Get ready to revolutionize your fitness routine with the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro! Track your workouts, monitor your health, and look stylish while doing it.
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An exceptional smartwatch can really transform your everyday life. Since we can honestly use them for everything – sometimes for everything except telling the time! They go beyond simply telling the time, these multifunctional timepieces can now keep a check on our health, update us on the weather, function as an alarm clock, give reminders, cater to the blind, and even function as a case for your AirPods?! Designers are coming up with smartwatches that not only provide perfect form and functionality but also manage to look super smart when we wear them. The options are endless, so to help you pick a smartwatch that works best for you, we’ve curated a collection of innovative and cutting-edge smartwatches that will cater to everyone’s unique time-telling needs and requirements, and also totally deserve to be on your wrists.
It looks like a watch from afar. Come close, however, and it looks like a gaming PC. What is it? Well, it’s both! The MSI Gaming Watch is a concept that pays homage to the detailed innards of most advanced gaming rigs. They say watches have complicated internals, which is why the transposition is perfect! Instead of a tourbillon and movement, you’ve got fans, graphics cards, and a motherboard, all scaled down to a size small enough to fit into a chunky wristwatch. Look closely at the fans and you’ll see tiny hands telling the time too. After all, the MSI Gaming Watch isn’t all show and no tell. However, it is a LOT of show! Just look at it! I dare you to look away!
You’re likely to have one of two reactions to the MSI Gaming Watch – either you think it’s functionally useless, if you’re looking for an active timepiece… or you think it’s the most awesome thing you could wear on your wrist since those nixie tube watches we saw a few years ago. If you’re a gaming nerd or a PC builder, chances are you’re a part of the latter school of thought.
Named the R1, a walk-talkie-esque device was designed by Rabbit in collaboration with Teenage Engineering, and displayed at CES 2024. It is an AI-assisted smartphone alternative amped with a screen, camera, and scroll wheel. And, designer Alisher Ashimov has transformed it into a compact AI watch.
The Rabbit R1 AI Watch is designed to eliminate the need to carry an extra device in your pocket. It functions as a wearable with enhanced portability, allowing you to carry it around without compromising on the uniqueness and utility of the original design.
Dubbed the Wrist(1), this innovative smartwatch reminds you of the high-end skeletal watches or the niche transparent watches that have their insides all exposed, where you can quite literally watch the watch movement. The Wrist(1) has a crystal-clear transparent case that reveals its internal component.
The transparent case exposes the raw beauty of the accurate engineering, making it a unique and interesting-looking watch. The smartwatch also has health and fitness-centric features like a heart rate monitor and step counter. The LED and photodiodes work together with AI algorithms to provide accurate measurements.
Dubbed the JUSTWACH, this stunning smartwatch is a smooth amalgamation of the old and new. It is designed for individuals who prefer a futuristic smartwatch integrated with style and functionality. It is marked by clean lines, and a sleek profile, creating a smartwatch defined by classic beauty.
The smartwatch is inspired by the icons of the past, and it has a delicate and subtle vintage vibe combined with modern functionality. It lets you take a trip down memory lane, where modern utility meets with the analog dial amped with a monochrome display.
Polar’s latest Vantage V3 smartwatch is a much classier successor to its 2020 Vantage V2. The new smartwatch is designed for athletes and is equipped with exciting features like the Polar Elixir biosensing tech and a bigger aluminum bezel that provides support for 22mm wristbands.
The Polar Elixir biosensing suite has an improved OHR tracking sensor, wrist-ECG, skin temperature sensor to track body temperature, and an oxygen saturation monitor as well. These various elements deliver accurate biometric readings, offering you updated information about your body.
Called the VOIXATCH, this is the first smartwatch ever to have its own built-in Bluetooth headset. The VOIXATCH is creating a world where watches and earphones exist in a close-knit ecosystem, with one single product carrying out all the functions your phone usually would, without you needing to even pull your smartphone out!
The smartwatch features LTE and GPS, alongside its own SIM card slot, Google voice assistant, a battery life of 48 hours, a heartbeat sensor, and a gyroscope. Within the VOIXATCH’s bezel is a detachable ring that can transform into a Bluetooth headset.
