[MUSIC]
I don't blame you for being skeptical of Like the Nubia Alpha.
We've seen concepts of wearable phones before, but they mostly remain to be behind glass as prototype devices.
But Nubia, an associate company of ZTE, came to MWC 2019 at Barcelona with an actual wearable phone I could try on.
But more than that, Nubia says that the Alpha will actually go on sale.
It didn't tell us when or give us a price, but that's a start at least.
I, too, was skeptical when I first saw the Alpha.
but you know what?
I thought it was fun and kind of cool.
Of course, whether anyone wants something like this is another question.
But we can answer that later.
Because like the foldable phones that have rightly overtaken MWC this year, the Alpha is something new, at the very least.
[MUSIC]
Is it a phone watch, or watch phone?
Either, I guess.
I think it's mostly a smart watch with a phone attached.
But the answer would really depend on how you plan to use it.
It comes in black or bright gold.
This is not a watch for people who like minimalist design.
And it uses a clasp to close.
I couldn't fully wear it because it was attached to a security cable.
But I usually break metal bands on watches anyway.
Nubia says it's water resistant, the company didn't give specifics on how durable it is, but it didn't feel cheap.
The Nubia comes in two variants, Bluetooth and eSIM, with support for 4G networks.
[UNKNOWN] to make calls given a Bluetooth headset, I didn't try that.
There's not room for a full keyboard, so you have to use an alphabetic keyboard straight out of 2005.
Yeah, I never used to to send a message.
But the phone handles voice commands, but I didn't try them.
[MUSIC]
You can interact with the flexible 4.01 inch OLED display in a couple of ways.
I mostly swiped up and down and back and forth to the various menus using my finger.
Then I selected icons with a tap.
[MUSIC]
The screen was responsive and easy to use.
To go back, just press the crown.
The [UNKNOWN] has gesture recognition as well.
I can move through menus by waving my hand in front of the camera lens.
It worked well enough, but wasn't totally smooth.
But even if it was perfect, I suppose I'd use my finger if I owned the [UNKNOWN].
You'd look a bit silly standing in the street waving your hand over your.
On your wrist.
The Alpha has plenty of features including a 5MP camera, a music player, WiFi, maps and navigation, sleep tracking, fitness and help assistance apps, 16GB of RAM and mobile payment support.
The camera also records video and is powered by a Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor from Qualcomm.
Nubia didn't say how long the battery would last.
So no, the Alpha won't be for everyone and if you're still sceptical, I still don't blame you.
But from what I saw, the Alpha's a nice start to something new, with every other phone looking like a black rectangle I can be intrigued for now.
[MUSIC]
