It’s dangerous when a Motorola smartphone gets wrapped around your wrist.

Motorola believes people may want a phone that they can wear around their wrist. we are not sure.

The smartphone maker first introduced the adaptive display concept back in October last year, but all we saw at the time was a few press shots. This concept took another small step towards reality and we got to experience it firsthand at his MWC.

First of all, know that the only purpose of the adaptive display concept is to prove the concept. It was very clear from Motorola’s story and from seeing the actual device that this was just a “what if” experiment and we shouldn’t really expect it to hit the market any time soon.

Because of this, we don’t actually know many details about the product itself. All that matters is that it bends around your wrist. The details we know are that the display size is his 6.9 inches and the fact that the screen is his pOLED, which is plastic-based.

From the front, the device looks a little elongated, but otherwise it’s a regular smartphone. It’s only when you turn it over that you realize something is different. Instead of a hard shell, the back is made of multiple segments covered with woven material, reminiscent of gym equipment. The need for a “soft” body is because the device needs to bend inward, so it can’t be a metal or plastic unibody like a typical phone.

The device contains multiple hinges so it can be bent into different shapes. It can also be turned into a small tent, which may come in handy when you want to watch a quick video. The bottom part can be bent to stand upright. Or you can wrap it around your wrist, turning it into something like a chunky smartwatch. The problem is that you have to put on another magnetic bracelet first to keep the device in place. Otherwise, the fit will be too loose.

The Motorola representative who demonstrated the adaptive display had it wrapped around his wrist, and he was able to swing and move his arm around it without any issues. You can also use the display in “watch mode,” but from what I’ve seen so far, Motorola hasn’t bothered to create a special interface for this mode.

It’s clear that the adaptive display is too thick and rigid to actually function as a smartwatch. So, you may be wondering, what’s the point of this whole exercise? Who would want to wear a cell phone on their wrist? How much valuable internal space does the hinge assembly take up? How does the textile-covered body handle water and sweat? There are so many questions I didn’t try to answer. But that’s the good thing about the concept. You can ignore the practical aspects and just focus on making one ambitious idea a reality.

The current adaptive display is quite clunky, but I can see how a more sophisticated version might be well-received by certain demographics. For example, many people run with their smartphones attached to their armbands, but it’s not that big of a leap to imagine that you could just strap them around your wrist instead.

Motorola and its parent company Lenovo have a history of unveiling ambitious hardware concepts that sometimes turn into actual products. That’s why we want to leave no doubt about adaptive displays. Speaking of which, Lenovo announced an equally outlandish concept of its own at his MWC 2024. It’s a transparent-screen laptop that looks like a prop from a sci-fi movie. Please check it.