Today’s phones and laptops are undoubtedly more powerful and capable than they’ve ever been, but they’re also quite… boring. Apart from minor tweaks here and there — smaller bezels one year, bigger camera bumps the next — each product release cycle has become somewhat predictable.
Which is why companies are scrambling to find that latest, jaw-dropping tech innovation that captures our collective attention and intrigue, using tech shows like Mobile World Congress as a platform to tout what they see as the future of our favorite gadgets. Ever wanted a phone that bends around your wrist? Or a see-through laptop? No? Well, brands like Samsung, Motorola and Lenovo want you to think again.
See also: MWC 2024: Top Exhibits, Product Launches, and Trends
Several exhibits at this year’s show demonstrate future display concepts, like the Samsung Cling Band, a combination phone-smartwatch-fitness tracker that curves around your wrist, like some mega-futuristic slap bracelet. Why, exactly, would you want this? Well, smartwatches have gotten smarter in recent years, but oftentimes you’re still limited by a miniscule display. (I mean, have you tried typing on a smartwatch?) Imagine the entire device being a touchscreen, where you can scroll through photos, browse Instagram and compose a message without losing your patience.
Samsung’s Cling Band is still very much a rough concept, according to CNET’s Katie Collins, who demoed it at MWC and struggled to do more than some basic scrolling without the screen acting up.
For a more developed ideation, there’s Motorola’s “adaptive display concept,” which was first teased last year but was available at the trade show for CNET’s Andrew Lanxon to get his wrists on.
Motorola’s device looks and works like any other Android phone when it’s flat. But when you’re ready to pack it up, just bend the device around your wrist and it’ll stay in…
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