Nextbit Robin

The Nextbit Robin was an Android smartphone manufactured by Nextbit (bought by Razer Inc.). The phone was marketed as "Cloud-first" where it utilized cloud storage to store data which wouldn't be used for a long period of time, thus saving space in the device's local storage.[2]

Nextbit Robin
ManufacturerNextbit (owned by Razer Inc.)
First released16 February 2016 (2016-02-16)
(Kickstarter)
DiscontinuedJanuary 2017
SuccessorNextbit Phoenix (unreleased) / Razer Phone (indirect)
Dimensions149 mm (5.9 in) H
72 mm (2.8 in) W
7 mm (0.28 in) D
Mass150 g (5.3 oz)
Operating system
Original: Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop" Current: Android 7.1.1 "Nougat"
System-on-chipQualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992
CPUHexa-core (dual 1.82 GHz + quad 1.44 GHz) 64-bit custom CPU
GPUAdreno 418
Memory3 GB LPDDR3 RAM
Storage32 GB internal and 100 GB cloud storage(Support Ended)
Battery2,680 mAh
Display5.2 in (130 mm) 1080p IPS LCD, 424 ppi
Rear camera13 MP with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash
Front camera5 MP
Websitenextbit.com Defunct
References[1]

The product and crowdfunding campaign was launched on Kickstarter on September 1, 2015.[3] Twelve hours after it was launched, the phone reached its funding goal of US$500,000, much earlier than the expected goal of 30 days,[4] and completed its $1 million goal within two weeks.[5]

It was launched on February 16, 2016, where 1000 units of the GSM variant was shipped to its backers on Kickstarter, and an additional 2,300 units were sold through its official website.[6]

In January 2017, Nextbit was bought by Singaporean-American videogame hardware manufacturer Razer Inc. Sales of the phone were halted almost immediately after the announcement.[7][8] On March 1, 2018, the cloud storage feature was shut down by Nextbit. 10 months after the acquisition, in November 2017, Razer released the Razer Phone, their first game-centric smartphone, with the overall design based on the Robin.[9]

Specifications

Hardware

The Robin was mostly made of polycarbonate with a matte finish and a Gorilla Glass 4 front panel.[10] The device weighs approximately 150 g (5.3 oz) and is 149 mm (5.9 in) tall, 72 mm (2.8 in) wide, and 7 mm (0.28 in) thick. The display of the device is a 5.2 in (130 mm) IPS LCD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and pixel density of 424 ppi.[1]

It is powered by a six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (MSM8992), with a 2 + 4 custom processor configuration (2x 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57 + 4x 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53) and 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM.[11]

Storage

The Robin comes with a built-in 32 GB of internal storage, but does not feature microSD card expansion. Instead, the smartphone utilized cloud storage. It had 100 GB of usable cloud storage offered by Nextbit out of the box, which is integrated within the phone's software as an additional "external" storage.[10] Shortly after being purchased by Razer, Nextbit shut down the cloud storage feature on March 1, 2018, with data accessible until April 1, 2018.[12]

When installed applications, for example, were not used by the user for a long period; the smartphone automatically detected them and archived them into the cloud to reduce internal storage usage. It also adapted to the usage patterns of the user and performed the backup process whenever applicable.[13] The smartphone also stored the user's photos in the cloud in the default resolution appropriate for upload, until the user specified the resolution.[2]

Reception

Sales

Pre-orders after the Kickstarter campaign began in October 2015, with shipping set to start in February 2016. During the preorder period, the Nextbit Robin had estimated arrival time of February.[14] The phone stopped being produced in January 2017, following the companies acquisition by Razer Inc.[8]

Known issues

The Robin had suffered performance issues upon launch, including lag and slow performance of the camera.[15] These issues were marked as resolved by Nextbit by releasing software updates in March and April.[16] However, issues persist for many users. The smartphone was also quite easy to bend with both hands due to its all plastic housing, as was tested by Zack Nelson on his YouTube channel JerryRigEverything.[17]

References
  1. "Nextbit Robin - Rating and Specs". Specout. Graphiq, Inc. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  2. Phil Nickinson (September 2015). "Nextbit's Robin looks to merge phone and cloud like never before". Android Central. Mobile Nation. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  3. Chris Velazco (1 September 2015). "Nextbit reveals Robin, a smartphone that's nestled in the cloud". Engaget. AOL Inc. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  4. Dan Thorp Lancaster (1 September 2015). "Nexbit Robin surpasses Kickstarter goal in under 12 hours". Android Central. Mobile Nations. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  5. Stephen Hall (September 2015). "Nextbit's Robin passes $1 million in funding in just 2 weeks". 9to5 Google. 9to5. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  6. David Curry (6 January 2016). "Nextbit will begin shipping the Robin smartphone next month". Digital Treads. Designtechnica Corporation. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  7. Lunden, Ingrid (2017-01-31). "Razer acquires Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone". TechCrunch.com. TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  8. "Razer buys smartphone manufacturer Nextbit, shuts down sales". Ars Technica UK. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  9. "Razer Phone officially announced: This phone is a beast!". Android Authority. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  10. Maxwell R (10 January 2016). "Nextbit Robin hands-on". Phone Arena. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  11. Sascha Segan (1 September 2015). "Hands on With the Nextbit Robin Phone". PCMag. Ziff Davis, LLC. PCMag Digital Group. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  12. Ong, Thuy (9 January 2018). "Nextbit is shutting down its Smart Storage cloud service for the Robin phone". The Verge. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  13. Dom Esposito (2 November 2015). "Hands-on: Nextbit's Robin is a cloud-first smartphone that gets smarter with use [Video]". 9to5 Google. 9to5. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  14. Statt, Nick (2015-10-21). "Nextbit's Robin smartphone is available for preorder starting at $399". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  15. Nextbit Robin review: serious performance issues (Wired UK)
  16. "What's new in March and April Updates". community.nextbit.com. Nexbit. Archived from the original on 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  17. Nextbit Robin Bend Test FAIL - Durability test (JerryRigEverything - YouTube)
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