OnePlus Concept One: A Phone With Disappearing Camera That Money Can’t Buy

OnePlus has finally showcased its latest smartphone with a neat little trick at CES 2020. Unlike the previous generation OnePlus devices, you cannot buy this one and there is a reason for it. The OnePlus Concept One as the name suggests is a concept phone that has developed over 18 months in collaboration with McLaren, a race car company.

The base of the OnePlus Concept One is derived from the OnePlus 7 Pro or the OnePlus 7T Pro with a pop-up selfie camera and a curved AMOLED display at the front. The differentiator between the regular OnePlus 7 Pro and the OnePlus Concept One is at the back panel.

The Concept One has McLaren's signature papaya orange leather finish with stitching marks, which is quite reminiscent of the interiors of McLaren cars. And the phone has a golden frame, that elevates the overall look of the device.

Triple Camera Setup That Disappears

OnePlus has worked closely with McLaren to make a camera setup that can disappear when not in use. To achieve this feat, the company is using electrochromic glass that gets opaque when electricity is passed. It takes 0.7 seconds to turn transparent from opaque, which is the actual time required for the camera app to open.

Similarly, the electrochromic glass can also be used as an ND filter in harsh lighting conditions. And as of now, there is no information on the specifications of the OnePlus Concept One.

Our Inference

Though it looks like a neat trick that no other smartphone has it, I don't think it has a ton of practical use cases. In fact, slightly bending the phone from an angle will actually reveal the camera units even in opaque condition, which kills the purpose of this technology.

Though we have no idea when the mainstream OnePlus smartphones with this technology will hit the market, as the company has not revealed any roadmap. Every year a lot of brands showcase vaguely looking tech at CES and the OnePlus Concept One is no different.