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The Nextbit Robin will receive a huge update to Android 6.0.1 in late April, here are the changes to expect

By Luis D.

Updated: Mar 31, 2016, 9:44 AM

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The Nextbit Robin will receive a huge update to Android 6.0.1 in late April, here are the changes to expect

Nextbit Robin owners, pull your heads away from the clouds and listen because the maker of the cute cloud-first smartphone has a major announcement to make! Alas, no, it doesn't have anything to do with the device's cancelled CDMA version. Rather, those who purchased the GSM version will be treated to a substantial software update scheduled for the second half of April.

While we're talking, those busy little bees at Nextbit are actually rolling out a minor update today, containing a single bug fix. We don't have any intel on that, but to compensate, Nextbit's already published a detailed list of the changes and improvements it will be rolling out to the Robins out there soon. The major accents involve updating the phone to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, making the camera act faster, and improving the Robin's speaker and speakerphone sound quality, among other things.

The nextbit robin will become faster, louder, and join the "2% club" of smartphones that run the latest Android version.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 808-powered handset has had some 'core work' done to the thermal tuning, improving the processor's performance and efficiency. Nextbit cheekily promises "better benchmarks and better battery life", both welcome additions for any smartphone enthusiast! The update to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow also makes some old and obscure emojis easier to recognize, while also adding new ones (such as a taco, a burrito and a unicorn) to bring Android in-line with Twitter, iOS, and other popular emoji platforms. There’s even a new emoji keyboard to make them easier to find.

As for the Robin's camera speed, Nextbit says it's made it twice as fast in normal lighting conditions, and "SO MUCH FASTER" (original writing preserved) that the difference is "like night and day". The company's engineers spent a month optimizing the code and making a few UI improvements along the way, like keeping on-screen navigation. To complement the camera improvements, Nextbit made the Robin's display clearer under bright sunlight, and did more work on tuning the Robin's sound to the exact capabilities of its speakers and amps – making it sound clearer, better and a little louder than it did before.

The Nextbit Robin is a total cutie.

Once again, the $399 cloud-centric smartphone should get the update in the second half of April. If you aren't up to speed with this device, its key distinguishing feature – besides its adorable design, of course – is the way it automatically manages your apps and data between its 32GB of storage and 100GB of cloud storage.

By analyzing which data is access most frequently by users, the Robin keeps important media and apps on the internal storage, offloading the 'excess' to the cloud. On the side of hardware, the handset comes with a 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 display, a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chipset and 3GB of RAM. It's equipped with a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP selfie cam, and the house is ran by a 2680mAh battery.

The Robin is a GSM phone that's compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile's networks only in the United States. In our hands-on time with it, the Robin gave off the impression of an attractive, well-equipped smartphone with a distinct appearance and current-era specs whose storage mechanism is designed in an intelligent way. More power to Nextbit, then! Also, feel free to check out the camera speed update video the company posted on its Twitter account.

Thanks for tuning into our #RobinUpdate! Here's a comparison of the new updated camera speed. #RobinCam pic.twitter.com/zrKLR4V7W7
— Nextbit (@nextbitsys) March 30, 2016

source: Nextbit

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Luis D. has a multitude of news, features and review articles written for PhoneArena. He adeptly demystifies complex technology topics, such as the development of advanced materials for bendable device displays and the evolution of chipset manufacturing.