Smartwatches aren’t too popular but a hybrid might be

Apr 18, 2015 11:06 GMT  ·  By

In 2014, we saw a lot of prominent device makers release smartwatch products, but the trend has died down since then.

The trouble is intelligent timepieces are expensive and still struggle to offer a strong incentive for customers to actually want and need to own one.

Most smartwatches usually have to be paired with a smartphone to be of any help, but there are some models which take advantage of 3G and can be used as a standalone device.

However, even with high-end devices such as these, which aim to replace smartphones altogether, users might find they are missing the large display of a phone especially when they are attempting to watch a video or play a game.

So smartwatches are currently viewed as premium accessories people might purchase just to impress others and not out of sheer necessity like it’s the case with smartphones.

This is a trend that smartwatch makers have probably noticed and some of them have actually returned to the drawing board to try to come up with ways of making intelligent timepieces actually relevant.

A 2-in-1 device might help smartwatch sales

A few weeks ago, we told you about an interesting Samsung patent that got unearthed recently. The Korean tech giant is the most prolific smartwatch maker to date, currently offering customers up to 5 models and working on a new iteration too.

Well, the new patent shed some light on Samsung’s future plans while wearables are concerned. It appears that the Galaxy series maker has recognized the fact that smartwatches offer way too little in terms of display size.

That’s why in the future we might see the Korean tech giant launch a product that can make the transition between a smartphone and a wearable device.

The documents describe a smartphone/bracelet hybrid that relies on a flexible OLED screen attached to a sequence of segments designed to be rotatable.

The scenario does have some sense. Are you wearing a fancy dress to a party and don’t have where to put your phone? Well, how about transforming it into a bracelet and wearing it around your wrist.

Such a gizmo might solve the most important wearable problem. Why use two separate devices when you can have just one?

So when users need to watch a video, they can use the device in phone mode, and when they go for a run and don’t want to be hindered by the weight of the phone, they can wear the handset on their wrist. Sounds convenient.

Samsung might release a flexible smartphone as soon as next year

A recent report claimed that Samsung would be ready to produce a device with a flexible display by 2016, so chances are that soon enough we’re be able to see such a product become reality.

However, there are a few concerns to be taken into account. For example, Samsung will really need to slim down the phone’s screen.

And we shouldn’t be thinking that the flexible device will be of phablet proportions. Just imagine turning a 5.7-inch device into a bracelet. It would probably look like a huge cuff on your wrist.

So what do you think of the patent? Would you be interested if Samsung really ends up releasing such a product into the wild at some point?