Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Nubia Watch Hands-On: Are Curved Smartwatches Worth Your Time?”.
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 .