Meet M O S KI T O – a Swiss analog smartwatch and bike speedometer! It combines precision chronograph and smart bike computer into one sleek and aesthetic design. It is the ultimate design piece for gadget lovers! It merges a classic design, long battery life, and smart notifications.
With the M O S KI T O, you’ll never miss another important call, message, or e-mail. It informs you immediately if you have an important notification incoming – all you need to do is take one glance at the dial! It has a charging function which means you’ll never have to change its batteries.
Dubbed the Nubia, this smartwatch has an impressive 4-inch display that smoothly wraps around the upper section of your wrist. It is supposed to have a pretty large display in comparison to other smartwatches. It is designed to present information in a way that is easy to see and access, irrespective of the angle.
Nubia has a visually appealing vertical display, and it is long enough to ensure you don’t need to scroll away on a little screen. It features a real-time heart-rate tracker, 4 fitness tracking modes, a find your phone feature, and the ability to accept and reject calls.
Meet the TIME OFF! watch – a smartwatch that is designed to mute those pesky smartphone notifications. The TIME OFF! has a companion app like most smartwatches, and you can control the settings through it. Using the app you can pick which apps to mute during your “time off” or resting mode.
After you’re done saving those settings, you can simply silence notifications from those apps by pressing the red button on your TIME OFF! watch, you don’t even need to pick up or use your phone. It has a simple minimalist design with a solid-colored band and a face with a small LED sliver.
Meet the world’s first self-charing smartwatch! Called the SuperCharger2, this innovative smartwatch stores and tracks all your activities automatically, keeping them ready to sync anytime you want. It features various interesting elements such as Personal Health Coach, Step Counting, and Sport Tracking!
The SuperCharger has its own automatic self-charing mechanism, which provides it with complete autonomy. Besides charging itself, it also records your heart rate, workout, sleep, and Blood Oxygen Levels.
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Step up your style game with KAVVO's HOP Smartwatch! Super-Glow tech, 110+ sports modes, and sleek design. Stay connected in fashion for just $99.
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There was a time when smartwatches were seen as geeky trinkets that had no place on ordinary people’s wrists. It took the success of the Apple Watch and the collaboration of fashion brands to bring this piece of wearable technology to the masses. But while smartwatches have finally found their legs, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has been a profitable business either. It seems that those brands that have made smartwatches literally fashionable are starting to reconsider their strategies, especially with only a few successful products that are unsurprisingly still dominated by consumer electronics companies. Fossil has apparently decided to just pull the plug and call it quits on the smartwatch market, preferring to focus its resources on the designer products that actually bring in the money.
Designer: Fossil (via The Verge)
When smartwatches first came to the market, it was smartphone manufacturers that took the lead. Compared to the selection we have today, it’s not surprising why most people shied away from having them on their wrists. They were large, clunky, and visually unappealing. And they required charging almost every night.
While the Apple Watch would always be an exception, it took negotiations with brands like Fossil, TAG Heuer, Mont Blanc, and Michael Kors, just to name a few, to really bring smartwatch designs to the same level as traditional timepieces, at least on the outside. To some extent, there was a successful push to turn these pieces of wearable technology into true fashion accessories and, given some of the prices, luxury items. Now smartwatches are more or less more common, but that doesn’t mean the market for the more fashionable smartwatches is actually growing. In fact, you could almost say that the top smartwatch vendors are Apple, Samsung, and Google on the higher end, and Xiaomi, Mobvoi, and smaller manufacturers on the opposite end.
Confirming rumors that were already going around the Internet, Fossil announced that it was exiting the smartwatch business. It was a “strategic decision” and would focus on the “core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth,” namely traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods. Reading between the lines, it means that its line of smartwatches isn’t providing that kind of growth and it doesn’t foresee that changing in the future.
This makes the Fossil Gen 6 that was launched in 2021 the last smartwatch the marque will ever make. Fossil does promise to continue supporting its existing smartwatches for the next few years, though it probably really means only one or two years moving forward. Fossil is the first brand to make this big announcement, but it probably won’t be the last as the designer smartwatch market continues to stagnate or even shrink, leaving smartphone manufacturers to take the helm once more.
