- If you've watched my into
the fold series, you know,
I'm obsessed with folding
screens and a close cousin to
those is the curved display.
That's become a kind of a bad
word in the smartphone world.
Thanks to the edge rejection errors,
common to those designs.
But what if someone put a
curved screen on your wrist?
I first got to look at
this concept two years ago
at IFA 2018 in Berlin,
where it went by the
brand name Nubia alpha.
Yup.
That's the self same Nubia that
brought us the red magic 5g.
I covered a couple of months back,
that incredible translucent
gaming smartphone.
So tragically undermined
by undercooked software.
This will become a theme.
20 eighteens Nubia alpha
did eventually become a consumer product
and the company is now
following it up with this,
the simpler, slightly
svelter, Nubia watch.
They're crowdfunding it now
with a few models left at
press time going for one $199,
apparently a 50% discount off
the eventual retail price.
But, lest you think this is
a Kickstarter commercial,
I don't suggest you drop
four Benji's on this thing.
Honestly, even two is a stretch
and that's mainly because of the software.
To be blunt, Nubia has
just never demonstrated
that it can make an interface
that's competent enough to
live up to its hardware.
Both app and watch are riddled
with typos, translation
errors, weird iconography.
Yes, it's pre-production software,
but the red magic 5g taught
us that Nubia lets many,
if not all of those bugs
persist into production builds.
And, lest you think I'm
beating up on a tiny startup
that doesn't have the
budget for a copy editor,
Nubia traces its corporate lineage to ZTE
whose market cap of over $13 billion
indicates to me that
maybe they can do better
with a globally focused
product, such as this.
The company has told me
it's working on improving
it's attention to detail,
but when it can't even get
its Kickstarter listing posted
without rampant typos,
I can't help but wonder,
what else is falling through the cracks,
you know?
(upbeat music)
As irritating as the software is,
this hardware is just
the kind of ambitious,
envelope pushing I like to see.
It's not another Apple watch rip off
or a $30 fitness band
with all the personality
of an oversized Tylenol.
It's something entirely new.
And there are screen
modes to reflect that,
with customizable animations
and support for custom photo uploads,
when they work.
The high point of this watch
is absolutely this display.
It's sharp, it's saturated.
It's usually bright enough.
And it's also quite responsive.
For all of my complaints about the UI,
it really flies,
even on a four year old Snapdragon 2100.
This cover material is from SCHOTT,
think I'm saying that right?
The same company that provides
Samsung's ultra thin glass
for phones like the galaxy Z flip.
So I wouldn't bang it
into too many doorframes,
but the watch is rated IP 54,
for dust and splash resistance,
so you can take it running in the rain.
That's important,
given how big a focus fitness
seems to be for Nubia,
and I've found battery life
to be about what the company promises too.
Between two and three
days between charges.
I haven't fully vetted the basic features
of the Nubia watch, let
alone that health suite,
which is why this is a hands
on and not a full review
because honestly,
even though I don't think
anybody should really buy this,
it's the concept that intrigues me.
Is it a good idea
to wrap a four inch
display around your wrist?
I didn't know before I put
this on and now I'm not sure.
Your eye can still only take in
what's immediately in
front of you anyway. Right?
So the parts of it that wrap
over and under your wrist
might as well not be there.
The curves at top and bottom
also bend light into reflections,
which obscure part of the display.
And when you can see the notifications,
you're kind of forced into
this hinky hacky iconography
and text spacing,
'cause Nubia had to do
a lot of custom coding
to get apps to adapt to
this weird aspect ratio.
There's not a lot of practical
benefit here, you know?
Look, I have nothing against
form over function,
but at about 20% too big
with a cuff like industrial aesthetic,
this thing is more Berlin
nightclub after hours
than mid day Paris runway.
And it's custom watch
faces might as well be
hot off the matrix reloaded
media tour circa 2003.
But Nubia has done so
much with this concept
in a relatively short amount of time.
I'd love to see the company's take on say
something like a modern Microsoft band.
And if Nubia continues
evolving its tech at that pace,
I bet we'll see something like that sooner
rather than later.
Wouldn't it be cool to see elements
of the red magic's design creep over
to the wearable side of the house?
I think so.
And that's why I think tech
fans interested in design
and fashion and new forms,
should continue paying attention to Nubia.
I just hope the company's
software capabilities
eventually catch up with its
ambitious hardware division.
The Nubia watch is on
crowdfunding platforms now.
And if you do want to buy it,
I'll drop a link in the description.
This wrist on was produced
following five days
with the review sample provided by Nubia.
But Mr. Mobile works for you,
not the manufacturers.
Nubia did not provide
compensation for this coverage
and was not offered copy approval
or an early preview of same.
It's seeing it for the first time,
right alongside you.
Take a look at my end of
the fold series on YouTube
for more coverage of
unconventional mobile tech
and subscribe so you
don't miss some exciting
upcoming wearable reviews
coming a little sooner
than you think probably.
Until next time, thanks for watching.
And if you can't stay home,
then at least stay safe and wear a mask
while you stay mobile. My friends.
