Concept devices can often be “vaporware” and never make it to market, but Motorola’s flexible smartphone might just be the future of the smartphone form factor.
I checked it out at MWC 2024 in Barcelona this week, and while there are some aspects I like, there are others I definitely don’t look for in a smartphone.
While the concepts are good and bad for a variety of reasons, which I won’t get into here, they nevertheless offer a potential glimpse into what’s to come in the years to come. Motorola’s adaptive display concept is futuristic, to say the least.
This is a truly flexible phone and is commonly known in tech circles as the “flex phone”.
As with many concept devices, the company is light on details, saying only that it has a Full HD+ pOLED display and that it offers “a full Android experience, just like any smartphone.” There’s also a camera in a punch-hole notch whose specifications we don’t know.
That’s not really the point, it’s what this gym gadget can do that’s important. We’ve seen plenty of pOLED panels in foldable phones, including Motorola’s Razr series, but the concept of adaptive display veers in the other direction.
This is achieved by attaching the flexible screen to a section, which to me looks a bit like a mattress, that can fold in the middle and stay in place at almost any angle you want.
The list is long but this is the last use case for Motorola that I find mind-boggling
Chris Martin / Foundry
You can use the completely flat 6.9-inch screen like a normal smartphone, then fold the device into different modes depending on your needs, much like a 2-in-1 laptop with a 360-degree hinge.
Overall, I think this opens up some nice options. For starters, you’ll never need to buy a phone stand again, which means I can place my phone next to my laptop as a second screen whether I’m sitting at my desk or in a coffee shop.
There are several stand options, as you can place the flexible phone upright, leaning like a bridge, or angled like a wedge. And the phone is smart enough to know what mode you’re in and moves the UI to a usable section of the 4.6-inch screen.
I use my phone a lot when I’m working on another screen, so I really like this. I can also think of various other uses, including as a bedside clock, making hands-free video calls wherever you are, or watching content on a plane without having to hold the phone.
The list goes on, but this is the last use case for Motorola that I find mind-boggling.
Motorola
Since the screen can bend enough into a “U” shape, it can fit around your wrist like what can only be described as the stupidest smartwatch I’ve ever seen. It attaches to a strap you already have on your wrist with magnets to secure it, but I still think that’s insane.
Motorola says it gives you a similar experience to the Razr+’s (or Razr 40 Ultra’s in the UK) external display to “stay connected on the go”, but not only would I be afraid it falls or gets damaged, but it just seems ridiculous. and it’s a job – go figure – a smart watch will always be able to do a million times better.
This is, of course, hypothetical to some extent and it’s unclear with concepts like this whether a consumer device will actually go on sale.
However, I’d say this is one of the most likely concepts you’ll be able to get your hands on, but when is another question. There are clearly many challenges and limitations in a design like this. The flex section presumably limits space for things like a reasonably sized battery (perhaps telling that the company was only doing demos of it every 30 minutes).
On the other hand, a very early form of this device was first shown off in 2016, so perhaps we’re closer to seeing one go on sale than many think.
I’d definitely be interested in trying one if it comes out – I just won’t be wearing it on my wrist when I’m out shopping.
