Obi mobiles is relatively new brand in India targeting low end budget Android segment. Headed by Apple’s ex-CEO John Scully, OBI mobiles has launched several smartphones in India and we got to spend some quality time with OBI Leopard S502. Here are our initial impressions.
OBI Leopard S502 Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5 Inch qHD IPS LCD, 960 x 540 resolution, 220 PPI
- Processor: 1.3 GHz MediaTek MT6582 quad Core processor with Mali 400 MP2 GPU
- RAM: 1 GB, 600 MB Free
- Software Version: Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- Camera: 8 MP camera
- Secondary Camera: 5 MP
- Internal Storage: 8 GB, 5 GB user available
- External Storage: 32 GB MicroSD card
- Battery: 2100 mAh
- Connectivity: HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, Micro USB 2.0
- Sensors: Proximity, Light and Gravity
- Misc: Dual SIM (Normal + Micro SIM), USB OTG – NO
Design, Build and Display
OBI Leopard S502 moderately heavy which feels solid in hand. The rear cover uses both plastic and metal and both the top and bottom part has chrome finished plastic which doesn’t seamlessly blend with the rest of the rear cover. The quality doesn’t screen ‘premium’, but at this price point there is no reason to complain.
A good quality flipcover comes within the package which has a cutout for time and date (it’s not intelligent flip cover, Display doesn’t power off when you flip it). The front side is lot more conventional. All ports are present on the top edge, while plastic hardware buttons give good feedback. Loud speaker is present on the rear side.
The 5 inch IPS LCD display panel has good viewing angles and average colors. Low pixel density is noticeable, but not prominent enough to make a difference for first time android users. Even while looking close, you won’t notice any pixilation. Auto brightness is supported and works well. It’s a very usable and responsive display.
Processor and RAM
The Processor used is 1.3 GHz MT6582, which has been abundantly tried and tested over whole of 2014. Backed by 1 GB RAM its the same SoC you find in Android One phones or in fact most other budget quad core smartphones in India. It’s a good processor for day to day usage and the SoC can handle qHD resolution very well. (Antutu: 17920, Nenamark: 58.2 FPS)
Out of 1 GB RAM, more than 600 MB is free on first boot which is quite good. We didn’t notice any major lag in our initial usage, but this might slightly change over a period of extended usage for moderate and heavy users. For day to day usage and gaming, it worked very well in our initial time with the device.
Camera and Internal Storage
The rear 8 MP camera with wide aperture is an average shooter. Low light quality isn’t very impressive but we managed to get some good shots in full light. The camera performance is comparable to several other 8 MP shooters in market, nothing particularly interesting. Front 5 MP camera is decent enough.
Internal storage is 8 GB, and has been partitioned in two parts. You get around 450 MB for Apps and other space is allocated to App data and software. There is option to select SD card as default storage. USB OTG is not supported.
User Interface and Battery
Obi S502 Leopard runs almost stock Android 4.4.2 KitKat which will suffice for rich Android experience. Obi hasn’t talked about any future update to Lollipop yet, but the OS is upgradeable. There isn’t much bloatware on the device either.
Battery capacity is 2100 mAh and the battery backup is average. We could get 3 to 4 hours of on-screen time most days. It is expected to last about one day for moderate and average users.
Obi S502 Leopard Photo Gallery
Conclusion
Budget Android market is at it hottest right now, with both domestic and Global manufacturers (and Google) pushing every limit to cut cost and provide “The Best Value For Money” Android. In this whole tussle. Consumers have emerged as the sole benefactors and are now spoilt for choice. Enters OBI Leopard S502 which is a great effort from a new player, but stands as one among many. It’s a sturdy durable phone and a good performer, but it’s still not pushing it hard enough.
