Synrgic Uno debuts as one of the last TI OMAP-powered Android phones (updated with video)
Taiwan might have an HTC One and an HTC First, but starting today, Singapore has a Synrgic Uno to join the banter (get it?). The name Synrgic might not immediately ring a bell, but if you dig a little deeper, you'll see a mention of its earlier phone plus three tablets from a while back. Alas, said phone was eventually canned as the quality didn't meet expectations, so consider this Uno a new attempt by the same Singaporean startup.
Announced in its home city just now, this device is positioned as a mid-tier Android phone with some modest specs, namely a 4.7-inch, 720p IPS display with Gorilla Glass and, more interestingly, a dual-core 1.5GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 SoC (with 1GB DDR2 RAM and SGX 544 graphics chip). With the upcoming TI OMAP 5 series shifting towards automotive systems, chances are the Uno will be one of the last OMAP-powered smartphones before TI waves goodbye to the mobile world. More after the break.
Update: We've added a hands-on video after the break. In short: smooth software and solid hardware build, with some room for improvement on the coating at the top and bottom sides.
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This 9.5mm-thick, 133g-heavy phone also packs 16GB of built-in storage along with up to 32GB of microSD expansion, which should give plenty of space for the 8-megapixel main camera (with 1080p video capture) plus 2-megapixel front imager. And in case you're wondering, yes, the 2,300mAh battery is removable. As for radios, the Uno comes with quad-band HSPA 3G (up to 21Mbps) as well as the usual package: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, GPS, FM and NFC.
The software? Just vanilla Android 4.0.4 (with 4.2 update coming in this quarter) with Google services included, as the 26-year-old Chairman and CEO Cheo Suan Jin isn't too keen on bloatware; and he also promises to release the source code in about two weeks so that the enthusiasts can tinker with other ROMs.
The Singapore-designed, South Korea-made Uno is available today for $320 (excluding tax) on Synrgic's website, and free shipping plus "1 for 1" exchange warranty will be provided to select countries in South East Asia.
