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.

Read More

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.  

Read More

Obi Mobiles’ Hornbill S551 is sure to enchant Africa

Obi Mobiles, co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of Pepsico and Apple, has recently entered Africa, starting Kenya and Tanzania, with a range of eight smartphone models. One of the flagship models is Hornbill S551 which is among the front runners. What makes Obi’s Hornbill smart and indeed stylish are its features and sleek design that come at a very attractive price point too. The phone comes in black and white colours with the leathered texture back that makes the phone do the talking.

Talking about specs, Hornbill is packed with a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core- Processor from MediaTek with 1GB of RAM. This is where you might be thinking of wanting more on the storage front but the phone doesn’t disappoint as it is quick and sharp with its functioning. No hiccups whatsoever anywhere as you actually start getting work done out of your phone. This little beast in glass, metal and leather look alike is no let down.

Hornbill has a 13 MP primary camera with a flash and auto focus feature that is placed at the very centre on the upper end of the leathered texture back. The space for the camera has been nicely crafted-out to give it a very stylish look, something that really stands out. The smartphone also has a 5MP secondary camera in the front to fulfill your selfie clicking needs. You shall have a good experience clicking your photos.

Hornbill has a large HD IPS 5.5 inch touch screen with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. The space outside the touch screen is equally distributed on the two sides at the upper and lower end with 3 capacitive keys on the lower end of the phone. The earpiece, secondary camera and sensors are on the top. The bottom occupies just the microphone while as the top has the audio jack and the USB port. The right side has the power key and the volume keys are on the left side that is a regular on most phones. The smartphone has its branding on the back side on the lower end just above the speaker grille that is of a decent size. The back thus looks luxurious.

It is a dual-sim phone. The sim cards are placed just next to the memory card slot. Point to be noted is both the sim-cards support 3G, which is quite impressive for such a price. Hornbill is a 145g bar shaped device that is easy to carry in your hand in spite of a large looking screen. It looks compact and is light with your hands. The metallic band on the sides with seen screws is a good attempt at making the device look premium. The phone is slim at 7.9mm giving it nice sleek look and thus comes easy in hand.

The Hornbill supports Android KitKat 4.4.2 OS that shows the intelligence the phone gives you. You get equally good views of the screen from most angles. For lazy geeks, the features won’t disappoint them. You can launch searches, send texts and play songs by giving speech commands with the ‘Okay Google’ on the home screen. If you are fond of large screen phones that are easy to carry and keep in your hand, hornbill is just the thing that too at incredibly friendly price at a time when prices for other phones have been a touch higher. Hornbill just might give a solid competition to the competitors.

What more, you also get a royal looking, premium leather flap cover and an equally good scratch resistant screen guard if you opt to buy the Hornbill from Obi Mobiles. We are sure that Obi's Hornbill is bound to enchant the African customers.

Read More

Alligator S454, Obi's smartphone has a lot to impress

Obi Mobiles founded by John Sculley launched its first range of smartphones named after animal in India in 2014. Over a period of few months, Obi Mobiles has moved to Middle East and recently entered Africa. Considering the smartphone options available in the market to choose from, the Silicon Valley lineage provides Obi devices an edge. In this article, we particularly look at the model called Alligator S454.

Obi’s Alligator comes with superior features as well as surprisingly friendly price tag. Our curiosity to explore different aspects of this model has generated this review that we are happy to share with those who may be considering a move from a feature phone to a smartphone. Alligator S454 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and offers dual-SIM support (regular SIM + Micro-SIM). It features a 4.5-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) IPS screen. The device is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek (MT6582) processor with Mali 400 MP2 graphics, with 1GB of RAM. A lot of technical stuff out there, right? Wait till we break it down for you.

Isn’t it all about the looks? Alligator comes in a candy bar form. The device has a sturdy build and looks compact. The device is available in black and white variants. The back of the device is nicely textured and looks glossy with the brand logo, speaker grille and primary camera giving it a complete look. The phone has a good design that you can carry with all the elegance. Obi with the promise to give us stylish smartphones has not disappointed with the Alligator.

It gotta feel great, no? The phone comes in dimensions of 133mm x 66.6mm x 8.2mm. At 120 grams weight, the smartphone is surely light to carry, in your pocket and in your hands. Alligator flaunts a 4.5inch (11.43cm) display with TFT IPS Screen with Capacitive Touch. The phone claims to have superior graphics that you are able to see when you switch to watching movies or surfing videos. The viewing angles are decent and throw nice looking colors across the angles, a feature of the IPS screens.

Hey, how does it capture the mood? Well, when it comes to recording and clicking all your special moments, Alligator with its 8MP, auto focus rear camera serves the purpose with ease. The LED Flash fills your photos, shot in night with light. The 2MP front camera is good but could have been better but again at such a price isn’t a bad deal to go with. The camera comes with digital/optical zoom that serves you well.

It must last too. The Alligator has a removable Li-Ion 1600 mAh battery type (removable) that can make you think twice before going for it if you use a lot of battery draining apps on your phone. Battery life is one of the cons of the Alligator with a talk time of 8 hrs. Furthermore, for all your storage needs the phone supports 8GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable via micro SD card (up to 32GB), which is great for the price tag.

But, it must ensure good connectivity. Obi’s Alligator is 4.0 Bluetooth enabled and comes with GPRS, EDGE and WiFi features. The dual sim feature of the phone though comes with a catch. The Sim 1 supports 3G but the Sim 2 is only 2G enabled which shall be a bit of a block if you are really keen of having a strong connectivity on both your connections. The Alligator comes with built-in applications like Google Talk, Twitter, Facebook chat, Yahoo!, YouTube, Gmail, Google Search, Google+ and WhatsApp.

The Obi Alligator has a good combination of hardware and software that gives it a slight edge at the price that it comes. If you have just started to venture into the smartphone category of phone moving out from your feature phones, Obi Alligator S454 might just impress you. Go for it if you are looking for more in less.

Read More