Samsung Bendable Smartphone & Rollable Display Speaker showcased at MWC 2024

A wave of innovations has made its way before the world at the Mobile World Congress Show 2024 currently taking place in Barcelona. Samsung is a brand that never shy away from experimenting with innovative and bold new concepts and has once again given a glimpse of something unique by showcasing a foldable smartphone and rollable screen speaker at MWC. A cell phone is a wrist-worn device that combines form and function to offer a glimpse of what the future could be. It's similar to Motorola's foldable phone concept that was also shown.

Samsung foldable smartphone

Samsung's foldable concept is called the Samsung Cling Band. It reminds us of those slap bands we played with in our childhood, as they can effortlessly wrap around the wrist, the same way those bands used to do. It's almost like a bracelet that can be worn. It has a candy bar-shaped design with a grove-like structure to support a flexible screen when folded.

When it's not around the wrist, it looks like a regular smartphone with ridges on the back. A simple movement and it transforms into backend mode which makes it easily wrapped around the wrist placing it on your arm.

The device comes with a flexible OLED display and can double as a smartwatch and a smartphone. In smartphone mode, it highlights its thin format and its screen is also frameless. There is a rear camera like any other smartphone.

Although the concept sounds very exciting, is such a device actually good? Several questions will need to be addressed before this concept is explored in more depth. Durability is one of the most important concerns, as repeated banging and bending will make the internal components prone to wear and tear. Flexible OLED may develop kinks at the bending point and the user experience will need to be optimized to avoid accidental bending and discomfort when using apps. The screen ratio will need to be adjusted according to the wrist.

Space for batteries will be limited in such a device, so installing a decent battery will be a challenge. The manufacturing cost will be high for foldable devices, limiting their reach to a specific market of wealthy consumers.

Although Samsung has not announced plans to mass produce this model in the near future, it will be interesting to see how the brand addresses these challenges if it decides to produce it for the market in the future.

ALSO READ: Test of the Itel P55+ 4G: an economical smartphone that doesn't skimp on features

ALSO READ: Quest 2 Pro could leverage webOS in exchange for Meta AI integration in other LG products

Samsung Rollable Screen Speaker

Bendable is not the only innovation presented by Samsung this year. The brand also showed off a prototype AI speaker with a roll-up screen. It combines high-quality sound with rich visuals and interacts with technology already existing in our homes.

The speaker's roll-up screen is the focal point as this screen unfolds around the speaker, making it a compact TV. The functionality of the speaker increases significantly and it also acquires aesthetic appeal. You can use this speaker as a centerpiece in your home when not in use.

Being Samsung, the screen is a premium OLED panel that brings the visuals to life. The speaker is also intelligent and adapts to the user's preferences, providing an immersive experience. The speaker comes with Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities so you can stream content from anywhere, anytime. It can also be streamed from your phone. The screen has an automatic rolling mechanism that allows it to be set to TV mode or retracted when not in use.

The prototype pushes the boundaries of audio-visual technology and provides a glimpse of the intelligence of the future. For now, it's just a prototype as a lot of work will need to go into its AI capabilities, commercial availability, and other specifications.

What does Motorola do?

Just like Samsung, Motorola also showcased its foldable phone at MWC 2024. It comes with an adaptive display that can bend into various shapes to suit the user's needs. The company says that, in wrist form, it can pay with wallpapers that match AI-powered outfits.

There is a 6.9-inch p-OLED display and it can fold the top half up, creating a 4.6-inch curved screen on the wrist. Its size will make it perfect for social media and video calls. There's also a tent mode that lets you watch videos on an even smaller screen.

The back panel of the device is covered with fabric so that it falls better on your hands. Just like Samsung, Motorola's phone is also a concept and currently there are no plans to mass produce it for the market.

You can follow Smartprix on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google News. Visit smartprix.com for the latest news, reviews and technical guides.