The Nubia Alpha, which was first introduced in September, is a smartphonethat can be worn on your wrist!
The ability to function as a phone is due to the built-in eSIM, so you can make phone calls from the Alpha, just like you would with any other phone.
However, its internal specs are typical of a smartwatch. There's a Snapdragon 2100 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 500mAh battery that should last a day or two of normal use.
The device is made of stainless steel and comes in two finishes, black or real 18K gold. The former is a bit more solid, or at least as solid as a thick metal handcuff with a screen. The gold model looks extremely flashy, and of course you'll have to pay more for it.
If you like big watches or jewelry, you'll enjoy the Nubia Alpha. The strap that wraps around your wrist is strong and secure, but you can't easily adjust its length.
The Alpha's body is thick, about 15mm. It's also quite wide, with "bezels" that house a motion detector on the left and a 5MP camera to the right of the screen. There are also two large buttons that you can use to move back and forth in the Interface.
The Nubia Alpha's big selling point, however, is its flexible 4-inch display. It's an OLED display with a resolution of 192 x 960, giving it a pixel density of 245ppi. It's bright and colorful, but the relatively low resolution is a bit reminiscent of older wearables.
The display, made by Visionox, bends easily to take the shape of the watch, although thanks to the design of its body, only the top and bottom of the display bend more. Once you secure the strap, the watch is relatively rigid, so the display doesn't move around much.
There's no glass protecting the screen, but Nubia says the organic compound it used instead is just as good and waterproof.
The Nubia Alpha runs a custom operating system that you can interact with in three ways: touch, gestures, and side buttons.
Gestures work relatively well. You can wave your hand over the device to scroll up and down or to move between sections of the interface. However, sometimes the watch doesn't register the gesture.
The device offers a lot of functionality, lending some support to Nubia's claim that the Alpha is a true smartphone. The features are organized by color — settings are blue, utilities are purple, services are green, and fitness tracker is orange. It also has a maps app, Alipay QR payments, voice control, GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, a step counter, and video calling.
Of course, the device doesn't even come close to a phone, in terms of apps, and since it runs a proprietary operating system from a small company, what you see is likely all you'll get.
Overall, the Nubia Alpha's software seems functional, although you'll definitely have a better experience by opting for Wear OS or Samsung's Tizen.
The Nubia Alpha starts at €450, but that's only for the Bluetooth version that you'll need to pair with a smartphone. If you really want the full experience, you'll have to get the eSIM version, which is €550.
