The NuAns Neo was a stylish Kickstarter phone that launched last year. While the phone was praised by many (including The Verge) for its interesting and customizable design, the original model ended up mostly as a footnote to the slow demise of Windows 10 Mobile.
But now NuAns is back with an updated version of the Neo, fittingly called the NEO Reloaded that retains the original interchangeable design but refreshes the hardware and switches the software over to the far more viable Android Nougat.
On the hardware side of things, the Neo Reloaded has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, which is decidedly midrange but should help battery life. The screen is a now a 5.2-inch 1080p panel instead of a 5-inch 720p display, and there’s an added fingerprint sensor. But like its predecessor, the standout feature is the 3,540mAh battery, which is pretty impressive for a phone of this size. The updated device is also now dust-proof and water resistant to IP54 standard, which should protect it from the occasional splash.
Design-wise, the Neo Reloaded continues to offer the same two-tone design scheme, where interchangeable backplates can be mixed and matched to attach to the “Core” unit that contains the actual phone hardware. NuAns has increased the variety of styles on offer for the two-tone covers, which now includes tennâge (wood veneer sheets), clarino (synthetic leather), ultrasuede, cork, denim, dotted ultrasuede, and stone options. Additionally, the company will also be selling a Flip cover that wraps around the phone and includes card storage.
The Core module is available to back on Indiegogo for an early-bird discount of $355, while a pair of covers or a Flip case costs $30 each. Like any crowdfunding project, using your own judgement is always valuable, but NuAns has successfully shipped the previous Neo devices from a Kickstarter campaign, which does alleviate worries somewhat.
The Neo Reloaded is expected to ship in September.