Lenovo's new concept smartphone and tablet uses a segmented body and flexible screen to convert from handset to watchband.
According to CNET, Lenovo's bendable smartphone concept is called the Cplus. The company's CTO, Peter Hortensius, explained at a press briefing at Lenovo Tech World event that the Cplus will come in two sizes, large and small.
For the moment, the Cplus is not in production, being just a concept device. The mobile phone runs the Android operating system and features a 4.26-inch flexible display. The device will come with 12 color choices.
This is not the first time companies presented concept devices with flexible chassis and displays. Nokia, LG and Samsung have also some bendable device concepts, but so far none have yet launched on the market.
One of the challenges encountered in designing bendable items is placing traditionally inflexible components, like batteries. Crafting gadgets that can handle these usage scenarios is difficult, but Lenovo seems to aim bringing them from the concept stage to consumer goods. The Folio tablet and the Cplus phone come with flexible display panels that allow bending their respective bodies.
According to Engadget, Lenovo has even a sense of humor in its approach to create bendable devices. When bending the Cplus to curve around the user's wrist, the Android phone displays "cracks." However, they are not real but just a software trick that distorts the screen.
On the other hand, the Folio is a more straight-laced concept. The screen bends around of the chassis when the tablet is folded, turning it into a big phone. Aside of its bendable feature, the Folio seems just a regular tablet.
The Cplus concept seems more polished and it is likely that it had a considerable headstart in development. It just remains to be seen if Lenovo will push the Folio and the Cplus concepts to become full-fledged products.
