Cloud storage is now an indispensable part of our lives and we all use one service or another, be it Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive, to name a few. The idea of having your personal data safely tucked away for you to access at any time and from any device is brilliant, and it's easy to take for granted once you start using it. We've also seen devices that rely completely on cloud services, such as the Asus Chromebox and Chromebit as prime examples. But is it time for smartphones to make this transition too? Well, Nextbit certainly thinks so.
The Nextbit Robin is the first Android cloud-based smartphone that uses the cloud to manage your apps and data. The custom syncing mechanism works by moving unused app data and photos that you've clicked to the cloud automatically, depending on the amount of local storage available. Other than this unique feature, it also boasts of an eye-catching design and stereo speakers in the front for a better multimedia experience. Under the hood, we have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The phone also runs on a custom version of Android Marshmallow and allows you to 'pin' apps to prevent them from backing up to the cloud. The camera on the other hand is a bit average as it struggles with macro shots and battery life could have been better too. It's certainly a unique phone with an aggressive price but you need to ask yourself, is the cloud is the best choice right now as a substitute for local storage when microSD cards are still very much relevant?
Brand | Nextbit |
Model | Robin |
Price in India | ₹19,999 |
Release date | August 2015 |
Form factor | Touchscreen |
Dimensions (mm) | 149.00 x 72.00 x 7.00 |
Battery capacity (mAh) | 2680 |
Removable battery | No |
Colours | Mint, Midnight |
SAR value | 0.58 |
Screen size (inches) | 5.20 |
Touchscreen | Yes |
Resolution | 1080x1920 pixels |
Processor | 2GHz hexa-core |
Processor make | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 |
RAM | 3GB |
Internal storage | 32GB |
Expandable storage | No |
Rear camera | 13-megapixel |
Rear flash | Dual LED |
Front camera | 5-megapixel |
Operating system | Android 6.0.1 |
Skin | Nextbit OS |
Wi-Fi | Yes |
Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
GPS | Yes |
Bluetooth | Yes, v 4.00 |
NFC | Yes |
Infrared | No |
USB OTG | No |
Headphones | 3.5mm |
FM | No |
Number of SIMs | 1 |
Wi-Fi Direct | No |
Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) | No |
SIM Type | Regular |
GSM/CDMA | GSM |
3G | Yes |
4G/ LTE | Yes |
Supports 4G in India (Band 40) | Yes |
Compass/ Magnetometer | Yes |
Proximity sensor | Yes |
Accelerometer | Yes |
Ambient light sensor | Yes |
Gyroscope | Yes |
Barometer | No |
Temperature sensor | No |