Ever looked at your boring slab phone and thought, “Why can’t I just slap this thing on my wrist?” No? That makes us two. But it may just be the way we interact with our smartphones in the future. Or, at least, the future Motorola envisions.
Also: OnePlus’ first-ever foldable makes Samsung and Google look outdated
Today at Lenovo Tech World ’23, Motorola took the stage to unveil its new Adaptive Display concept, a shape-shifting Android phone that can be bent to different degrees. For example, the 6.9-inch slab can be bent into a C-shape and can be worn and operated like a smartwatch.
Motorola recommends pairing this wrist-worn mode with its new AI features that create a phone wallpaper to match your outfit. We’ve seen something similar with Samsung phones and Galaxy smartwatches.
The adaptive display concept can also be bent so that the upper half curves upward for a more ergonomic viewing experience. This self-standing position presents you with a 4.6-inch display, ideal for video calls, scrolling through social feeds and other vertically-aligned tasks. Use cases are flexible.
Given that this is a concept phone, price and availability are out of the question. For now, I’m curious about how durable the phone is, how practical it is to wear something as heavy as a phone on your wrist, and how uncomfortable it will be after a long day of work. Also, is it possible to sue for this thing?
Also: Motorola unveiled the “Moto-Rola” at MWC earlier this year
There are plenty of other questions, of course, but such uncertainty leads me to believe that Motorola’s smartwatch-replacement phone will likely never see the light of day. Still, it’s a bold attempt to bring something new to a smartphone market that’s slowly but surely shifting more and more towards the foldable form factor.