The very first thing you discover concerning the Nubia Alpha is its lengthy, slim, curved display screen, which wraps round your wrist once you put on it. I had a lot of curious strangers ask me about it, some who thought it was a home arrest bracelet and others who thought it appeared like a watch Batman would put on. The Nubia Alpha has a ridiculous facade, which, truthfully, is a part of its attraction.
However the bigger existential query at hand is, What’s the Nubia Alpha? You put on it in your wrist like a watch, however it’s something however a traditional watch. The watch is decked out with an even bigger show than most smartwatches and might make cellphone calls — form of. Whether or not I take into account the Nubia Alpha a watch or a smartphone actually relies on your definition of what a cellphone is.
In China, the Nubia Alpha could make calls through an eSIM, however so can some Apple Watch fashions. And I do not learn about you, however I positively do not consider these Apple Watches as telephones. Nubia fashions within the US piggyback to your cellphone through Bluetooth.
Watch this:
Nubia Alpha wearable smartphone overview
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After spending just a few weeks with what Nubia calls a “wearable smartphone,” I can say with certainty that it isn’t a cellphone — a minimum of not in the way in which we’re used to telephones. There is no Instagram, Google Maps, Uber or Lyft, not even an web browser.
Although it might be simple to dismiss the Nubia Alpha as an formidable, ineffective gadget. I truly like a number of the approaches to its design and options, even when Nubia misses on the general execution. The Nubia Alpha truly represents a brand new form-factor for wearables that might redefine what we anticipate from telephones and watches, with a bunch of fixes to get there.
With a software program enchancment and modifications made to the ergonomics of the show and digicam, the Nubia Alpha could be price each penny of its $449 value. However till then, probably the most you may get is a watch that is principally a dialog starter.
Versatile Four-inch show in your wrist
The defining characteristic of the Nubia Alpha is the Four-inch bendable OLED show. It is mounted on a metal watch band that matches cosy and safe on the wrist. Think about lining up three Apple Watch screens end-to-end in a row — yeah that is loads of show. Having a lot display screen actual property is very helpful for studying an extended string of textual content messages, which fairly actually wrap round my wrist. It is a disgrace Nubia could not work out a technique to allow you to view e-mail messages on that display screen. It is simply crying for use that approach.
The Nubia Alpha embraces one thing cellphone makers realized a number of years in the past: Folks like larger screens.
Angela Lang/CNET
One looming drawback is that there is all the time 1 / 4 of the show which you could’t see with out twisting your wrist within the Olympic type kind. If Nubia moved the show in order that extra of it was inside your wrist, you’d be capable to get the utmost use out of it, assume asymmetrical however way more ergonomic.
It is price noting that I have never had a single sturdiness concern with the Nubia Alpha’s versatile show. When Samsung despatched out overview samples of its Galaxy Fold cellphone, many reviewers had bother with the folding show.
Not a slap bracelet
I ought to dispel one fantasy concerning the Nubia. This is not a slap bracelet. Some of the spectacular points of the Nubia is a steel hyperlink bracelet with a double clasp. You’ll be able to simply add or take away hyperlinks to resize the watch to your wrist.
The Nubia Alpha is unapologetically chunky and hefty. Not like the silicone band of my Apple Watch, it felt strong and safe as I wore it day by day.
Contained in the Nubia Alpha’s girth is a battery that lasted me 48 hours and 44 minutes on a single cost.
After 48 hours and 44 minutes on a single cost, the Nubia Alpha lastly ran out of battery. Here is the Nubia with its white charging plate, which is concerning the dimension of an Apple Watch. After three minutes of charging it has 15%. https://t.co/z6wt14QKLT pic.twitter.com/qwO3Swf5XT
— Patrick Holland (@trickholland) Might 13, 2019
The Nubia Alpha is rated IP65 for mud and water resistance. It survived water splashes, dustings of blue matcha powder and an exploding can of beer throughout an Eight-hour barista shift I labored at a restaurant.
iPhone Four digicam specs, iPhone 3GS photograph high quality
There is a 5-megapixel digicam that sits on prime of your wrist. However due to the angle, I acquired the worst selfies. Generally I might stretch my arm and twist my wrist to get my complete head within the body, however this small act of contortion hardly ever yielded a great shot. Picture high quality is fairly unhealthy by in the present day’s requirements. The standard of the images is like iPhone 3GS good. So, If you’d like nice views up the nostril, the Nubia Alpha is the way in which to go.
