Osom OV1: Extremely robust smartphone made of ceramic and steel

Osom, the new company of Android founder Andy Rubin, has officially unveiled its first smartphone. The Osom OV1 relies on a robust and classy case made of stainless steel, titanium and ceramics, a current Snapdragon SoC from Qualcomm and a dual camera.

Osom OV1 in detail

A flagship smartphone in the style of the Google Pixel 6 Pro (our review) could be in store for us at the end of the year, because that is when the Osom OV1 is to be officially unveiled. The indirect successor of the “Essential Phone” uses according to the manufacturer a processor from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series.

Officially, the conversation with Android Police does not mention the current top model Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, so it could be an optimized version manufactured by TSMC or even the successor Gen 2.

Either way: Security is the manufacturer’s top priority. After all, they promise a “feature-rich, more private experience” on Twitter. However, the own website focuses on the security aspects of the OV1. Personal data, location, likes in social networks, search queries and all other data remain with you and are not to be shared. GrapheneOS, which is based on Android, is to be used as the operating system.

Specially robust thanks to stainless steel, titanium and ceramic

In the interview, Osom CEO Jason Keats, CMO Wolfgang W. Muller and VP of Design Dave Evan also elaborated on the design of the Osom OV1, saying they have created a smartphone that feels good and is particularly robust.

The case is primarily made of stainless steel, with titanium and ceramic accents also used. The chassis and visible bezel are particularly sturdy thanks to stainless steel, while the buttons for the camera mode, power button and volume are made of titanium. The back, which also houses a fingerprint sensor in the center, is made of ceramic and is supposed to feel very high-quality and grippy.

Many details still missing

Many technical details are not yet known about the Osom OV1. As for the display, the manufacturer wants to offer a bright OLED panel with a high refresh rate. In terms of connectivity, 5G in the sub-6 GHz spectrum, NFC and UWB (ultra-wideband) are also offered, which would allow the smartphone to be used as a digital car key, for example.

Dual-SIM operation is supported. The OV1 comes with a special USB-C cable. It has a switch at the end of the cable that releases the smartphone’s data PINs. This is also done for security reasons, because it should only be able to use the charging function, while there is no access to the internal data at public hotspots, for example.

As for the cameras, a 48-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel cam are to be installed. On the front, a 16-megapixel selfie camera is responsible for taking pictures.

Price and Availability

The Osom OV1 is expected to hit the market in the fourth quarter of 2022. Price-wise, the manufacturer’s MSRP is said to be “well under $1,000” – plus taxes.