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While there seems to be a rising interest in smart rings as condensed fitness monitors, smartwatches are hardly done growing. Smart rings, at least in their current incarnation, promise a discreet way to keep track of your body’s state, but smartwatches have more room for more advanced sensors and features that you can never fit inside a ring. Some of those features might even make the difference between life and death, as proven time and again by Apple Watch anecdotes. Samsung, however, is setting its sights on a more ambitious goal that’s considered to be one of the Holy Grails of home healthcare. In the near future, its Galaxy Watch line could tell the wearer if their blood sugar is dangerously low or high, all without having to prick their skin and draw blood.
Designer: Samsung (via Bloomberg)
Next to heart-related disorders, diabetes is considered to be one of the most serious diseases plaguing people today. In fact, it’s also labeled as a “silent killer” because of how too late a diagnosis often comes. Monitoring one’s glucose or blood sugar levels, after all, is a literally painful procedure that most people would avoid, including diabetics themselves. There is a great and urgent demand for non-invasive glucose monitoring solutions, and Samsung is apparently already eyeing that achievement.
According to the company’s digital health chief, Hon Pak, Samsung is really pushing hard to make this innovation available in a future version of its Galaxy Watch wearables, like the Galaxy Watch 6 pictured in this piece. A non-invasive blood sugar monitor, together with continuous blood pressure monitoring, would definitely put Samsung at the head of the race. Of course, it’s easier said than done, and even the exec can only hope that the technology and the product will be available within the next five years.
It can’t take its sweet time either, because in addition to medical equipment manufacturers trying to cash in on this potentially lucrative future market, Samsung is also racing against Apple. The Cupertino-based company whose Apple Watch has become synonymous with life-saving wearables, has long been reported to be working on a solution as well. Such a smartwatch with a non-invasive glucose monitor will surely be a reality, but whoever gets there first will be able to claim a large share of the market.
Then again, diabetics and healthcare workers probably care less about who launches a design first, as long as a reliable product does indeed arrive. There are already a few non-invasive monitors that indirectly compute glucose levels from other biometrics, but their accuracy is often still in question. A smartwatch might not even be as accurate as those, but anything that will give wearers the faintest clue is still significantly better than not knowing at all until it’s far too late to make a difference.
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There’s a retro design craze that’s gripping multiple industries, from fashion to music to gaming. The latter is probably one of the most prolific sectors, spewing out new designs based on old models every year or sometimes more than once a year. Regardless of the origin, almost all these retro gaming devices have the same goal of allowing people today to experience the games of the past the way they were meant to be played, at least to some extent. Some, however, do try to just mimic the looks while offering a bit more freedom in what you can do with the device, like this rather unusual Game Boy SP look-alike that’s meant to ride on your wrist and act as a smartwatch when you’re not playing games on it.
Designer: Jason Rogers
There’s no shortage of small gaming handhelds, some of which can even be attached to a key ring. They’re not great at comfort or ergonomics, but these novelty items capture a lot of attention and even let you play a few retro games on the fly. You do have to take them out or pull them off your key ring before you can use them, though, which translates to seconds or minutes of lost opportunities.
The Retro Gaming Watch loses no time, no pun intended, by having that gaming handheld always at hand, or in this case, on your wrist. In its inactive, unused form, it masquerades as a regular though thick smartwatch, with a standard squarish display and typical features such as a digital watch face and notifications. It doesn’t have activity tracking, though, because that would require cramming more hardware in an already cramped space, space that would rather be used for running games instead.
The watch changes its tune the moment you detach it from its strap, unfolding to reveal a clamshell-style gaming device not unlike the Nintendo Game Boy SP. Given the existence of gaming devices smaller than this, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Retro Gaming Watch can handle a few emulated games, at least the 8 to 16-bit titles that can fit in the device’s small memory. Where you get your emulated content, of course, is up to the reader’s ingenuity.
The Retro Gaming Watch is supposed to be a sort of counter-movement to the “Great Conformity” that is happening in a world filled with Apple Watches and its clones. It recalls a time when watches looked fun and could even be used as toys, at least for a younger crowd who wouldn’t be embarrassed wearing bulky and sometimes gaudy designs for everyone to see. Again, it’s not going to offer the best gaming experience, presuming it even becomes an actual product, but it has that novel character and rebellious spirit that’s going to tickle the fancy of many gamers, even if they’re just gonna wear it for show.
