LG Patent for Smartphone Slap Bracelet Leaked

South Korean electronics manufacturer LG may have had another upcoming device leaked when images of concept art for a smartphone patent on a slap bracelet circulated online Monday.

After leaked images of their leather-backed LG G4 curved smartphones went viral over the weekend, a new design of a wrist-wrapping smartphone is currently making waves. The design shows an extremely thin-looking smartphone that can be docked into a bracelet, with the capability of curving around a wrist.

While not much information has been released in terms of specifications and other technical details, such as how the phone can attach to the bracelet, speculations on what could possibly be a game-changer in the smartphone arena have been kicking off online.

Despite its unique design, it still remains a patent, and as with most patents, there might be a possibility a smartphone sporting the featured configurations may not take off.

The flexibility of a slap bracelet design would require the same flexibility in its electronics and batteries, which will need to withstand long-term bending, and while LG already has its Plastic OLED screens, the technology for a bendable smartphone isn’t available yet.

@evleaks/Twitter

Wearable? @evleaks Twitter feed. March 18, 2014.

Another LG slap bracelet type of wearable device was posted by prolific Twitter leakster Evan Blass, who goes by the handle @evleaks. The colorful device, with a label “for LG Mobile,” has a stylus tip on one end for use on smartphones and tablets, and can be worn on the wrist like a slap bracelet when not in use.

This is not the first slap bracelet-like design that’s been considered. Apple submitted a patent for a similar smart wearable device in early 2013 featuring a flexible display that could be attached to a bi-stable spring. Coupling a smartphone to the spring allows the device to be worn conveniently on the wrist.