OSOM’s OV1 appears to choose up the place the Essential Phone left off | Engadget

Unless you religiously observe Android blogs, there’s an excellent probability you haven’t heard of OSOM Privacy. It’s a startup made up of former Essential workers who labored on the earlier than the corporate turned mired in controversy on account of . OSOM was based in 2020, the identical yr that Essential , by its former head of R&D, Jason Keats.

When Keats first shared particulars on the OV1 late final yr in an , he mentioned it could stand out from different Android telephones because of its concentrate on privateness. At the time, he additionally had just a few issues to say in regards to the telephone’s specs – noting, as an example, it could ship with a Qualcomm chipset. Today, OSOM shared extra details about the OV1 earlier than its launch later this yr.

In an e mail to Engadget, the corporate mentioned the telephone would ship with a Snapdragon 8 collection chipset. Notably, OSOM didn’t say the OV1 would come with Qualcomm’s present flagship chip, the . Take that as you’ll.

If you had an opportunity to make use of an Essential Phone, it didn’t have an amazing digicam. It didn’t take nice pictures in lower than supreme mild, and its digicam app was gradual to fireside up. OSOM claims the OV1 received’t undergo from comparable points. The telephone will function a dual-camera system consisting of 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel sensors. “Unlike at Essential, OSOM has enlisted the help of the best teams in the world to bring a truly flagship camera experience to our users,” the corporate advised us.

As you’ll be able to see from the pictures OSOM despatched over, the design of the machine is paying homage to the Essential Phone. The firm says the OV1 is “noticeably” larger than its predecessor to permit for higher antenna efficiency and the inclusion of an even bigger battery. The housing is constructed from chrome steel and titanium, whereas the again of the telephone is constructed from zirconia and . , it’ll embody a UWB antenna, although OSOM didn’t say what sort of performance it plans to construct out round that function. The telephone can even include a twin SIM slot and a safe information cable.

The firm didn’t say what the cable does, but when we needed to take a guess, you’ll be able to flip the built-in swap to stop it from transferring information. That’s one thing that would enable you defend your telephone if you happen to ever have to plug it in to cost at a public USB port, comparable to those you’ll discover in a aircraft. That’s all we all know for now. But we’ll possible discover out extra in regards to the OV1 when it ships someday within the fourth quarter of 2022.