Obi Worldphone, a global smartphone company, has marked its entry into Saudi Arabia with the official unveiling of its latest smart phones — the Obi Worldphone SF1 and SJ1.5, along with a lineup to be introduced in the months to come.

Co-founded by John Sculley, prominent tech investor and former CEO of Apple and Pepsi-Cola, Obi Worldphone claims to offer a smart phone experience that is rich, personal and elevated.

Designed by San Francisco-based Ammunition design studio, Obi Worldphone’s SF1 and SJ1.5 are set apart by iconic industrial design. Both devices come loaded with Obi Lifespeed, a custom user interface for Android that unifies the software and hardware experience.

According to IDC, Saudi Arabia saw year-on-year smart phone shipments grow by 9.5 percent in Q1, 2015, making it one of the biggest markets in the Middle East for the sector.

Neeraj Chauhan, cofounder and CEO of Obi Worldphone, said: “Saudi Arabia is the next step in our plans for global expansion and we are excited to enter a market where the smart phone growth rate is consistently on a higher side. Our retail partnership with eXtra Saudi, among other key retail partners, distribution partnership with Jawraa and TELCO tieup with STC give us a unique edge in the segment.”

Amit Rupchandani, MD, Obi Worldphone EMEA, added: “We are very excited to enter the Saudi market, where the smart phone segment is among the fastest growing in the region. We believe there is a clear opportunity in the Kingdom for Obi Worldphone devices that not only impress through technology and design, but also through their attractive price-points. We hope to secure 5 percent of the smart phone segment in the Kingdom by the end of 2016.”