Motorola isn’t the first brand attempting a phone-wristwear hybrid concept. In 2016, Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo, showcased a phone called Cplus that featured a similar ribbed back and a foldable screen approach that wrapped around the wrist like a smartwatch. It was oddly tall, but unfortunately, it was a concept that never saw the light of the day as a commercially available device.
Next in line was the Nubia Alpha, a stylish retro-futuristic device that was a smartphone at heart but looked more like a wristband with a flexible display strip. It went on sale in 2019, but the poor app situation, unreliable fitness tracking, and an asking price of $449 killed the whole idea at the first generation itself.
Motorola’s press release mentions Android, which is a sliver of hope that turning the concept into reality won’t take much effort on the software optimization side. All we need is a clean, always-on display that offers the right kind of situation-aware user experience when the device is put on a wrist. Fingers crossed!
