Although there has been a rise in shipments of wearables, particularly smart watches, some might argue that there hasn’t been any huge innovation therein marketplace for years. A core focus has been to integrate more and more health sensors inside their small bodies, but aside from that, the technology inside has only seen incremental upgrades. There was a time when it seemed that smartwatches could combat different forms, but that point is gone. Xiaomi, however, might not have lost sight of that vision and should even have a Mi Band whose screen will completely wrap around your wrist.
This wouldn’t be the primary time we’ve seen a wearable with a display that curves around your risk. Nubia, a former ZTE subsidiary, was at the forefront of that push with the Nubia Alpha pictured above. That was a smartphone with a versatile screen that you wore a sort of a smartwatch, but Nubia followed that up with the Nubia Watch, a more formal smartwatch with nearly an equivalent design idea.
Aside from those two, however, a sensible band with a 360-degree display remains the things of fantasy and concept videos. Consistent with a tip on Weibo. However, Xiaomi could be taking over the torch. In an indoor company meeting, Xiaomi revealed such a tool called the Mi Band X.
According to a presentation slide, the Mi Band X won’t have any straps, probably because there’ll be no room for one. The flexible screen will combat that role, and magnetic clasps will be used rather than the standard buckle. The leaked photo shows the presenter wearing such a tool, but it’s hard to inform from a distance.
Like any unconventional new design or innovation, the most important question for this type of device is going to be “why?” With something sort of a Nubia X, for instance, it’s already impossible to ascertain any content past a particular length along your wrist, making half a 360-degree “wrappable” screen practically useless. But, with little happening in wearables, such a tool might be an idea for others to consider crazy ideas and styles that will inform future smart bands and smartwatches.
