Nubia Alpha Smartwatch Could be the Next Step in Foldable Tech

Nubia Technology started out as a subsidiary of ZTE, the Chinese multinational telecom hardware and systems company. The company became an associate company with ZTE holding just a 49.9% stake in 2017. They even hired football heartthrob Cristiano Ronaldo to do an ad for them in 2016.

However, in comparison to Apple or Samsung, they’re nowhere near the top of the foldable tech market.

A Concept Device With Familiar Specifications

Nubia first debuted an earlier version of the device at IFA 2018, but the one showcased at MWC 2019 is the one you see in the video above.

Upon first look, this thing resembles what a Rolls Royce vehicle might look like in jewelry form. What I mean by this is that it is a bit large and clunky, but overall very sleek. However, it still sits somewhere between a watch, phone, and foldable tablet.

Though the body is made of metal, the screen itself is entirely flexible. It features a 960 by 192 OLED display screen which occupies nearly half of the perimeter of the device. The other specs on the device resemble many basic smartwatches with:

8 gigabytes of storage
Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor
1 gigabyte of memory
500 milliamp-hour battery

It does feature a fully custom Android interface and includes a SIM slot to make it a functioning phone. It also features fitness features like a heart monitor. But it’s the interaction that makes it different in that you can use the touch-screen or gestures to interact with it.

Though we don’t have much information on a release and price, China will get a ~$500 USD cellular version in April. Europe will likely get a WiFi version later this year.

Is The Nubia Alpha the Future of Wearable and Foldable Tech?

Jeremy Horowitz pointed out that reviewers judged the Nubia Alpha too harshly initially. He cited how people initially responded to the debut of the iPad for comparison.

As we all know, the iPad went on to basically define tablet technology as we now know it.

In the same way that the iPad concept represented the future of tablet technology, Horowitz suggested that perhaps the Nubia Alpha is doing the same for wearable devices. Besides, Nubia Technology doesn’t have the name recognition of Apple; this concept could put them on the map, so to speak.

This concept could pave the way for other wearable tech innovations and designs. I’ll admit, however, that despite the impressive specs, it would be nice for a flexible smartwatch not to look like the watch equivalent of an ankle monitor.