As promised, OSOM now has more information to share about its upcoming OV1 phone now that it's MWC time. The company was able to share some specs and withheld others, but the thing I'm most excited for is that it will be made out of stainless steel, ceramic, and titanium. It's not the first Android phone to use these kinds of materials, but it's the first I can think of in a long time. Unfortunately, the phone has also been delayed slightly, with it now expected to launch in the second half of the year, though you might actually like the reason why.

The most premium materials in any Android phone right now

I got the chance to sit down and talk to OSOM founder and CEO Jason Keats, CMO Wolfgang W. Muller, and VP of design Dave Evans to talk about the phone in a little more detail, following our interview last year, and this time the company was willing to talk specs — well, some specs. But it's the hardware design that the team, much of whom are Apple alumni, are most proud of.

Calling it a "throwback," Evans told me that the company elected for a zirconium ceramic back, similar to what was offered in the Essential PH-1. That ceramic will be available in three colors: a glossy white, a matte black, and a secret color it hasn't announced yet. We previously covered some of the color options being discussed, and the company may yet opt for another throwback color there, with one option resembling the old Ocean Depths colorway the PH-1 came in (though sadly without the copper accents).

This use of premium materials extends everywhere around the phone, too. The triangular camera bump on the back will be titanium, as will the power and volume buttons. And the exposed mid-frame won't be your usual boring and only mildly durable aluminum, but stainless steel. Initially, the company had planned to make its phone out of aluminum, but it commissioned some parts from stainless steel for a recent engineering verification test. The results were too good to ignore, and we're told the final design will use stainless steel.

Although Apple uses it in its flagships, stainless steel is very uncommon in Android phones, and there are good reasons for that. The last model I can personally think of is the otherwise mediocre Nokia 8 Sirocco, but few if any major phones since then have used it in Androidland. Last year, I dove into the subject, and the primary reason we haven't seen stainless steel very much in Android phones is due to the increased weight it imparts and the effect on battery size that results.

Some of these renders/photos might be of the older aluminum EVT designs, but you get the idea.

Apple can get away with it for two reasons: It's okay with its phones weighing more, and iPhones don't need batteries that are as big, so it can shave some weight down there. Android phones don't have the latter luxury, but Keats told me neither of these issues should be a problem for the OSOM OV1.

For one, although the phone is bigger than the dinky Essential PH-1, it seems like it might be smaller than most modern super-huge flagships, and the company is okay with the phone being on the heavier side like iPhones tend to be. Keats told me that he believes the heft will strike a balance that feels like a quality product. For another, it's not compromising on the battery. In fact, that was one of the specifications the company couldn't share with me, precisely because it's currently shaving the stainless steel frame down strategically to add extra space for a bigger one, "squeezing every mAh" they can from it. The company promises "beyond-all day" performance in "regular use," even if it can't share a precise capacity yet.

OSOM was more upfront about other specs:

Display:

OLED, size/type unclear

Chipset

"Based on the Snapdragon 8 series"

Cameras:

48MP + 12MP rear, 16MP front

Connectivity:

5G sub-6 only (no mmWave), NFC, UWB

Software:

Android, version unclear

Price:

"Well sub-$1,000"

Misc:

Dual physical SIM, secure data cable

When it comes to the chipset, the company couldn't tell us everything about the new hardware, just that it was "based on the Snapdragon 8 series." Leaks indicate that there might be a slightly better and so far unannounced TSMC-built version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 coming, so it could be that OSOM plans to use that. It wouldn't tell us anything about the display other than that it will be OLED and offer a high refresh rate — what type of OLED (ex: LTPO) and what refresh rate weren't offered.

Software is also unknown. Though it's running Android, the company couldn't tell me precisely which version of Android the phone would launch with. The change in the release timeline may have had an impact on that. Though the company's own Twitter teasing implied that it might be running Graphene OS, Keats told me, "we do not have an official relationship with Graphene OS." Take of that what you will. With OSOM's privacy-first focus, it could simply be that Graphene OS will support OSOM's hardware for those willing to load a custom ROM — so far, the project has only supported Pixels.

(Developers should also take note: The company tells me it plans on doing its own bug/privacy bounties in the future, and they will seed devices as part of a development program later this year.)

Even the charging cable the OSOM OV1 comes with will be unique, featuring a kill/shutoff switch for the USB Type-C port's data pins. That means you can do things like charge from public receptacles without worrying about something on the other end exploiting a vulnerability or trying to get into your phone. It'll also have an LED indicator to let you know if data is being transferred. The phone will charge using USB Power Delivery — maximum watts or support for things like PPS unknown, but the Essential PH-1 charged at 27W in an era when most phones didn't break 18W.

Keats reiterated claims he made during our previous interview that the camera would be a big priority on the OSOM OV1, since it was one of the bigger issues the Essential PH-1 ran into. He wouldn't talk specifics or name names, but we're told the OSOM has roped in the "best teams in the world for a truly flagship camera experience." Bigger companies routinely over-promise and under-deliver when it comes to smartphone cameras, so I'd take those claims with a grain of salt, but it should at least beat the Essential PH-1.

Osom Phone white (1)

The phone will also be dual SIM — dual physical SIM, not eSIM. We're also told the company won't have any carrier retail channels, according to current plans. The phone is also going to be mmWave-less, supporting only sub-6GHz 5G frequencies.

OSOM isn't talking price just yet, though Keats reiterated a prior promise to be "well sub-$1,000," putting it in the same price category as the Google Pixel 6 Pro and many other great Android phones.

Originally the company had hoped for a Q2 2022 release, but the chipset shift, which the company says will result in a better product, will also mean a later release, currently planned for sometime in the 2nd half of 2022. It is about to close its Series A round for investing, and we're told one of the companies throwing cash at it will be a bit of a shock.