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Discover G-SHOCK's latest masterpiece, the GWGB1000 MUDMASTER. With its fusion of style and ruggedness, it's your ultimate adventure companion.
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Xiaomi’s independent brand, Redmi, has recently unveiled its latest smart watch, the Redmi Watch 3 Lite. This feature-packed wearable device offers a wide range of functionalities designed to keep you connected and in control of your health. With the power of Actions Technology’s ATS3085L smart watch SoC, the Redmi Watch 3 Lite takes smart wearables to new heights. Let’s explore the remarkable features of this cutting-edge smart watch. Stay Connected and In Control of Your Health The Redmi Watch 3 Lite is the perfect companion for individuals seeking a smart watch that keeps them connected and prioritizes their health. Boasting…
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Global tech giant Huawei has been in the wearable market for many years, but recently they are rapidly expanding their smartwatch portfolio. Last month, Huawei globally launched unique smartwatches, including the 2-in-1 smartwatch and earbuds HUAWEI WATCH Buds. Then, there is HUAWEI WATCH GT Cyber with a removable dial that can be popped into different case options. Their latest smartwatch, HUAWEI WATCH Ultimate, is made for outdoor adventure enthusiasts, whether exploring deep in the ocean or high up in the mountains. Huawei aims to redefine the flagship smartwatch with what they claim is the ultimate design and technology innovation.
Designer: Huawei
Featuring a 1.5-inch LTOP AMOLED display with 466 x 466 resolution, WATCH Ultra’s display is the largest for a smartwatch with a round display on the market today. First time for a smartwatch, Huawei utilized durable and luxury materials like zirconium-based liquid metal for its case. 2.35mm sapphire glass sits atop the dial, accompanied by a nano-tech ceramic bezel. All these make the Huawei WATCH Ultra able to withstand extreme conditions; an ideal companion for any escapade.
Huawei WATCH Ultimate comes in two editions. The ocean-inspired Voyage Blue comes with a deep blue nano-tech bezel and a titanium strap, while the Expedition Black features a jet-black body and HNBR (Hydrogenated Nitrile Rubber) strap. An extra-long HNBR strap scuba for diving is also included in both Voyage Blue and Expedition Black.
WATCH Ultimate borrowed three button design style from traditional high-end watches for increased convenience. In addition to a familiar rotating crown button and function button you find on the left side of the Huawei WATCH GT3 Pro, the Huawei WATCH Ultimate boasts an Ultimate mode button on the right upper side of the watch. Pressing the ultimate mode button gives you quick access to advanced features such as diving mode and expedition mode.
With impressive 10ATM water-resistant capability, you can dive up to 100 meters (330 feet) deep with the watch. The watch is certified with ISO 22810 and EN13319 diving equipment tests and can endure 24 hours of 110-meter depth submersion. Equipped with four different diving modes (recreational scuba dive, technical scuba dive, free-dive, and gauge), WATCH Ultimate monitors diving data like depth, diving time, partial pressure of oxygen (PO2), No-Decompression Limit (NDL), CNS oxygen toxicity (CNS%), and ascent rate. It can also record diving depth, temperature, and ascent curves. Audible and vibration alerts for decompression limit, ascent rate, and safety stops can help you enjoy diving in a safer way. For free divers, Huawei added a proprietary hover time function.
Utilizing Dual-Frequency Five-System GNSS positioning to offer more accurate positioning, the Huawei WATCH Ultra’s new expedition mode lets you mark your points while you are exploring the wilderness. Once you are done exploring, the watch can assist you back to the previously marked position or starting position by guiding you through the marked points in reverse order. With 1,000 nits peak brightness and a new dark light mode interface, WATCH Ultimate can be a great expedition companion on your wrist day and night. And for outdoor adventure that spans over days, it can last for 14 days off a single charge, and the watch can be fully charged wirelessly within 60 minutes.
