Nextbit Robin Smartphone Hits Mobile Market With Help of Kickstarter

The Nextbit Robin, touted as “the smarter smartphone,” comes with an interesting design, and relies on the cloud for storage and managing apps.

Arguably, the Robin’s most important feature is its cloud integration. While the device comes with on-board storage, the Nextbit Robin automatically backs up all apps and photos to the cloud and offloads them from local storage whenever it needs to make room in on-board storage. According to Nextbit, the apps not typically accessed by the user are sent to the cloud, though they’re easily retrievable from a Web connection. It’s an interesting concept that hasn’t been applied much by other device makers.

Robin runs a standard version of Android. Although there are different processes running in the background, users will find a sleek version of Google’s Android user interface with which they’re already familiar. Nextbit argues that while its handset comes with advanced features, its software is still intuitive, thanks to Android.

One of the biggest complaints Android device owners have is that they don’t always get the latest OS updates. Nextbit has committed to deploying the latest Android version, regardless of when customers buy their Robins. The company says its cloud capabilities rely on advancements in Android, requiring it to keep its devices updated. That’s good news for Android owners still stuck with outdated software.

To be less intrusive than other handsets, Robin comes with four indicator lights on the backplate. One will tell users that their device is backing up to the cloud, while another on the bottom informs them of “important notifications.” Even if Robin is on silent mode and face down on a table, the device’s notifications light will illuminate to tell users they may want to check their handsets. What constitutes an important notification is ostensibly set within the software.

To its credit, Nextbit has gone out of its way to design a device that doesn’t look anything like its competitors. The Robin’s design is rather boxy, eschewing the all-too-common rounded edges. In addition, Nextbit says it has placed buttons strategically to make them easier to access when holding the handset with a single hand. Nextbit said its design concept was for all buttons and sensors to feel “harmonious” and “symmetrical.” Its concept art suggests it has achieved that goal.

Despite offering a high-end software experience, when it comes to the Robin’s display technology, it’s a decidedly midrange device. The smartphone comes with a 5.2-inch In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD 1080p screen, which should do the trick for most functions. But the screen size won challenge the higher-end devices with bigger screens and quad-HD resolution. It won’t attract buyers who insist on larger handset displays.

Overall, Robin’s specs are about what one would expect from a midrange handset. The smartphone comes with a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage to complement its 100GB of cloud storage. A 13-megapixel camera sits on the rear of the device, and it comes with a fingerprint sensor and near-field communication. Nextbit has opted for a middling battery size of 2,680mAh.

Nextbit says that one of its biggest complaints about today’s smartphone operating systems is that they come with bloatware, or extra apps that users may not want. To rectify that problem in its own device, Nextbit says it will only bundle critical applications, like a Web browser and access to an application marketplace, and nothing else. Other Android vendors are bundling far too many apps with their devices, but Nextbit promises it will not.

In one of the more interesting moves yet, Nextbit says that it’s not going to lock customers into using Google’s Android. The company says that Robin owners can put another operating system onto the device, including Cyanogen, “or any other ROM you want.” What’s more, if the owner kills the device by changing the operating system, Nextbit will still consider it under warranty. That’s something you don’t often hear in the smartphone business.

Nextbit will ship Robin with an unlocked SIM, allowing users in countries around the world to put it on the carrier of their choice. Although pledges to buy Robin started at $299, that introductory pricing is gone. As of this writing, Kickstarter backers can place orders for a new Robin for as little as $349. But, currently, Nextbit says it plans to start producing Robins in January 2016 and shipping them to some customers that month. Most other backers will get their hands on the Robin in February or March.