The handset might be offered under major US carriers

Sep 15, 2015 07:21 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this month, we brought you news about ex-Googlers Tom Moss and Mike Chan’s new project. The duo put together a new startup called Nextbit and have already set up a Kickstarter campaign for a new smartphone dubbed Robin.

According to its founders, Robin is a cloud-first smartphone, as it “gets smarter every day and makes running out of space history.” The idea is that Robin will ship out with an integrated cloud OS, which is supposed to offer unlimited storage options.

Even if the smartphone is far from being out of its crowdfunding stage, its creators are hard at work ensuring that interested parties who might wish to pick Robin up some day will be able to do so without much complication.

In a recent update on their Kickstarter page, Nextbit has announced that it has expanded the availability of the device, which we can expect to see start shipping next year.

Robin might be sold under carriers

First, Nexbit said that it would bring Robin to Australia thanks to the help of local supporters. Then, the company set its sights on US carriers like Verizon and Sprint and it is now in the process of figuring out an arrangement with them. Nextbit says it has invested onto an alternate version of the smartphone which will be compatible with the carriers’ CDMA networks. We’re going to find out more information on this topic in the next week or so.

In case you missed our earlier story on the smartphone, we’re taking the opportunity to remind you that the Nextbit Robin sports a 5.2-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution.

Hardware-wise, the handset is equipped with a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, and 100GB of cloud storage space. The device packs a 13MP rear-facing camera with phase detection autofocus, dual-tone flash and video recording, plus a 5MP front-facing camera for selfies.

The handset is powered by a 2,680 mAh battery and features dual front-facing stereo speakers, NFC connectivity, fingerprint sensor, quick charging support (2.0 not the newer 3.0 kind) and LTE.

The first 1,000 adopters will be able to get Robin for $300 / €265, while the rest will have to take $350 / €310 out of their pockets.