Nubia Alpha is not a smartwatch, but a “wearable smartphone”

One of the biggest issues some people have with smartwatches is the fact that take on the facsimile of jewellery that’s been outsized by what information we want to get from our wrists.

Chinese manufacturer Nubia has made a showing at IFA 2018 with this “wearable smartphone” concept-turning-product dubbed Alpha — stylized as nubia-α. And it could be out as early as the fall.

3D renders whip past a metal bracelet and a tall, flexible OLED display with the top quarter not featuring much in terms of meaningful UI. There’s even a status bar at the eye-line to mark the end of usable area. Wrists turn inward easily and outward with difficulty.

There’s a widened midsection much like what a watch case would impose. There’s a camera on the right flank, a hardware button down the side and contact-based charging pins on the bottom side.

No further details on the future product, just something to look out for “soon,” unlike the 2016 concept that Lenovo spat out.