In February, Japanese manufacturer NuAns confirmed that it was ditching Windows 10 Mobile, and adopting Android 7.1 Nougat for the launch of its next handset. The Neo Reloaded looks very similar to its Windows-based predecessor, but there are some key differences, including a higher-resolution display, a newer processor and, of course, a diverse app ecosystem through the Google Play Store.
NuAns opened pre-orders for the Neo Reloaded a few weeks ago in its home market, but the company is now opening it up to international markets with today's launch of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, through which the handset can be ordered for as little as $355 USD.
NuAns has been down this road before. It attempted to launch its Windows-powered Neo worldwide with an Indiegogo campaign, but it failed to meet its funding target, reaching just 20% of its goal. That wasn't entirely surprising, given the continued decline in Windows phone sales around the world; US company WhartonBrooks launched an Indiegogo campaign for its new Windows 10 Mobile handset, the Cerulean Mobile, but is currently on just 2% of its funding goal after almost a month.
It remains to be seen if potential buyers will be sufficiently interested in NuAns' Android 7.1 Nougat handset to help it reach its $370,000 target, but it certainly has distinctive design on its side. Like the old Windows model, the Neo Reloaded is available with a wide range of 'Twotone' rear covers, which allows users to customize the design of their handsets with various combinations of colors and materials, including denim, leather, stone and wood.
The key specs of the NuAns Neo Reloaded include:
- 5.2-inch LCD with Full HD (1920x1080px) resolution and Dragontrail Pro glass
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB storage (plus microSD card support up to 1TB)
- 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detect autofocus and LED flash
- 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture
- Fingerprint sensor
- Bluetooth 4.1
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- USB Type- C with Quick Charge 3.0 support
- 3.5mm headphone port
- 3450mAh battery
The Neo Reloaded also offers IP54 dust- and water-protection - that's a higher water-resistance rating than the IP53 of Google's Pixel flagships, but the NuAns device still has less overall protection than handsets with an IP68 rating (such as NOMU's $250 S30 Android phone, or HP's $799 Elite x3 Windows 10 Mobile flagship).
Full details of the Neo Reloaded are available on the Indiegogo page, and you can view more images of the device in the gallery below.
Gallery: NuAns Neo Reloaded
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