear camera and Joy with 3MP.

In terms of Connectivity, both smartphones support Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n). But JOY additionally provides Wi-Fi Hotspot while Wolverine does not. Both devices provide 2 SIM card slots, but JOY has 1 Regular SIM card slot and 1 Micro SIM card Slot which means the consumer is forced to change their existing SIM card(s) to Regular or Micro. Wolverine on the other hand allows users to use either Regular or Micro SIM in the same slot. In terms of Wireless Networks both Wolverine and JOY are available only on 3G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and WCDMA 2100 MHz. Additionally, Wolverine is also available on 3G: WCDMA 850 MHz.

In this context, we finally look at the prices in the Kenya market, where Obi’s Wolverine is priced at around KSh12,000 where as OPPO’s JOY is priced around KSh11,000, a difference of about KSh1000. Given several advantages of a wider screen-size, higher OS, bigger RAM, superior rear camera, and the ability to use any form of SIM (Micro or SIM) without any hindrance, Wolverine’s slightly higher price could be justified. However, a smart customer could make the deal even smarter by pushing for a better price bargain.

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