Of course, the Huawei WATCH Ultimate is packed with familiar features, such as over 100 workout modes, health monitors, Bluetooth calls, music playback, and quick replies. Huawei WATCH Ultimate users can enjoy third-party integration, including Strava, Kamoot, and Runtastic. Sadly, Golf Mode is only available for the Chinese market, and no LTE option will be offered at the time of launch. Huawei has not announced the pricing for the WATCH Ultimate, but we expect it to be as premium as its looks.
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Mobile devices have long been a part of our modern lives, from the smartphones that are always in our hands to the smartwatches on our wrists to even the laptops that have become our reliable mobile work partners. Despite almost two decades since the iPhone paved the way for modern smartphones, these devices have mostly been seen as geeky products that are more obsessed with specs and features rather than the humans using them. Trends, however, have started to change, and the players in this industry have started paying closer attention to the value of design, almost to the point of making it the next buzzword. MWC 2023 is unsurprisingly filled with the latest mobile innovations and thought experiments, but it is also showcasing the growing design awareness among brands. This year, we’ve taken a tour of what’s up for show in Barcelona to bring you Yanko Design’s top picks for the Best Product Designs at MWC 2023.
We easily take our physical capabilities for granted until we suddenly see ourselves deprived of some of them. Some people, however, are not so lucky and might be born with some disability or encounter a tragic accident sometime in their lives. With today’s technologies, they shouldn’t have to be forever confined to a wheelchair or worse, and thankfully there are now many companies utilizing modern tools and techniques to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Designer: ABLE Human Motion
ABLE Human Motion, for example, is dedicated to helping people with walking disabilities enjoy life to the fullest. We’ve seen exoskeletons designed to give well-bodied people more strength to lift or move stuff, but ABLE Human Motion’s exoskeletons are instead made to give people back what they might have lost. Best of all, you won’t feel embarrassed wearing something sleek and well-designed, especially if it makes you look like some armored superhero in the process.
It might still baffle people as much as awe them, but foldables are slowly but surely becoming more common in the market. Samsung still remains the most familiar brand in that niche market but was never the only one. Due to some rather colorful circumstances, however, Huawei’s foldable phones barely made it outside of China. Fortunately, its former subsidiary is helping bring its legacy to the global market, and it’s posing a challenge to Samsung’s dominance.
Designer: Honor
The Honor Magic Vs, an updated version of the brand’s first foldable, carries a mix of specs and features that definitely stir things up a bit. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold, there is no gap when the phone is folded shut, a trait that is becoming more common among non-Samsung foldables. Its external display is interestingly curved at one edge only, making it visually distinct from other horizontal foldables. It isn’t perfect, of course, but another player in the market creates variety and good competition that will only help foldables grow.
Meta seems to be playing with fire when it comes to its metaverse vision and even its Quest line of VR hardware. It might have the luxury of playing around, but HTC is all-in on the extended reality or XR industry, whatever buzzword you might call it. On the heels of the Meta Quest Pro, HTC unveiled its own standalone Vive XR Elite headset, offering a design that seems to take us closer to that ideal minimalist eyewear painted by science fiction and Hollywood.
Designer: HTC Vive
As the product’s name suggests, the HTC Vive XR Elite takes the headset beyond just virtual reality, sprinkling a bit of augmented reality into the mix. Its more impressive feat, however, is being able to cram even better hardware inside a more compact design that makes you feel like you’re wearing large glasses rather than ski goggles. It’s still far ways off from sleek Tony Stark shades, but it represents a significant step forward in a market that has seemingly stagnated of late.
The popularity of wireless earbuds only confirmed what we had known all along, that most humans have become terrible at remembering even the simplest things. Now people are likely to lose one of two buds, forget the charging case at home, or forget to charge the buds before going out. These accessories aren’t smart enough yet to remind you of all those things, so one stopgap measure it make sure they’re always with you all the time, always charged, and ready to go when you need them.[/caption]
Designer: Huawei
The new Nokia 5710 XpressAudio solves that by turning the phone into the buds’ charging case, but obviously, that can’t happen with our very thin smartphones. Huawei’s solution is to put the buds inside a smartwatch instead, creating a locket-like cover that reveals teeny earbuds charging inside. Sure, the design makes plenty of compromises, and it looks almost comical to a certain degree. It’s hard to deny, however, that the novelty certainly has appeal, especially if you’re the type to fancy yourself as a secret agent with spy tools hidden inside their timepiece.
Although many decry how smartwatches present fake luxury, there are definitely benefits in having the ability to change a watch face to fit your style or even your changing mood. That’s only true for the display, though, since you’re practically stuck with whatever watch body you purchased. At most, you can swap out straps for other colors or materials, but the chassis for the watch itself remains unchanged.
Designer: Huawei
The Huawei Watch GT Cyber tries to change the status quo by letting you swap out cases as well. Granted, the available cases all look more like stylish tanks, but the idea itself is probably something worth exploring. It does require a healthy ecosystem of case makers to meet the varied tastes of consumers; otherwise, it remains a design experiment with no future in sight.
Unless you’re going for a gaming heavyweight, chances are you’d want a laptop that’s sleek and stylish, almost like a luxury item you’d want everyone to drool over while you work in public. Plenty of laptops do fit that bill with their brushed metal or shiny covers, but nothing grabs the attention better than something that’s not common fare as far as laptops go. That “wow” factor is definitely what the new ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 is going for, particularly with its brown, fabric-like cover that’s sure to turn eyes and heads around you.
Designer: Lenovo
This material, however, isn’t just eye-catching. Made from 100% agricultural product harvested from Flax plant fibers, this woven Flax material increases the new laptop’s sustainability prospect while also making it stand out with its unique elegance. This material is bonded to the top cover, which itself is made from 75% recycled aluminum. Thankfully, the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 isn’t just a pretty face, either, and it possesses the best that Lenovo has to offer for businesses and consumers alike.
Motorola is one of the oldest names in the mobile phone market, predating even the smartphones that now rule the land, but now it is also under the ownership of yet another giant that has the lion’s share of the PC market. Given its history and pedigree, it was really only a matter of time before these two worlds collided in a very particular way, so the arrival of a ThinkPad-branded Motorola phone was both surprising but also long overdue.
Designer: Lenovo
Unlike a typical smartphone, even those made by Motorola, the ThinkPhone wants to make its association with the popular laptop brand obvious. From the iconic branding to the diagonal patterns running across its back, this phone wants to stand out visually among the rest of the crowd as something meant for serious business. It also has plenty of integration features with Lenovo’s ThinkPads, so its intention to be a mobile partner to those laptops is also unambiguous and clear.
Today’s smartphones are beautiful and powerful pieces of technology, but all that becomes pointless when the battery dies out, or the screen gets cracked beyond use. Repairing phones is expensive and difficult, but it doesn’t exactly have to be that way; just that the current mobile industry has been set up that way. There are few champions of longer-lasting and easier-to-repair phones, and HMD Global just joined that club with the new Nokia G22.
Designer: HMD Global
Unlike the excruciatingly tedious and nerve-racking processes you’d see in teardown videos, it only takes a guitar pick and a screwdriver to open up this phone. Five minutes is all you need to pull out the battery and 20 minutes to replace a broken screen. It’s not exactly a trivial process, at least not yet, but it’s exponentially better than what we have as “standard” today. Hopefully, this trend will catch on so that we can have beautiful phones that last for years, no matter how many times you accidentally drop them.
The phone (1) gets an honorary mention here for doing what no other phone company has managed to do with their debut product… make a big, industry-wide splash. While industry giants merely dismissed the Nothing phone (1)’s Glyph Interface as just a gimmick, it was surprising to see companies like OnePlus, Realme, and Unihertz copying the lighting feature on their own phones, announced at MWC this week. Major win for Nothing and its founder, Carl.
Designer: Nothing
The phone (1) is just the beginning for this new fledgling brand, and it gets the award for its impact, but also for holding its title of being the Flagship killer. Available now at just $299, the phone (1) is an absolute steal, with its drop-dead gorgeous design, more-than-average chipset, and impressive battery-life upgrade thanks to the new NothingOS 1.5 update. Of course, the transparent back and Glyph Interface still have our thumbs up, and we can’t wait to see what future devices will look like.
OnePlus’s claim to fame was that it Never Settled for mediocrity, trying to push the limits of what a smartphone can deliver without pumping the price up too much. Although it couldn’t stem the tide of market prices forever, it continues to be the outlier among its peers. It’s also one of the few brands willing to make seemingly crazy and outlandish experiments that may or may not become a real product. After the disappearing camera act of the OnePlus Concept One, the company is setting its sights on something cooler, literally and figuratively.
Designer: OnePlus
In a nutshell, the OnePlus 11 Concept’s Active CryoFlux is like PC liquid cooling for phones used to create a stunning visual effect. The concept phone’s clear back becomes something like a light show as the icy blue cooling liquid flows through pipes and around the circular camera bump. It’s definitely quite the sight to behold, and OnePlus naturally makes big claims about its effectiveness in keeping a phone cool, allowing it to maintain good frame rates longer. If it does become a retail model, it will definitely appeal to mobile gamers that might want something a bit different from the usual RGB designs.
Although book-type horizontal foldable phones are definitely jaw-dropping the first time you see them, even Samsung admits that the clamshell-type foldables are more popular and approachable. Whether it’s because of their more familiar form or because of their more accessible price tag, the likes of the Galaxy Z Flip are expected to make up the majority of sales in this category. Ironically, there are even fewer players on this court, which makes OPPO’s belated challenger also more significant.
Designer: OPPO
Like its horizontal sibling, the OPPO Find N2 Flip pushes the envelope with what you can do with this kind of foldable. It offers a larger external screen and a more competitive set of cameras, packed together with flagship-level hardware and a nearly crease-less display. There are a few kinks here, and some missed opportunities there, but for a first attempt, it’s definitely a laudable move forward for the entire market segment.
The high-profile failure of the Google Glass made many companies a bit warier of turning regular specs into AR-equipped devices, but that dream never really died. The industry now seems to be better prepared for this kind of wearable, and some are setting expectations right. It’s not going to be the hi-tech secret agent device of fiction, but the OPPO Air Glass 2 definitely takes the cake for being one of the most discreet smart eyewear around.
Designer: OPPO
Lightweight and sleek, the OPPO Air Glass 2 focuses (no pun intended) on a set of features that is more relatable rather than fancy, including real-time translation and captioning, navigation, and, of course, some messaging. The display seems like it’s embedded in the lens itself, but you can actually change it to use corrective lenses for those with eyesight problems. It’s admittedly less sensational than other AR glasses, but it is ultimately more practical and more approachable for regular consumers.
Although the rhetoric around the metaverse seems to have died down a bit, companies are still pushing the envelope in making the technologies empowering it more accessible. That means more headsets and glasses that try to deliver an extended reality experience without weighing us down or making us look laughable in public. There are quite a number of devices now that offer these capabilities without tying you down to a stationary desktop or laptop, and many of these standalone VR, AR, or XR wearables are unsurprisingly powered by Qualcomm’s processors.
Designer: Qualcomm
Qualcomm is the world’s leading silicon maker for mobile devices, but the large Snapdragon family doesn’t just cover smartphones, tablets, or even laptops. It also powers wearables, from smartwatches to this new generation of headsets and eyewear that carry their own computing power inside of them. As these devices get sleeker and more fashionable, it won’t be surprising to see Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR and XR dominating this market as well, powering the gear that will make the metaverse, or whatever its name will be, our next real universe.
Smartphones are no longer just hi-tech tools to make our lives easier, they have also become tools for self-expression. People slap on stickers, skins, and cases not just for protection but also for show, displaying their favorite colors, characters, brands, and much more. Some smartphone makers have tried to tap into this trend, and realme just one-upped everyone else with a partnership you never saw coming.
Designer: realme
You can definitely try to force some associations between smartphones and the world’s most popular beverage, but the realme 10 Pro Coca-Cola Edition is definitely special even without that. The mere fact that it’s weird and quirky speaks to the youthful and energetic vibe that both brands are aiming for. The phone itself is actually well-designed, and the attention to detail extends even to the smallest thing, like a SIM tray ejector in the shape of a bottle cap. It doesn’t hurt that the hardware is quite competitive as well, so die-hard Coca-Cola fans won’t feel left behind if they get their hands on this limited edition collector’s item.
