Best travel phones: Introducing the Obi Worldphone MV1

October 30th 2016

The large majority of us own a smartphone. Most of us own an incredibly expensive smartphone. One that we begrudge taking abroad with us in case it gets lost or stolen. In this travel gear review, we take a look at the new Obi Worldphone MV1 one of the latest best travel phones to come on the market.

With dual SIM capabilities and a budget price of £99 on Amazon, the MV1 offers a great alternative to taking your precious iPhone in holiday. The product has been co-founded by John Sculley, the ex-CEO of Apple, and has entered the market with strong reception.

We took the MV1 for a spin on our recent travels between home and abroad to put it through its paces.

Design

Light and slim, the MV1 feels something like an iPhone 6 in your hand. The phone weighs just under 150g (that’s including the battery) and has a smudge-free matte finish, giving it a sleek feel that’s pleasing to the touch. We’ve been experimenting with a black version, but the MV1 also comes in white.

The screen displays in HD and feels just like browsing through any other top-of-the-range smartphone. Overall we’re really impressed with how polished the phone looks and feels considering the low price. The MV1 definitely doesn’t feel like a budget phone.

Functionality

If you’ve ever owned a Samsung smartphone you’ll have no problems getting around the MV1’s interface as they feel very similar. We found the MV1 intuitive to use; there was no need to look at an instruction manual or guide to get going with it. It’s simple to get everything installed and flit around between apps, and it seems quick to load pages while browsing the internet. The 16GB of storage space has proved ample for the apps we need while on the road, and there’s room for up to 64GB with a MicroSD card.

The dual SIM function on the MV1 is what makes it one of the best travel phones on the market. We’re currently flitting between the UK and Portugal, and have found the no-fuss switch between phone numbers a total god-send. As we have different plans between on our two SIM cards, we’ve also figured out that we can manipulate which is cheapest to use at certain times. For example, when we have to text a UK number from Portugal, it’s cheaper to do so using the UK SIM – and all we have to do is tap a button to send it from that SIM card.

The freedom the dual SIM offers makes it ideal if you’re frequently travelling between two places, or taking a few months away in another country where you might want a local phone number for a while. Wave goodbye to missing all your messages from your home number – the MV1 has solved that problem.

Camera

The MV1 comes with an 8MP rear camera with a flash, and a 2MP front camera. As the iPhone has raised the bar so high with mobile camera technology, we’re dubious when it comes to any other smartphone camera – that said, the MV1 was better than we expected.

Here are some (completely unedited) shots we took of our current base in Portugal with the rear camera:

As you can see, the images are quite sharp and colour balance is true to life. For taking travel snaps and savouring moments on the road, we see the MV1’s camera as fit for purpose and a good alternative to the iPhone or other smartphones.

Value

At under £100, we can’t argue with the value of this phone. When we first heard the price, we thought there would be some major cutbacks when it came to performance or quality, but after using the phone over the last few weeks we can’t find those faults. For £99, the MV1 is a total bargain, and well worth investing in as a phone to use for your trips abroad.

Would you buy an MV1?
What are the other best travel phones you’ve found?