Concept devices are always intriguing because they showcase the boundless possibilities and extremes of technology and engineering. They push the boundaries of what we think is possible, from visible camera lenses that disappear (like the OnePlus Concept One) to phones with displays that wrap around or transform into different form factors (like the Mi Mix Fold). Just when we thought we’d seen it all, Motorola surprised us with a wrist phone concept at the MWC 2024 show floor, a device that wraps around your hand and becomes wearable.
Motorola first introduced this technology in 2023, calling it an “Adaptive display concept.” The phone doesn’t have a traditional hinge; instead, it features a spine that allows it to fold backward at acute and deeper angles, making the transformation into a wearable device possible.
You might wonder, “How does it stay attached to your hand?” In the GIF below, you can see the staff wearing a strap on their hand. This strap has two magnets, one at the top and the other at the bottom. When the phone is folded, the bottom part attaches to the top magnet, and the other side attaches to the bottom magnet, securely holding the phone in place.
The Motorola staff demonstrated repeatedly pressing the phone onto the magnets to adjust its position on the wrist.
You might be thinking, “Folding a device with a large battery sounds risky for explosions,” but that’s not the case here. The phone actually contains multiple interconnected batteries. While we don’t know the exact number, this design ensures the phone can fold without the risk of exploding.
The design is striking, though it appears quite large on the wrist. Lenovo could have opted for a slimmer width, but accommodating a larger battery likely required the current size.
Regarding the user interface, it doesn’t seem to have a dedicated UI or a watch mode. Instead, the phone instructs Android to adapt to the smaller form factor, shifting UI elements to the lower half when folded.
One of the major advantages of having a large screen on your wrist is personalization. Motorola has introduced a feature where you can take a picture of yourself using the phone to create a personalized theme. The device analyzes the colors and patterns of your outfit, creates four matching themes, and allows you to select one as your theme. This feature adds a unique and personal touch to the device.
However, based on our observation, some of the colors and patterns chosen in specific scenarios were not always accurate. This feature is something I’ve wanted modern WearOS smartwatches to have, but they don’t have a camera, so it’s not possible. It would be great if they could use our phone’s cameras to create custom themes instead. That would be pretty cool.
Moreover, there’s also a tent mode and a cobra pose mode (?). The UI adapts to both form factors, allowing you to play games or take meetings in these modes.
Motorola stresses that the wearable wrist phone is still a concept and is unlikely to be released anytime soon. While concepts are often intriguing, I must admit that this concept from Motorola seems far from practical. However, if we ever manage to defy physics and create a slimmer version with the same width, I might be tempted to give it a try.
What do you think of Motorola’s wrist phone concept? Should Lenovo consider bringing it to market? If not, what improvements could they make? Let us know in the comments below.
0 Comments