Nextbit, a mobile developer run by former Google, Apple, Amazon, and HTC employees, plans to unveil its first Android smartphone on September 1st. In an interview with CNET, the company said the device will be priced in the "premium tier" of smartphones between $300 and $400 and will be, in the words of chief executive Tom Moss, "friggin' awesome." In fact, Nexbit's big promise is that its smartphone won't just be good, but will improve over time as software updates augment its performance and cloud services expand its storage.

"We're focusing on a device that can adapt to you."

"Your phone will perform better over time and function at a higher level because of this software enhancement," the company told CNET. Chief technology officer Mike Chan, an early member of Android along with Moss, added: "We're focusing on a device that can adapt to you." Exactly what this means for customers isn't clear, but alterations to Android as far-reaching as Amazon's Fire OS have been ruled out according to CNET. Previous reports have suggested that Nextbit devices will include Handoff-style software that allows users to save an app in whatever state it's in and pick it up at the same point on other devices.

The company is going to have to do more than just replicate existing features to impress in an increasingly challenging market though. HTC is almost out for the count, Samsung's profits are falling, OnePlus continues to offer high-end smartphones for less, and a host of Chinese companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and ZTE are making substantial gains. Nextbit will have to do something special to stand out from the crowd, but the company is at least confident in its own uniqueness. "Phone fatigue is a real thing," Moss told CNET. "That's why we're doing something different."