TL;DR
- The first phone from ex-Essential employees is now set to launch in Q4 2022.
- The company added that the phone would offer a “Snapdragon 8 series” chipset.
- It’ll also ship with a charging cable that lets you toggle data transfer functionality.
Ex-Essential employees formed OSOM Products in 2020, promising privacy-focused products. We already know that the company is working on its first smartphone, dubbed the OV1. The company has now dished out more details regarding this device.
OSOM confirmed on Twitter and in a subsequent emailed press release that the OV1 would ship with a “Snapdragon 8 series” processor instead of the Snapdragon 888 series SoC that was originally expected to appear. The company added that it’s delayed the launch window from summer 2022 to Q4 2022.
The fact that it says “Snapdragon 8 series” instead of “Snapdragon 8 Gen 1” suggests that the OSOM OV1 will arrive with either the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus or (less likely) the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
The company also revealed that the phone will ship with a USB-C cable that features a transfer switch. This switch lets users toggle between charging-only and data transfer modes. It’s a pretty ingenious idea, and OSOM confirmed that the cable will be available separately. The company also confirmed to Android Authority that the cable and data transfer toggle are compatible with other smartphones.
Smartphone users can already toggle between charging and file transfer modes via their screen, it must be said. But this solution should still provide extra peace of mind that your data is safe while your phone is charging (especially against theoretical juice-jacking attacks).
Related: The best USB-C cables you can buy today
OSOM also shed some light on the design, noting it will have Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, a zirconia ceramic back, and a stainless steel frame. It adds that the phone will have a 48MP+12MP dual rear camera setup (we’re guessing this is a main and ultrawide combo) and a 16MP front-facing shooter.
Otherwise, the firm says you can also expect dual physical SIM support and UWB integration. The company didn’t dish out concrete battery details but said the OV1 would offer “beyond all-day” endurance with regular use.
