After recently suggesting that its new Robin smartphone could be sold in a version that’s friendly to Sprint and Verizon, Nextbit has confirmed that such a device is coming, but with a catch.
Nextbit CEO Tom Moss has told CNET that a version of the Robin that works with Verizon will be available through the device’s Kickstarter campaign at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET on Friday, September 18. Pricing will be set at $349, but there will be 300 Early Bird units available for $299.
Unfortunately, this Verizon model won’t work with Sprint. “We’re still figuring out whether we can make it work for Sprint,” Moss explains. Nextbit is looking into a Sprint-friendly model, but says that adding more bands for Sprint’s network complicates things a bit. It’s also worth mentioning that this Verizon-friendly Nextbit Robin is designed specifically with the big red network in mind, so it’s not optimized for use with AT&T and T-Mobile.
A Verizon-friendly Nextbit Robin is a big deal both for Nextbit and consumers. For Nextbit, it means that its new phone is available to the customers of the largest US carrier, and it’s a win for consumers because we don’t typically see devices from smaller manufacturers made available to CDMA operators like Verizon and Sprint.
Moss also says that Nextbit will launch a contest today at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET that’ll let Kickstarter backers choose the color of a Kickstarter-only version of the Robin. Backers will propose colors, Nextbit will choose 5 from that group, and then backers will be able to vote on a winner.