ZTE nubia Alpha smartwatch - pros and cons

Today, new items in the world of electronics replace each other at a fantastic rate, and most people are no longer even surprised at new developments. If we talk about the leader of ultra-modern ideas, then now China is indisputable - their engineers develop the most incredible things and combine several devices into one. In this review, we will talk about another novelty from China, namely the ZTE Nubia Alpha smartwatch (here it is worth noting that the Nubia brand, created in 2012, is today an independent company).

It would seem that there is nothing unusual - smart watches have been on sale for a long time, however, according to the company's management, this is a completely new type of device, brought to perfection in technical terms. Whether this is true or not is still unknown, but this ZTE Nubia Alpha review will try to answer this question, relying on the available information on the merits and demerits of these smartwatches.

Appearances can be deceiving

Chinese manufacturers are known for very bold and extraordinary solutions that are not always understandable to a Russian person, but one should not deny their enormous merits in the development of device design. As for the Nubia α (another variant of the spelling of the model name), everything is very ambiguous here. On the one hand, there is a very spectacular and cool appearance with an impressive foldable OLED display, on the other, it all looks like a prop for shooting a fantastic movie in the 80-90s (too rough and voluminous). True, it is worth admitting that the company's specialists managed to cram almost everything into this smartphone watch, from the functions of fitness bracelets to the ability to make voice and video calls.

Conventionally, this device can be divided into two parts: the first is a flexible screen that turns into a strap, the second is a square watch block, which differs from similar ones only by the presence of a camera and large dimensions. As for netizens, it turned out to be difficult to form any public opinion about the new product. The fact is that all the available photographs are not able to really characterize the gadget (in close-up pictures, especially in white, not black, the model looks quite attractive, but in pictures at a distance they already resemble cheap Chinese trash, especially with the screen off) ...

However, do not forget that Nubia became the first company to officially present a really working model of smartphones at IFA 2018 (competitors have not yet revealed their achievements and most of them are under development). It is very important to note that this is a working model, not a prototype, and therefore there is not so much time left before the product is released on the world market (presumably the fourth quarter of 2019), which means that the Chinese electronics manufacturer still has time to make some changes. into the design.

Amazing functionality

While the stars of world cinema are filming fantastic films about the future, the engineers of the Celestial Empire are implementing the most daring projects in life, and the alpha is a direct confirmation of this. According to the management, this gadget will combine the most necessary functions from several mobile devices and will allow you to forget about regular phones, watches and fitness bracelets.

Hit smartphones

One of the key features of the alpha will be the ability to make voice and video calls. The device will support 4G LTE, which will be able to provide a good data exchange speed and the ability to install an eSIM format SIM card. These statements sound more than attractive, but a number of questions arise subconsciously. For example, about the convenience of communication. Talking by the clock is rather inconvenient and this is a fact, Bluetooth headphones can come to the rescue, but so far there is no information on this.

The next question is more exciting and it directly concerns the residents of Russia - how will buyers be able to use this device if eSIM communication is prohibited in the country? This is followed by a whole series of questions from netizens (for example, how convenient it is to play games on it and whether it will pull them, because smartphones do an excellent job with this task) to which there is no answer yet, but the prospects for the model in this regard are clearly great.

Screen

It is the screen that plays a key role in this watch - it is able to bend around the arm, which allows it to be made large enough, as well as open up a lot of other possibilities. The truth is, so far, practically nothing is known about it (only that it bends and has an OLED matrix). However, according to photos and videos from the network, we can conclude that the display's detail is good. But even here it was not without the controversy of users on the network, and the most popular question was the doubt about the durability of the screen, namely, how many flexions and extensions it was designed for.

Further, users criticized managers for praising the convenience of the display, because when the watch is on the wrist, playing or performing other more complex tasks (watching movies, photographs, reading books) is very problematic and unusual. Separately, it is worth noting that Nubia did not describe the strength of the gadget in any way, which gives rise to bad suspicions. Also, fans of modern chips (namely, frameless displays) will be disappointed because the frames are quite thick here.

Autonomy

Of course, such a watch will consume much more energy than a fitness bracelet (what is one screen worth, not to mention the connection to the network and the "stuffing" of the device), and therefore the question arises - how much can they work from one charge? And although there is no official answer, the craftsmen from the Internet were able to calculate the approximate consumption of the battery (the volume of which was 500 mAh) and their forecast turned out not to be comforting - it will not be enough for a full working day, especially with active use.

But recently there were rumors, the meaning of which boils down to the fact that active work has already begun on increasing the battery capacity. However, fans of the brand should not rejoice ahead of time, because the weight of the alpha will also increase, which already does not look light. There is also an assumption that the batteries will be built into the strap, but whether this is true or not is unknown.

Unique opportunities

The characteristics of the novelty are still kept secret, but they are very willing to talk about it functionally, therefore, below is a tentative list of watch features:

• Contactless payments via NFC technology;
• Functions of fitness bracelets (measurement of heart rate, steps, distances, calories burned and support for various modes for sports);
• Interesting features (sleep monitoring and smartphone search);
• View videos, photos, listen to music through the player and play;
• Phone functions (make and receive calls);
• Possibly take pictures with the camera.

As you can see, the list is quite impressive and this despite the fact that only the main features are listed and only those that the developers have hinted at.

Positioning

Nubia calls its brainchild a new type of device that can replace many mobile gadgets in the future. However, today, according to most users, this is not possible due to competition from smartphones and their growing popularity (as well as a lot of technical aspects and usability). However, already now a huge number of people are interested in the developments of the Chinese brand and are ready to actively follow their success, because the idea is really great.

Briefly about everything

Nubia acted wisely enough: it caused a stir among the public with loud statements, photos and videos, and even provided a list of some features. And she did not reveal the most important thing - the characteristics of the device. Well, this is logical, because by publishing such data now, they would have deprived themselves of significant trump cards and "wow-effect" immediately before the start of sales, and so the intrigue was preserved. And yet, below are the basic data on the ZTE Nubia Alpha collected in a table.

Output

• Functionality;
• The ability to make and receive calls;
• Viewing videos and photos;
• Large, flexible screen;
• Well suited for athletes.

• Weight and dimensions (presumably);
• Strength (presumably);
• The convenience of use;
• Autonomy;
• Design (for an amateur);
• Communication via eSIM (relevant for Russia).

By creating an alpha, Nubia was able to surprise many and kill several birds with one stone. First, the speed of development is amazing, because there are no similar products on the market, and leading manufacturers are just starting to engage in such projects. Secondly, the company resin arouses serious interest among the public and, with the right advertising campaign and listening to the wishes of potential buyers, has every chance of commercial success (especially in their native China, where people really love such new products) and the opportunity to crush the market for themselves smartphones watches. As for criticism, yes, the device's shortcomings have been actively discussed on the Internet, but it is too early to talk about real problems - all the answers will be given only after the start of sales, for now these are just speculations.