Introducing the OnePlus Concept One!

The latest buzz with tech geeks is the new OnePlus Concept One phone designed and developed by the Company in collaboration with the British sports car manufacturer- McLaren. The phone was unveiled at a special event at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020, earlier this month.

The Concept One is totally chic. The most talked-about feature in the phone is the ‘disappearing’ camera. What makes this possible is the use of color-shifting glass technology (electrochromic glass technology)- a tech that turns glass opaque to black to clearly transparent when triggered by an electric signal. So the physical lenses would be visible only when one launches the camera app on the phone. The Company claims that Concept One takes a mere 0.7 seconds for the glass to transition from solid black to fully clear, faster even than the camera itself takes to fully activate, and it uses almost no power.

The use of this magical glass was inspired by McLaren’s luxury spider sports car 720S. It not only adds aesthetic value in design and appearance, but also enables other functional benefits by doubling as a built-in polarizing filter for the camera that allows users to achieve sharper, more finely detailed shots under strong light; something photography lovers appreciate and are excited about. Besides, it eliminates the camera hump at the rear we see in most phones.

While this technology is applied to aircraft windows and pricey sunroofs to alter its tint and control the amount of light allowed through, this is the first time ever, a phone has used exceptionally thin panels of this glass (0.1mm each) to arrive at a combined total of only 0.35mm. Far thinner than the industry average, this clearly is extraordinary work by OnePlus’ R&D team.

Another attraction is having acquired McLaren’s signature papaya orange color in the leather panel on the back. With the luxurious trim given to the premium quality leather specially tailored for McLaren’s supercars and by displaying their prominent stitch, the Concept One seems very unique and classy in visual character. There is also a soft and comfortable feel in the texture of this soft-grained, semi-aniline special leather fabric.

Also by creating the industry’s first 90 Hz QHD+ AMOLED display, the OnePlus Concept One has set a new benchmark in smartphone displays.

The Concept One is an incredible innovation, perhaps its first in smartphones. It took a lot of research and development over 18 months for the pioneers at OnePlus to create this fabulous concept smartphone with the pretty cool futuristic glass tech offering the peek-a-boo camera, the iconic Colors, Materials, and Finish (CMF), a phone that is so neat in design with a dash of class and sophistication.

The Company has said that the Concept One will be a prototype, which means it will not be available commercially. Nevertheless, we have to give it to OnePlus for being a step ahead in future. A company that is in the foray for only six years, constantly innovating and applying incredible techs in smartphones, OnePlus really stays true to its tagline- ‘Never Settle’.

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