Samsung shows off Cling Band, a smartphone you can wear

Samsung always showcases some innovative display concepts and prototypes at major global tech events. The company brought a handful of such futuristic display products to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024. The most eye-catching of the lot was the Cling Band, a bending smartphone that you can wear on your wrist.

Samsung hints at the future of phones with its Cling Band

The Samsung Cling Band is sort of a smartphone and smartwatch combined into one device. It features a flexible OLED display as big as a regular smartphone. But it is so flexible that you can wrap it around your wrist, making a watch with a huge display. The company has used a ridged structure on its body, including the backside, to make the whole thing bend such that it forms a domed bridge on your wrist.

The concept product shown at the MWC 2024 in Barcelona featured a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille at the bottom. We could also see a single camera and a heart rate sensor on the back. The addition of a heart rate sensor makes it ideal to wear as a watch to track heart rate and other health metrics. Of course, it would be uncomfortable to wear a bulky device on the wrist for a long time, but we are talking about a concept device here.

Samsung is showcasing its flexible OLED technology more than the device itself. However, the Cling Band could be a product for the future. As we push to make our smartwatch screens bigger, it might not be out of the possibility to see a device that can double up as a smartphone and a watch in a few years. Motorola also showcased a similar device at the MWC 2024, so there is interest in this tech from multiple players.

Samsung mounted an OLED screen onto headphones, earbuds, and speakers

Samsung’s display booth at the MWC 2024 also featured more such innovative concepts. The Korean firm mounted OLED screens onto the charging case for TWS earbuds, over-ear headphones, smart speakers, smart car keys, golf ball markers, and other devices. These displays can show the battery level of the device, media playback controls, and other information. The OLED golf ball marker can connect with other devices to show the incline and distance to the hole. It remains to be seen which of these futuristic products sees the light of day first.