Nubia Alpha, A Small Story About A Very Unusual Device

In 2019, many manufacturers seek to surprise users in order to win their attention. In the course went flexible screens, unusual combinations in the functionality of technology. So the company Nubia decided not to stand aside and release a smartphone and a watch 2 in 1. This is how the Nubia Alpha device is positioned. But how true is it? The model is a large clock with a curved screen. A device that syncs with a phone using Bluetooth costs about $500. If you want to buy a watch with smartphone functionality, you will have to pay $120 more. This modification supports eSIM technology. The cost is relevant for the standard model in black. The price of a smartwatch in gold is more expensive. The gadget has a large 4-inch screen, as for ordinary clocks, it has a 500 mAh battery, 5 MP camera, 1/8 GB of memory. The device allows you to pay for purchases and also has all the functionality of smartwatches. This is the first of its kind watches with smartphone functions, they look very unusual.

Features of Nubia Alpha

Design

Nubia Alpha has a very non-standard appearance. The device resembles a smartwatch but has a larger screen that bends around the wrist. The display itself is not like the bending screens, which are now shown by many manufacturers of smartphones. The screen is quite hard and in the process of using it does not bend. It is well fixed, consists of 11 layers. Has IP 65 protection. The watch is made of stainless steel. The strap is quite massive, consists of individual links. Its length can be adjusted, and it is easy to do without special tools. The case thickness is about 1.5 cm. You can buy the device in black and gold colors (gold plating). The first option looks discreet but stylish. The second is more suitable for lovers of luxury gadgets because it looks much richer.

An elongated screen is placed in the case, which smoothly passes into the bracelet. In the central part of the body expands, because on the sides of the display are several functional elements. In the left central part of the gadget is a motion sensor. On the right side is the camera module, and on the right side – two function buttons, with which you can easily control the device. The back panel has a convenient shape, so it comfortably fits the hand and does not rub. Protection from water and dust allows you to not worry about the state of the gadget. Of course, diving with it is impossible with him, but he can easily stand the spray.

Sound

The gadget is equipped with a speaker, but the sound cannot be called loud. It is enough for notifications and calls, but it may not seem enough to listen to music.

Control

The control is carried out using two buttons and a touch screen. The possibility of contactless control is also declared, which in practice does not work quite correctly: not all commands work the first time. The sensor works fine, switching in the menu, flipping through sub-items is easy. Side buttons have a comfortable smooth ride, they work the first time. The main screen displays the clock, the number of steps taken and calories burned, as well as pulse data. Below the main screen is the notification center. You can get used to managing a gadget very quickly because the interface is clear, the menu is divided into subgroups highlighted in different colors, and on the main screen, there are separate sectors for clocks, notifications, etc. You can switch to a voice control device.

Nubia Alpha menu is very easy to navigate, primarily because the different functions are separated by color: the settings icons are displayed in blue, the utilities are highlighted in purple, the services are done in green, and the fitness functions are done in orange. You can select the watch face, turn on GPS tracking, monitor your heart rate, set the screen off time, airplane mode, activate voice control. There is a function of turning on the screen by raising the hand, the energy saving mode, in which the gadget is a simple clock, and the rest of the functions at this moment will not be available to the user.

Performance

The model is equipped with a Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip, which is designed specifically for watches. Four cores with a frequency of 800 MHz – 1.2 GHz are sufficient for the implementation of all the functions of gadgets because there is no need to support heavyweight applications and games. This chip has one important advantage – reduced power consumption. Together with the Oled screen, this will provide longer gadget work offline. The screen size of 4 inches has a resolution of 960 * 192 pixels, the density of 245 PPI. The aspect ratio of the screen is 36: 9. This is not the best image quality that we used to expect from smartphones, but to use this device this resolution is enough. Even viewing pictures made by photos is convenient, just to bring the image closer will not work.

The model has 1 GB of RAM, which is enough for the operation of this device, and 8 GB of internal memory, because here you can store photos and videos taken with the camera. A 5-megapixel camera (f / 2.2 aperture) allows you to take selfies and record short videos of 10 seconds duration. Thanks to her, it will be possible to make video calls using a clock. The functionality is interesting, but it does not reach the full-fledged smartphone, although it is slightly more diverse than that of ordinary smartwatches. The battery capacity of 500 mAh, according to the manufacturer, withstands 1-2 days. Supports wireless charging technology. Perhaps the watch can last for so long without recharging if you go into a special mode at night and save battery. By the way, the screen brightness can be adjusted, turn off the screen, etc. ESIM technology allows you to make calls without having to insert a SIM card for this. It also supports 4G LTE technology, which will ensure sufficient data transfer speed. You can connect to other devices using Bluetooth, a built-in Wi-Fi module for connecting to the Internet.

Nubia Alpha supports all the basic functions typical of a standard fitness gadget. For example, it can track parameters during sleep and provide reports, measure heart rate, the number of steps taken and the distance. Here you can also set the desired goals. It is convenient to use the clock, the interface is very good. Scrolling through the screen itself seems quite intuitive, thanks to the user interface (there is no OS Wear), which displays the dial, quick settings, and default application shortcuts. When scrolling to the left, an application menu opens with features such as the integration of WeChat and Alipay on the Chinese model. This is quite a convenient operating system for such a device, which works well despite not the newest chip and only 1 GB of RAM.

In conclusion

In fact, a smartwatch is something between a smartwatch and a telephone. They do not have the full functionality of the phone, that is, you will not lose the game on the clock, you will not take a full video, etc. But there are much more functions here than in the smartphone-clock: there is a camera, the display is increased, the reception of calls, the payment of purchases and so on. In practice, the gadget will not be able to replace the smartphone, this is only an interesting new solution that might be interesting for fans of innovation. Perhaps in the future, there will be more functional models, in the meantime, massively unlikely they will be buying devices for $700 for such modest opportunities. Is that in order to replenish the collection of unusual devices? The advantages of the device can be distinguished by the presence of a camera, a large screen, a user-friendly interface, an interesting design, a partial combination of the functionality of the clock and the smartphone (calls, video calls, etc.). The main disadvantage is battery capacity, inadequate reconstruction of smartphone functions, as well as high cost.

Specifications

• Screen: 4.01 inches, color, flexible OLED matrix, resolution 960 x 192, 244 ppi, 36: 9
• Chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100, 4 cores, 800 MHz – 1.2 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB
• Built-in memory: 8 GB
• Camera: 5 MP, f / 2.2
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, eSIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, heart rate
• Battery: 500 mAh
• Operating system: Nubia Alpha OS
• Water Protection: IP65
• Body: metal
• Colors: black, gold
• Cost: $500-$750

About Post Author

Stephanie Cleghorn

madani@cyonwo.com