Nextbit Robin cloud-focused phone available for pre-order

One of the most exciting start-up smartphone projects of 2015, the Nextbit Robin, is now available to pre-order.
The Nextbit Robin is made by a team of former Google, Apple, Amazon and HTC employees, so it has some serious pedigree. That class has shone through in the smartphone’s initial showing.
For one thing the Nextbit Robin goes completely against the 2015 trend for modern flagship phone design. It’s boxy, colourful, and “unapologetically plastic,” to pinch a phrase from the Apple design-waffle handbook.
But even more interesting than how the Nextbit Robin looks is what it does. Its defining feature is clever software (running on a modified version of Android) that intelligently detects little-used apps and files and sends them to the cloud.
You get 100GB of free cloud storage as standard with every Nextbit Robin, which should combine with the 32GB of fixed storage to ensure that you never run out of space.
Otherwise, you’re looking at a capable upper-mid-range smartphone, or an ‘affordable flagship’ if you prefer. The Robin features a Full HD 5.2-inch display, a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 2,680mAh battery, and a 13-megapixel primary camera.
Related: 5 biggest Kickstarter cancellations
The Nextbit Robin sailed through its Kickstarter funding round, complete with the usual early bird offers, and is now available to pre-order as a stand-alone product through BackerKit.
The estimated shipping date for the Nextbit Robin is February 2016, and it’s currently priced at $399 (up from those $299 early-bird days).
Check out our smartphone group test video below: