Whenever an event like MWC comes around I have to ask, what will I really be surprised to see? After years in the industry, it seems like everything is becoming “normal”, smartphones, smartwatches, everything. However, fairs like MWC 2024 sometimes surprise us. Will this occasion be an exception?
After the last two years, I’m starting to wonder if we’ve reached peak smartwatches. How different can they be? Once you’re done you can record every possible health metric, provide support for third-party apps, launch new animated watch face designs featuring Snoopy, and even introduce artificial intelligence. If you can, what else can you do?
Even the best smartwatches are beginning to feel increasingly repetitive since their release. There are usability issues that need to be addressed, like longer battery life and more accurate heart rate sensors, but the basic design of a smartwatch has barely changed over the years. This is why I love hybrid smartwatches like the Withings ScanWatch Horizon and the Garmin Instinct crossover so much: Without new things to do, we’re dangerously close to getting bored with the same old wrist wearables.
Then I saw Motorola’s new hybrid flexible and wearable phone concept, the Motorola Adaptive Display, at MWC 2024. From the Motorola representative’s wrist was a normal-sized flexible smartphone, with camera and all, that looked like an absurd science fiction communicator. The representative approached a mannequin wearing a colorful outfit, and the built-in generator AI generated a color scheme to match the mannequin’s outfit in about 10 seconds. You have to admit it was impressive.
This is a concept phone, so Motorola hasn’t released specifications or details about the device other than the simple demonstration it did on the stand.
Although this may sound crazy, it’s actually quite smart. Fully flexible phone screens have been around for some time, but one sticking point is the battery, which needs to be a solid block. Motorola has solved this with several thin batteries placed horizontally behind the Adaptive Display, which act as anchor points for folding the rest of the phone.
As a result, the phone can be rotated, propped in a flexible position like the inverted Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, or propped in a different structural position like an arch. However, if you do want to wear it, a powerful magnet can secure the phone to the wrist strap at key anchor points. This way you can match your outfit and take calls like Buzz Lightyear with ease.
would you wear It? Who knows. Would I wear it? no way. But even though I hate the way it looks, I love Motorola’s creativity and ingenuity. The nice thing about concepts is that they allow technology designers to be creative and test the waters.
Would I wear a smaller, sleeker version of this “smart bracelet” powered by generative artificial intelligence with unlimited design possibilities? Under the right circumstances, I would definitely consider it.
Many have defended the Apple Vision Pro and its bulky frame, high price, and external battery because it is a first-generation device. We should treat concepts like this with the same courtesy: although it seems silly now, I see potential in it. It’s a creative take on wrist-worn smart devices, and while it may seem silly now, wait until you see how good the Motorola Adaptive Display 5 is…