Motorola's smartwatch concept isn't actually a smartwatch, it's an "unfoldable" phone you can wear
Motorola's latest patent turns a smartwatch into a handheld screen when you need more space
Quick Summary
Motorola has patented a wearable with a flexible display that wraps around your wrist like a smartwatch, then pivots and unfolds into a wider handheld screen.
There's even a third configuration that turns part of the display into a stand, although there's no guarantee Motorola will ever turn the concept into a real product.
Motorola's latest patent, officially titled "Pivoting wearable reconfigurable screen", takes a new approach to the idea of combining a phone and smartwatch.
Instead of shrinking a phone down until it can be worn on your wrist, it starts with a watch and gives it a way to become something much bigger.
The key to the concept is the strap, which contains a flexible display across most of its outer surface. Wrapped around the wrist, it functions like a conventional smartwatch, giving you a compact screen for notifications and other wearable features.
Take it off your wrist and the strap can pivot at a central point, unfolding into a short, wide rectangular display. That gives you a much more useful screen for things such as viewing photos, browsing maps or watching video without having to pull out your phone.
The patent also describes a third position where the bottom section folds into an L shape. That lets the device stand upright on a desk, effectively turning the wearable into a tiny standalone display.
It's a clever solution to one of the biggest problems with wrist-worn phones: a screen that's large enough to be useful on a phone isn't particularly comfortable when it's wrapped around your wrist.
The concept isn't the first attempt to put a phone-sized screen on your wrist. Nubia's Alpha launched in 2019 with a 4.01-inch flexible OLED display that curved around the wrist, allowing it to make calls, take photos and run apps.
Motorola's approach is different because the screen doesn't have to stay wrapped around your arm. The patent effectively turns the watch into a handheld device when you need it, then back into a wearable when you're finished.
That could make the idea more practical, but there are still some big hurdles. A flexible screen would need to survive constant bending and unfolding, while the battery and electronics would have to fit into something small enough to wear comfortably.
Motorola would also need software that can instantly adapt the interface as the device changes shape. None of that is impossible, but it's a long way from a patent drawing to something you'd actually want to wear every day.
Motorola hasn't said it's making the device, so don't expect to see this "unfoldable" smartwatch in stores anytime soon.
