It has been seven years since Lenovo revealed their tantalising prototypes of a bendable phone and tablet, and we finally got a glimpse of the former when they showcased the new Motorola bendable phone concept in Lenovo Tech World 2023. However, if you were one of the people tuning in to the event, you may know how long they tempted us before showcasing the Motorola bendable phone.
For instance, it took two hours before Lexi Valasek of the Motorola Innovation Research team took the stage with the latest version of the Motorola bendable phone. From an initial glance, the phone looks like a more completed version shown in Tech World 2016, with a flexible OLED display that can bend backwards to wrap around the wrist, cuff-style. Continue reading below for more info.
Also Read: Samsung and Xiaomi Poke Fun at Apple’s iPhone 15
Motorola Showcases First-Ever Bending Wrist Phone
As mentioned above, the Motorola bendable phone version 2023 looks more advanced than its predecessor, as we only saw a glimpse of the latter snapping with an earth-shattering noise. According to Valasek, the screen of the Motorola bendable phone can be bent and shaped into different forms depending on what you want, which she showcased by curving the phone into different poses.
Moreover, the Motorola bendable phone has a user-friendly orange fabric backing. For instance, when Valasek placed it on her wrist, she attached it to what looked like a watch but appeared to be a blank metal square held together by a watch strap. It may be magnetic and appears to function to keep the phone armband from flying off your wrist every time you move your arm.
As for the design, the Motorola bendable phone features an FHD + pOLED display. When laid flat out and stretched fully, its 6.9-inch screen is just like the standard phone with the complete Android experience. From there, you can adjust the phone to different postures. For example, when it is upright, it offers a more compact form of full Android since it is running on a 4.6-inch display. In the words of Valasek: “Since it is a bending smartphone, you can wrap it around your wrists for a similar experience to the external display on Motorola Razr+ to stay connected while on the go.”
Also Read: iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14: Which One Has the Better Value for Money?
Is the Motorola Bendable Phone the Final Product?
In short, no. While the Motorola Bendable Phone concept and demonstration seemed pleasing to the naked eye, it is more of an experiment as companies tend to go slowly and cautiously with radical new designs. For instance, Motorola is not the first to unveil a bendable or flexible concept phone, and many such phones never make it past the production stage due to their durability and price.
Furthermore, there are still lingering issues companies need to solve before flexible phones become mainstream. We listed the five most common problems with flexible phones in our headings below.
5 Most Common Problems in Flexible Phones
1) The Crease
The most prominent problem in flexible phones is the appearance of wrinkles or creases on the screen. It is a problem many companies have little success in dealing with, as you can see and practically feel the crease on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. OPPO, HONOR, and HUAWEI also gave their fair, but we are still far from a creaseless, bendable phone.
2) Subpar Dust Resistance
Another glaring problem in flexible phones is their below-par dust resistance. While Samsung offers full-blown, water-resistant, flexible phones, it still has problems with dust resistance. As the phones utilise many parts to move, the hinges and display creases still leave room for dust and other debris to get trapped within.
3) App Support
Despite Google’s and Samsung’s best efforts in implementing software app support to bendable phones, many companies still do not actually support popular large-screen foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold series. For example, Instagram and Amazon are still not optimised for the foldable screen and only offer a windowed view on the larger panel.
4) Availability
While this may seem laughable, flexible phones are actually quite limited as Samsung, Motorola, and HUAWEI are the only massive companies bringing flexible phones to global markets regularly. What about OPPO, HONOR, and HUAWEI? If you fancy a trip to China solely to purchase a flexible phone, you are more than welcome, as you can only get it there.
5) Pricing
Value for money is the principle of life. Therefore, it is unsurprising for people to still opt for the regular smartphones instead of the flexible ones. To put it into perspective, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is valued at $1,799, while the better-equipped Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra starts at $1,199. You do not need us to tell you which is better worth your money.
Silver Lining
Although there are still many challenges before flexible phones, there is always a silver lining. The time for flexible phones will come, and the Motorola bendable phone concept could be a pioneer in wearable phones. When will their time come? Probably in five years. Will it look like the Motorola bendable phone concept? Probably not.
However, if they could solve the problems we highlighted above, we could see a fully functional wearable phone in Lenovo Tech World 2030. Bookmark our Facebook, TikTok and Twitter pages for daily news and more.