It’s truly a great time to be in the market for a phone, with pretty much every brand offering a bunch of phones across budgets that do what most of us need. Trouble is, most phones get lost in this sea of sameness, and it takes some truly standout features to well, make a phone stand out. This week, I check out the Nextbit Robin and the LG G5, two phones with truly headline-grabbing USPs, to separate hype from reality.

LG G5: The modular phone
The LG G5 is cut from the same cloth as the premium G-series flagships that preceded it, which means a few things are a given. Class-leading hardware, right from the Snapdragon 820 chip and 4GB of RAM to the tack-sharp 5.3-inch quad-HD 1,440x2,560-pixel display, means that the device is a pleasure to use, and the only real hiccup is the 32GB of built-in storage, which can be expanded if you’re willing to forsake the dual SIM capability. The rear dual-camera setup — a standard 16MP and an 8MP wide-angle, both equipped with laser autofocus and optical image stabilisation — turns out fantastic images.

Design-wise, the phone is all metal but feels a lot bulkier than it looks, and save for the slightly curving glass at the top, looked and felt rather ordinary. Pick it up and there’s only an inconspicuous button which reveals the radical design change on the G5. Press the button and the lower section of the phone (with its replaceable battery) slides out. You can swap in a 2,800mAh second battery, which is arguably a trick as old as time itself, but what’s more interesting is the ‘Friends’ ecosystem which LG is promoting with the phone. You can swap out the base module with a Rs 6,500 Cam Plus module which has dedicated camera buttons plus an additional 1,200mAh battery which boosts the internal battery to a whopping 4,000mAh! Or the Hi-Fi Plus module which improves audio output.

The G5 then is a worthy flagship which does more to further the somewhat noble cause of innovation by introducing modularity into the design, but it really needs to do more with the concept to make it a big selling point for the device. It doesn’t score too high on “in-hand feel” but if that doesn't bother you, it comes highly recommended on its other strengths.
♦ Rating: 8/10
♦ Price: Rs 52,990
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-LGG5

Nextbit Robin: Room to grow
In terms of looks, the Nextbit sends off signals that it’s a phone that is swimming against the tide. In a world of curvy metal smartphones, the Nextbit Robin offers straight lines, boxy style and relatively sharp edges. Many found the colourful dual-tone plastic design to be almost toy-like, but it’s distinctive and quite unlike any phone around. Incidentally, US-based Nextbit may be new, but the team has pedigree, with veterans from Google’s Android team and HTC in key positions.

At first glance the Robin’s specs are nothing out of the ordinary. Powering the Robin is a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor supported by 3GB of RAM, which runs the custom Nextbit OS based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow in a sprightly fashion. Battery life and camera performance are average. There’s only 32GB of onboard storage, but this is where Robin’s smart storage comes in. Robin monitors when you’re running low on storage and automatically offloads stuff on your phone to your 100GB cloud storage the next time it’s connected to Wi-Fi. Not just photos, I’m talking backing up apps and their data on the cloud as well. It’s intelligent, in that it learns your usage behaviour and keeps often-used apps on the device, and backs up that game you played once and forgot about, leaving a greyed out icon in its place. One tap brings the app and its data back down on your phone.

All of this is done behind the scenes, and that’s where Robin falls short somewhat. Smart storage may not appeal to power users, who like to be in control of what files are backed up to the cloud, plus there are mobile/broadband data limits to contend with in India. Also, it doesn't back-up your videos or documents, which are likely the biggest storage hogs. One ends up wondering if this problem could have been better solved with a microSD card slot. In all, a brave design backed by a novel concept, but one that’s not meant for everyone. 
♦ Rating: 7/10
♦ Price: Rs 19,999
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-NextbitRobin

Wireless wonder 

A  Wi-Fi router is typically something you hide behind your desk and promptly forget about until something goes wrong. Not the AmpliFi, I can assure you. You’ll probably want it front and centre because it not only looks great with its cube shape and glowing LED base, but it also has a colour touchscreen display that constantly shows you your network speed. What’s more, it comes with two wireless extenders that you merely need to plug into an electrical socket to put an end to wireless dead spots across your house.
♦ Price: $199
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-AmpliFi

 

technocool@kanwar.net; follow me on twitter @2shar