This Innovative New Cloud Storage Based Smartphone Is Great, but Is It Better Than iPhone?

Unless you’re a hardcore techie, or you spend a fair amount of time browsing the projects on Kickstarter, you may not yet have heard of the Nextbit Robin. The Robin is an innovative new Android phone designed by mostly-unknown company Nextbit. The Robin was manufactured through a Kickstarter campaign which began on September 1^st of last year.

With a beautiful design, impressive specifications, and some inventive new features, the Robin reached its crowdfunding goal of $1 million within two weeks of the start of the campaign. The phone released this past February, which has given us plenty of time to weigh the pros and cons of the Robin, and let you know if it’s the future of smartphones or simply a well-marketed bust.

How Does it Compare to Other Phones?

Being an Android phone, the Nextbit Robin’s main competition is, of course, Samsung’s Galaxy series, with several other phones (the LG G5, Moto X series, and HTC 10) making waves. Although it can’t directly compete with the Galaxy S7 Edge, or certainly not the iPhone, the Robin’s specs are pretty similar to many other popular Android phones on the market – it packs in a 1.4GHz hexa-core Snapdragon processor, 3GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera, and charges via a USB-C connector.

The design of the phone is minimalist and beautiful, yet different enough to set it apart from the sea of generic-looking Android phones. As for the price? The Robin is available for $399.00 (if you’re reading this you just missed out on their $299.00 sale that was available at Amazon) – not bargain-bin cheap, but more affordable than comparable phones on the market.

What Sets it Apart?

If it’s so similar to many other Android phones, what makes the Robin special? Well, the phone was designed specifically to address one of the biggest complaints smartphone owners have – lack of storage. The Robin boasts 32GB of onboard storage, but it also comes with 100GB of free cloud storage, and an operating system that works to automatically back up photos and infrequently-accessed apps to maintain ample free space on your device.

Nextbit calls the Robin a “cloud first” phone. If the Robin is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi, the phone will sync with the cloud to “intelligently” create new space on the device. According to Nextbit, the Robin will anticipate when you’ll need more space “months before you ever run out of storage,” archiving photos and the apps you use least, and restoring them from the cloud when you need them.

Besides the innovative approach to storage, and the OS’s integration with the cloud, the design of the Robin sets it apart. Slightly smaller and lighter than most of its competitors, the Robin boasts a minimal, rectangular design in a bright and unique “Mint” color, or a more traditional looking “Midnight” color. The phone also features two front-facing speakers, and a slim side-mounted power/lock button that also doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is easy and comfortable to use, and also recessed just enough so that it won’t trigger in your purse, bag, or pocket.

Should I Make the Switch?

The Robin has introduced several great ideas that may shake up the smartphone market. However, those ideas aren’t quite executed perfectly yet. Accessing archived apps and photos can take quite some time, even on Wi-Fi – and that’s not to mention that if you’re not connected to Wi-Fi, accessing archived apps and photos will count against your monthly data plan.

As far as day-to-day operation goes, the custom operating system tends to lag a bit when compared to the stock OS on other higher-end phones (and is certainly nowhere near as snappy as iOS). The camera, as well, is a bit of an issue with the phone – there is significant lag with the camera app, and capturing photos is slow. Although Nextbit has stated that they are aware of, and working on the problem, it’s rather annoying when you’re used to a smooth camera experience on your iPhone.

At $400, the Robin could be classified as a good deal, but with its myriad of issues, it’s certainly not a “steal.” However, keeping in mind that the Robin is a first-generation phone, operating on the first-generation of their modified Android OS and still experimenting with the “cloud first” process, it’s an impressive phone.

With Wi-Fi and mobile data speeds constantly getting faster, the “cloud first” idea could certainly catch on in the future, but it’s questionable whether or not the Robin is ready for “primetime” at the moment. If you’re looking for something different and innovative, you may give the Robin a look, but it would probably be better recommended to wait for a second-generation model to give Nextbit a bit more time to work out the kinks. If you’re interested, the Nextbit Robin is currently available on Amazon selling for $399.

Would you trade in your iPhone for a Nextbit Robin? Or are you the type who sticks to what they know best?
Let us know in the comments below.