Oman-made smartphone to be launched this year

Muscat: Young, diligent and ambitious Omani cadres have succeeded in designing and assembling a smartphone for the first time in Oman.

An Omani team, Mersal, has been able to design and assemble the first smartphone with approved international standards to suit everyone’s requirements.

The phone is called Mersal 7 or M-7 in relation to the name of the company, and the number 7 is derived from the screen size.

Rashid bin Abdullah Al Nasri, CEO of Mersal, said that “the assembly of the phone came after a great effort, as we continued to work for nearly two years continuously in design, selection of components, research and tests, in addition to plans for installation, marketing methods and product launch.”

Mersal smartphone was designed and assembled at the Makers Oman Centre in Innovation Park Muscat.

Al Nasri added that the Mersal phone works with the latest operating system, which is Android 11.

The phone has been developed to work through the fourth generation cellular networks, and work is currently underway to assemble a phone to suit the fifth generation networks to deal quickly with data.

The Mersal smartphone weighs 215 grams, has a 7-inch HD screen, and an ROM of 128 GB, while the RAM capacity is six GB.

The phone comes with a 48-megapixel rear camera and a 25-megapixel front camera.

As for the battery, it is non-removable and has a capacity of 5000 mAh.

Mersal contains two ports for additional SIM cards and  memory, in addition to other distinctive technical specifications and features covered by an elegant and attractive body made of metal, plastic and glass.

The phone is available into two colours: dark blue and black.

Regarding the total cost of Mersal project, the CEO said that nearly OMR5 million; 50 percent of which was already spent on the phone to design and install a phone at the highest level of efficiency.

Al Nasri talked about the challenges and difficulties that faced the Mersal team, “the corona pandemic and its impact locally, regionally and internationally were among the difficulties, in addition to the costs related to research, development and financing.

“Technology-related projects are projects that require large amounts of investment, and if all of this is available, it will achieve large and rewarding returns,” Al Nasri  added.

“Mersal  smartphone will be launched in the markets at the end of this year (2021) and it will be at a competitive amount not exceeding OMR130. There will be pleasant surprises that we will announce at the launch,” the CEO of Mersal said.

Al Nasri also said, “We call on investors to partner and enter into this important aspect that is in harmony with Oman’s 2040 vision. We also call on government and security institutions and large companies for contractual purchases that will achieve and serve development and economic trends such as creating job opportunities, economic diversification programmes, and the work of a series of technology-related industries.”

“Apart from meeting local needs, reducing trade deficit, creating local added value, and developing Omani institutions in terms of economic and social benefits, and even some political aspects, ” he further said.

“We also hope that there will be cooperation from all government agencies competent in this field, and we seek to have Mersal become Oman’s ambassador in electronic devices,” Al Nasri added.

It is noteworthy that Mersal launched the first Omani tablet device (Mersal 10 or M-10) that works with the best international specifications at the beginning of the last academic year 2020-2021.

The tablet received good response and feedback from users. It’s success was attributed to the rapid response to demand and competitive price, in addition to the fact that the tablet device meets all educational, commercial and personal needs.