Unlike the iPhone 6 Plus, the Portal smartphone is supposed to bend

As anyone who’s ever dropped a phone will attest to, smartphones are incredible fragile creatures. Gone are the days where you could throw a Nokia phone around like a rag-doll to find that it doesn’t have a scratch on it. It’s not quite the same, but the Portal smartphone isn’t going to shatter when you manhandle it. This baby is totally flexible, and it’s designed to be worn on your forearm.

According to the founder of Arubixis, the company that made the Portal, the phone is designed to succeed where smartwatches have failed. He mentions specifically that smartwatches are not good enough for texting, making calls, and doing anything practical with. The Portal is designed to fit comfortably on your arm an giving you a whole host of new opportunities from your wrist.

It’s waterproof, shatterproof, and totally flexible, meaning even if you decide not to wear it on your wrist it’s still a useful phone to have. If you keep this in your pocket all day it will bend, but that’s because it’s supposed to rather than a design flaw that the parent company isn’t willing to admit.

The phone comes on a skinned version of Android (it isn’t clear which version), with a 6-inch display, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 3,200 mAh battery, 4G, NFC, and wireless charging. Arubixis are currently seeking funds on Indiegogo in order to bring the phone to market, and a $349 (£214) pledge will get you your own version of the phone when it launches sometime next September. If 6-inches is too big a screen for you, then you can wait a little while longer because there are plans to release a 4-inch version of the Portal in early 2016.

One major advantage I can think of is that with NFC and the wrist-strap, it would make paying for the tube with your phone so much easier.

Want to read more? If you’re looking to buy a wearable or activity tracker, we’ve found the best wearables to keep you safe, but, if they’re too expensive, here are the best budget wearables and activity trackers for under £70.

If you’re not bothered by wearables at all, but still want help with keeping fit, check out our feature on 10 kitchen gadgets, tools and utensils for healthy living.