Source
r/Nextbit•
aelog

Looking into the Nextbit, have questions

Hello there.

My Nexus 4 is dying on me and I need a new phone. I heard about the Nextbin Robin and since it's only 179€ on Amazon, it might be exactly what I'm looking for. My questions:

  1. If I keep the stock rom, can I disable the cloud thing? (which I dont' like)
  2. Can I root the stock rom?
  3. How good are the custom roms? Is everything working there, hardware-wise?
  4. My budget is actually 300€. Is there some other phone similar to the Robin? (what I really like in the Robin is the USB type-C and the open bootloader)

Thanks in advance :)

Posted Jan 17, 2017, 2:38 PM UTC

718
hellnukes•

One thing I can say is if you do buy it, be prepared to have strangers ask you what is the phone you're holding. Also, they will never understand the name at the first try. I say this is a good way tho, the phone is beautiful

9
h0bb1tm1ndtr1x•

Same. Every week someone asks me about my Robin and I've converted two people already. If I recall NextBit hired the same guy who revamped HTC's look. If that is the case I think he out did his previous work with the Robin. Thin, boxxy, front facing speakers, and USB-C. Everything else is window dressing in my book so long as it runs Android well. It does.

3
cezeone•

"looks like a battery brick" - every comment so far :)

1
Kristosh•

Actually it IS a battery brick!

USB-C allows charging other devices :)

Try it out, plug in a USB charging device and the Nextbit will ask if you'd like to charge that item!

3
cezeone•

holy sh*t lolz i tried it out.

2
h0bb1tm1ndtr1x•

Oh man, if only a portable battery bank could be this thin yet worthwhile. I've never heard someone say that about my phone though. Lol

2
ScoopJr•

"What phone is that?"

"Nextbit Robin"

"Nex- what? What is it?"

"A Robin"

"Whats that?"

"A phone..."

"Ahhhhh like an iphone."

"Yes..... Like an Iphone"

1
hellnukes•

Pretty much ahah

1
cezeone•

  1. yes (dont opt in)

  2. yes and unlockable boot loader too

  3. very good. i have tried all of them for a week or so my personal favorite was XOSP

  4. nexus 5x is close but you will miss out on front facing stereo speakers. extra gig of ram. battery life is hit or miss on both , tbh. i owned the nexus 5x before this phone.

i am sure others can suggest more options in your budget

6
aelogOP•

I was told the Nexus 5X will not last long, dunno. I don't really mind the battery, I'm used to the shitty battery of my Nexus 4 :p

EDIT: sorry, "last long" was meant as durability, not battery life :p

2
RoughRhinos•

Girlfriend has Robin and I have 5x. Definitely would recommend Robin. Should be better in just about every category besides camera. And there aren't any bootloops, although I haven't had it happen to me yet luckily.

5
cezeone•

rumor has it the beta nougat users are getting 3+ hours SoT. i get regular 3+ on cm13, XOSP, and Stock 6.0. i cant comment on nougat beta outside of the beta channels, sorry.

when rooted i use GSAM and Greenify. works great

3
someolddoge•

I got 5.5 hours on the nougat beta. it's a huge improvement in that front.

2
SourceWebMD•

I just switched over from a Nexus 6p yesterday (obliterated the screen and frame) and so far I'm loving the Robin. Definitely a lot of bang for your buck. Form factor is awesome but feels a little cheap because of plastic being the build material. The only thing I haven't like compared to my 6p is the speakers are not nearly as good but what can you except for $180 vs $500-$700.

Software feels just as fast as on the 6p, battery drain is a little worse but not much.

Overall loving the Robin so far. Definitely a top tier "budget" Android.

5
cezeone•

yeah totally agree. the stereo speakers on the 6p are much nicer. size however... :)

1
TacoKingBean•

  1. Yes

  2. Yes

  3. Not sure, haven't tried it. But do have the Nougat Beta (pretty stable) and I use Nova Launcher too

  4. Nexus 5x

3
bhargom•

I came from a Nexus 4. It was the best replacement for my N4 because of the value, performance, and features it offered. You will really like it

2