There are definitely many people that dislike how it diverges from the “vanilla” Android experience, but there’s no denying that Samsung is pretty much the leader of the Android market across many tiers. That doesn’t mean they always put out a winning flagship, like the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, but they do have notable designs every so often. Although the Galaxy S23 series offers upgrades across the board, it looks almost similar to its 2022 predecessor, which is actually part of what makes it great.
Designer: Samsung
Rather than coming out with something different for the sake of being different, Samsung seems to have settled down on a more familiar and more stable design language that will become its DNA, at least in 2022 and 2023. This strategy has made the iPhones easily identifiable, even if you miss the telltale logo on the back. Additionally, the Galaxy S23 is a refreshing dose of minimalism at a time when smartphone camera bumps have become obnoxiously big. Hopefully, Samsung will stick to this classic look, even for just one more round.
You know that foldable phones have made it big when even brands you might have never heard of start launching one. Tecno is a relatively younger and smaller player in the global scene, but it’s making a leap of faith by launching its first-ever foldable phone internationally from the get-go. The formula for horizontal foldables hasn’t exactly changed in the past four years, so it’s interesting to see newcomers that can bring fresh ideas to the table.
Designer: Tecno
The Tecno Phantom V Fold’s defining feature is pretty much its camera design, something you won’t see on any of its kind. The constrained spaces of foldable phones have pretty much limited where you could place components like camera sensors, so it is quite surprising that Tecno managed a feat that bigger brands have failed to accomplish. Whether that will be enough for it to grab sales, only time will tell, but it has definitely raised the bar for future foldables.
Although we interact with our phone’s screens nearly 100% of the time, it’s really their backs that give them their character. Some manufacturers have taken that to heart perhaps a bit too much, creating camera and back designs that are truly eye-catching, though not always in a good way. Less sensational and simpler designs can sometimes be more memorable, and the new Xiaomi 13 Pro tries to walk the fine line between the two extremes with a unique yet minimalist design.
Designer: Xiaomi
The phone’s camera bump is admittedly big, but it tries to create the illusion of a smaller size by visually dividing it into three parts. That also has the effect of emphasizing each camera’s unique strength, especially because of their association with Leica. The back cover is also made from “medical-grade bio-ceramic material,” and while you won’t be able to see the difference, your hand will appreciate the softer touch. Of course, the Xiaomi 13 Pro also has premium specs, so you’d be getting your money’s worth both in looks and in performance.
It seems that one of the most numerous mobile devices at this year’s event is smart eyewear. From full-on headsets like the HTC Vive XR Elite to more discreet glasses like the OPPO Air Glass 2, there is no shortage of wearables that offer all kinds of mixed reality experiences. This market segment is starting to get crowded, to Xiaomi is quickly making its presence known with an AR headset that could be one of the lightest of its kind.
Designer: Xiaomi
The Xiaomi AR Glass Discovery Edition might be a mouthful, but it practically encases the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 inside a magnesium-titanium alloy and carbon fiber frame. That’s the same powerful processor that runs in the bulkier Meta Quest Pro but in a lighter body that only looks like oversized sunglasses. It still has to make room for hardware, of course, especially since it functions standalone without connecting to a computer. It’s still lighter than most AR and VR headsets but promises nearly the same capabilities without burdening your head too much.
3D is becoming more than just something you see in movies or games. With the advent of mixed reality technologies and experiences, the role that 3D objects play has become a little more significant. Most people presume that enjoying 3D content would require wearing a headset or at least some special glasses like those you’d use in cinemas. There are now some TVs and even a few laptops that will let you see “real” 3D content without having to wear those glasses, but ZTE is presenting something that is more portable and potentially more usable by everyone.
Designer: ZTE
The nubia Pad 3D is perhaps the first tablet of its kind to enable viewing stereoscopic 3D content without any eyewear. It leverages Leia’s technology and ecosystem to power its features, not just for viewing 3D content but also transforming plain 2D content, like streamed videos, into something you view in 3D. The large 12.4-inch slate has dual cameras front and back to also allow users to become creators as well, generating 3D visuals from real-world objects or even their faces.
The post Best of MWC 2023: Mobile Gets Design-Conscious first appeared on Yanko Design.