Nobody appears good from this angle.
Patrick Holland/CNET
You can file video, however simply 10 seconds lengthy. I do not know, nevertheless, why you would not use a cellphone, the place you may get higher picture high quality and the power to file longer movies. The place’s that TikTok integration once you want it?
Just like the show, if Nubia moved the digicam to the within of the wrist, it could truly yield first rate selfies and movies. I understand transferring each the show and digicam would imply the necessity for a left-handed and right-handed model, however that might make it way more helpful.
Additionally, I want I might use one of many two bodily buttons on the watch to set off the digicam shutter. It is odd taking a photograph with the on-screen shutter button, as a result of my finger typically blocks the digicam whereas urgent it.
Software program is a sequence of unlucky occasions
It is fascinating that Nubia determined to sort out the software program on the Alpha. I actually like the corporate’s Pink Magic Mars gaming cellphone, which runs nearer to a inventory model of Android 9 Pie. However Nubia mainly began from scratch right here.
The software program on the Nubia Alpha is clunky and confounding to make use of. Making an attempt to get a tune onto it’s insanely counterintuitive. There are loads of tiny apps, from climate to health to at least one referred to as “Hello Marquee,” which helps you to sort phrases or phrases and have them scroll throughout the Nubia Alpha’s show.
“…me the world is gonna roll me, I ain’t the sharpest software within the shed.” The Hello Marquee app permits you to show phrases and phrases however limits you to 20 characters: unhealthy information for Smash Mouth followers.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Navigating the apps is straightforward sufficient, with finger scrolls and swipes similar to you’d use on a cellphone. However there’s additionally a sensor that may detect hand motions form of like these on the LG G8. It is referred to as Alpha Gestures. I can transfer my hand above the cellphone in a wiping movement both up-and-down or side-to-side to navigate app screens. It is a neat concept, however in use, it labored intermittently. Even when it was excellent, I am undecided how usually I might use Alpha Gestures. It appears simpler to only use the display screen.
There are some bugs and inconsistencies with the software program. Since notifications on the watch mirror what I get on my cellphone, a brand new e-mail alert exhibits up twice, as soon as from Gmail and as soon as as an Android notification.
There are quite a few little apps that’re simple to navigate on the Nubia’s lengthy display screen.
Angela Lang/CNET
System dialog containers do not learn “OK” and “cancel.” For instance, when the climate app could not hook up with the cellphone or through Wi-Fi, a dialog field popped up that learn, “Unable to get the placement and climate data, please verify the community.” To dismiss it I’ve to press a button labeled “I do know.” That is infuriating as a result of clearly I did not know — that is why I attempted opening the climate app within the first place. Had I recognized concerning the connection concern, I would not have tried to verify the climate.
If somebody on an iPhone messages me utilizing iMessage, I get a notification that it is a “multimedia message and must be learn on my cellphone.” You’ll be able to reply to textual content messages utilizing a ridiculously small phone keypad direct from the early 2000s, however sadly there is not any predictive textual content.
The Nubia Alpha has a bunch of health options, together with the power to trace steps, measure coronary heart charge, file exercises and even monitor sleep. However typically the numbers appeared off. For instance, it mentioned I took 32,00zero steps once I’d been seated for a lot of the day. My colleague at CNET en Español who’s testing one other Nubia Alpha someway recorded -17,00zero steps. Did he stroll backward?
On the finish of the day, I can see a lot potential for a big display screen wearable like this, particularly if it might truly be a standalone cellphone. However presently, the Nubia Alpha simply is not there but.
