“In real life, such devices are unlikely to take root” – Kommersant FM

Kommersant FM columnist Alexander Levi talks about smartphone bracelets that were presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The stands at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona are filled with models with foldable displays. Huawei, Oppo, Google and other major vendors are demonstrating not the first generations of smartphones with flexible screens, both in book type and in clamshell form factor. It would seem that all possible directions have been exhausted here.

But Samsung and Motorola independently brought the concept of a wearable smartphone to MWC 2024. Perhaps this is how we can define this category of devices – devices with flexible displays that can be twisted into bracelets, whether you want to wear them like a regular smartphone or hang them on your wrist.

True, the concepts are not twisted into a full circle, but rather into the shape of a horseshoe, the English letter U or a rainbow, whatever you like. And in both cases, the most intriguing and impressive element is the engineering. A flexible screen, especially one with a large radius of curvature, is no longer impressive. The back and sides of the body, which resemble either accordion bellows or a mechanical snake, as solutions are already known. But how did the creators manage to deal with hard circuit boards and other internal electronics? They are not allowed under the hood yet.

In real life, such devices are unlikely to take root, if at all they leave the concept stage. Motorola’s colorful Full HD display with a diagonal of almost 7 inches looks bulky even when bent on the wrist. Accidental impacts, chips and scratches cannot be avoided. Any user of wearable electronics or regular watches will confirm this. The first foldable Huawei with an outward screen, the Mate X, has already proven the fragility of this idea.

Smartphone bracelets require different software to make them convenient to use when curled. And in it, half of the display becomes unnecessary or inconvenient, which, in essence, turns the smartphone into a large smartwatch display.

Also important aspects are comfort and reliability. Will this form factor be convenient to combine with a wardrobe? How will the gadget fit securely on your wrist? Strap? And then what about the rapid transition from one state to another?

Samsung and Motorola, of course, revealed the additional potential of flexible displays, but each vendor was more likely to seek to strengthen its status as an innovative company than to give the world a real product.