Nokia Morph Concept (long)

Alexander Budde
2 HN recommenders · recommended in 2 months, 2011–2026
YouTube
4.9M views · 18 years ago · other · historical

A long version of the concept video for the Nokia Morph, a flexible, transformable device imagined by Nokia and its research partners around 2008. It shows a phone that folds and stretches and uses touch-sensitive and tactile surfaces.

HN people recall it as the vision that wowed them, a benchmark for foldable and tactile devices, and also as a cautionary example of company concept videos.

“Future sounded bright with software defined tactile buttons and the like.”
Industrial designMobile & touch interfaces
#nokiamorph#conceptvideo#flexibledevices#futureofphones#industrialdesign

7 comments from Hacker News

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@v-yadli2025 · in “Nokia Design Archive”
Anyone remember the Morph concept? link ▶ this video Blew me away back then, but forgot the name. This archive helped to recover the bits in my head. Thank you!
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@drKarl2011 · in “IPhone 5 Concept Features Video gets more viewers in Youtube”
Yeah, and some years ago I saw a concept video even more awesome: The Nokia Morph ▶ this video And it is not a hoax: link It is expected to hit markets on 2015.
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p
@p_l2026 · in “Nokia Design Archive (2025)”
The most insane flexible screen proposal from Nokia was the "nanotech" one - Nokia Morph [1], where the phone "normal" candybar shape was formed out of folding it twice with a clip for speakers - you would pull the clip and unfold it into something akin to A5 or A4 paper. Future sounded bright with software defined tactile buttons and the like. [1] ▶ this video
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@no1youknowz2021 · in “iPad Pro M1”
Anyone remember the Ubuntu Edge? [0] Perhaps with todays announcement, a bit into the future we will see a new class of phone that unfolds into a tablet and even docks to a screen with accompanying magic keyboard and trackpad. I know, it's a real shame that I am probably dreaming. But Apple will probably never release a similar phone as it'll cannibalise one of the other products. Maybe someone can prod shuttleworth again and see if the time for this idea can be realised? I'm sure soon it will be. I also hope that this trend of arm minimization can continue so an idea like morph [1] will one day be come also. [0] - link [1] - ▶ this video
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@arzeth2019 · in “Samsung’s Foldable Phone Is the $1,980 Galaxy Fold”
These Samsung's and Xiaomi's foldable phones don't excite me as much as Nokia Morph. On 2008-02-25, Nokia showed a concept phone Nokia Morph [1]. I have just watched the video about it [2] again and I am still as excited about it as I was 11 years ago. > The phone's theoretical feature list would include the ability to bend into numerous shapes, so it can be worn around the wrist or held up to the face; transparent electronics, which would allow the device to be see-through yet functional; self-cleaning surfaces that can absorb solar energy to recharge the phone's battery; and a wide range of fully integrated sensors. [...] The manufacturer believed that some of the device's imagined features could appear in high-end devices by 2015. So, I am waiting for something like Nokia Morph but also with a screen that can take the form of a standard physical keyboard and give me the same tactile feel. [1] link [2] ▶ this video
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@mindstab2011 · in “The Type of Companies That Publish Future Concept Videos”
Nokia did it too with the Nokia Morph ▶ this video Doesn't seem they are doing too well now either? Nokia Windows Morph phone 7 anyone?
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@meindnoch2023 · in “BMW I Vision Dee”
This BMW “study” reminds me of the equally laughable Nokia Morph concept from 2008: ▶ this video link Based on this I would say that such “studies” are the sign of a company soon going bust.
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