Essential Phone Fans Rejoice: OSOM Made A Ceramic Sequel
Essential may no longer exist, but the company that rose from its ashes — OSOM Products — is keeping the spirit of that phone alive with an upcoming handset called the OSOM OV1. This model will sport a customized version of Android that aims to combine privacy-centric features and a stock experience, potentially satisfying a specific subset of users who are keen on protecting their private data without settling for mediocre hardware.
Though these details were revealed back in December 2021 alongside a small look at the device, OSOM kept the specs largely a mystery...until now. The company has given excited Android users a better look at the device, as well as information about its premium design and the hardware within. Assuming the final product looks the same, OV1 may prove to be one of the most premium Android smartphones on the market thanks to, in part, ceramic and titanium materials.
OSOM OV1 premium design teased
OSOM offered more details about its upcoming OV1 Android smartphone as part of Mobile World Congress 2022, revealing a full image of the device's back and edge, as well as its anticipated launch time frame and some specs. Whereas most Android phones are made with plastic, glass, and aluminum, OSOM has elected to use more durable, premium alternatives: titanium, zirconium ceramic, and stainless steel.
The company's founder and CEO Jason Keats joined two other company executives in an interview with Android Police, revealing the OV1 will be delayed a bit into the second half of 2022. That bump comes with a good reason, however, as it is due to a change in the hardware that'll power the handset. Full specs weren't provided, but the team did say on Twitter that future buyers can expect a chipset "based on" the Snapdragon 8 series, fueling speculation that it may offer the so-called "Plus" version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Future buyers can also expect an OLED display with a high refresh rate, support for 5G (though not mmWave, sadly), dual SIM slots, a 48MP main camera joined by a 12MP secondary camera and a 16MP selfie shooter. Keeping in line with the privacy-focused aspect, OV1 will also apparently ship with a unique USB cable: it sports a switch that physically disables the data pins.
All the other details
There's still a lot we don't know about the upcoming OV1, but the team did drop some other notable details during their talk with Android Police. The cameras will be housed in a triangular bump made of titanium, for example, while the aforementioned stainless steel will be used for a particularly durable mid-frame.
That latter point should be of particular interest to diehard Android fans. The use of stainless steel comes with a tradeoff in weight, as aluminum is lighter and far more commonly used. That means the OV1 may feel heavier in the hand compared to the typical flagships on the market, though the team doesn't seem concerned about that reality. One may also speculate that a stainless steel mid-frame could prove problematic for battery size, but that, too, was a concern preemptively put to rest.
Essential fans can expect the upcoming model to be larger than the PH-1, and even better, OSOM promises a generous battery that'll be capable of powering the handset for a full day or longer. Other details, including what Android flavor users can expect, are still absent. However, all signs point toward OSOM developing a phone that will, at minimum, satisfy Essential fans while aiming to firmly root itself by focusing on a particularly important aspect of digital life: helping users protect their privacy.