This Motorola wearable hides… a foldable smartphone!

Motorola has a passion for watches with foldable displays, even if at the moment there is no commercial model. However, the Asian company has a line of clamshell foldables, with the recent addition of a Fold version.

In short, the company has some experience in the field but, for the wearable featured in the new patent uncovered by an insider, it veers almost into “science fiction”. What do you think about a smartwatch that, when needed, can transform into a real foldable smartphone?

Motorola patents an unusual hybrid between a foldable smartphone and a smartwatch

The idea is as simple as it is effective: the patent shows a hybrid wearable characterized by an expansive rollable display, which wraps all around the wrist. If you’re a veteran of Chinese tech, you might remember nubia Alpha, a futuristic smartwatch equipped with a 4″ flexible OLED display.

In reality, Motorola has been working for some time on a device similar to nubia’s, as shown by the January leak. The work continues and, based on what has emerged, it would have culminated in a product very different from a simple rollable.

The hybrid “smartwatch” described in the most recent document wraps around the wrist and closes with a magnetic latch. When needed, simply remove it and “open” it, as shown in the image, to transform it into a smartphone.

Thanks to this hybrid solution you’ll be able to have a phone with all the advantages in terms of display and apps, but with the compactness of a watch. To store it, just close it and put it back on the wrist: the final effect will be a smartwatch with a large screen and all the features and applications of a traditional smartphone.

An early look at the future or pointless science fiction?

As usual we’re dealing with a patent, and this means the Motorola hybrid might never see the light. Moreover, the technical challenges to overcome are clear: on paper it seems a nearly feasible device, but in reality we would be faced with a bulky and heavy product.

The foldable (and rollable) display and the flexible strap represent only part of the components: there are sensors, a SoC, a battery and much more. In short, Motorola is certainly weighing all possible paths but for now it seems more an exercise in style than a proof of a device with a commercial future.