Staying in touch in the digital age can be costly when travelling. If you’re not trying to find the best pay-as-you-go data plan, then you’re looking for the best smartphone for international travel. Which is why I’ve jumped at the chance to review the new Obi Worldphone MV1 dual-SIM smartphone.
Now I have to admit, I’m a girl of habit. After being a steadfast Apple consumer for years now, and a Blackberry enthusiast before that, it took me a long time to get my head around the Android set up.
There are a wealth of customisation options from the very start that were a bit confusing. I need a phone that makes calls, and efficiently runs the apps I need on a daily basis – I couldn’t care less about the theme, or swiftkey customisation.
But, from the very start I loved the sleek design. And once we got to know each other, myself and the Obi Worldphone MV1 have become pretty tight. In fact, the smartphone now has a permanent spot in my handbag. Here are a few reasons why…
Obi Worldphone MV1 Review – The Best Smartphone for International Travel?
Reasons I Love the Obi Worldphone MV1
1. Hardwearing
Every time an iPhone is dropped, someone somewhere is praying that the screen hasn’t cracked. But with the Obi MV1 I have absolutely no fear of dropping it, scratching it or sitting on it too hard when it’s in my back pocket.
The phone feels really sturdy, despite the ‘floating display’ design that makes the screen protrude slightly from its base.
2. Unlocked dual-SIM
I’ve lived in Budapest, Amsterdam and Morocco. Despite having a local SIM and phone number in each country, I’ve always had to switch back and forth between the local SIM and my UK SIM.
Having the ability to use two SIM cards in one phone makes a huge difference! I tested it out with a budget smartphone in Amsterdam, but the phone’s processing speed was so slow that I instantly returned to my iPhone.
But the Obi MV1 is just as much of a joy to use and the dual-SIM capabilities are a lifesaver for international travel!
3. Large storage capacity of 16gb
When I first received the phone for review, I thought I’d instantly have to go and get an extra memory card to accommodate all the apps I depend on when travelling. But so far I’ve barely touched the available memory in the Obi Worldphone MV1.
Granted, my photo album isn’t full yet and I haven’t downloaded as much music from Spotify as I would for a long trip. But when the time comes to do this the memory card slot accepts micro SD cards with up to 64GB of memory!
These can cost as little as £16.99 and would give the phone a total storage capacity of 80GB!
4. Acceptable processing speed
I mentioned before that the budget dual-SIM smartphone I bought in Amsterdam was so slow it was frustrating. Whilst I have found a few lags on the Obi Worldphone MV1 compared to my previous Apple phones, it’s so much faster than my previous dual-SIM phone.
For the best example of the processing speed, just click play on my video below…
A Few Faults of the Obi Worldphone MV1
As with any phone, there are a few factors that could be improved to make it the perfect phone for international travellers.
1. Camera Quality
The Obi MV1 has an 8mp rear camera and a 2mp front camera. I take most of my photos for this blog and my Instagram on my Sony a5000 (read the review by clicking here), but there are times when I don’t have it on me and my iPhone has to do.
If the Obi MV1 was to be my main phone, I would have to ask for a higher quality camera. And who knows, perhaps they are already working on it!
2. Battery Life
When I’m on the road, there are times when I just can’t consistently charge my phone. Of course, I carry a number of portable back-up chargers to cope with this, but a true advantage of any smartphone for international travel would be a battery that lasts more than one day.
Unfortunately, I seem to be left with under 10% of battery left on my Obi MV1 by late afternoon if I’ve been using the phone consistently throughout the day.
My Conclusion? As a whole, I found that the camera quality is the main reason I couldn’t make the Obi Worldphone MV1 my number one handset. But a big part of this is because I’m a blogger, and being able to upload native mobile photos is a huge plus. However, aside from that I found the processing speed, storage, and overall user experience of this budget smartphone a joy to use!
I also think that the budget cost of the smartphone (it costs just £99.99 on Amazon!) is incredibly affordable. Especially when you consider the size of the storage, the speed of processing, and the dual-SIM capabilities. I can truly say that I think the Obi Worldphone MV1 is a great budget smartphone for international travel!
P.s. I was sent this phone free of charge to review for you here on the blog, but as always my review is honest and all opinions are my own.
2 comments
Hi Katie,
I just followed the link from your YouTube video and read your review. It tells it like it is (what’s good + what’s not so good). I like it. There’s a lot of BS around these days, so it’s nice to see some honesty.
I am not planning to buy another phone until my present one gives up the ghost, but I think I would consider buying one of these because I like the idea of dual SIMs and the price is very reasonable. An 8 mb camera isn’t really that bad either. It’s just that, as camera quality has improved, we’ve all been spoiled a little. I can remember when a 3mb camera was considered good and a 5 mb camera was the dog’s b0&%ks 🙂
Haha great point about the camera Steve! I think I am definitely spoilt, and should probably just practice more with what I’ve got. I’ll let you know if my Obi MV1 photography improves 🙂 As for the rest – I’m really glad you found the lack of BS in my review refreshing, and if you do go with this phone next I hope you like it as much as I do!
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