OnePlus at CES 2020: Concept One Smartphone Announced With McLaren-Inspired Design, Electrochromic Glass to ‘Hide’ Rear Cameras

After a bit of a tizzy, OnePlus has officially unveiled its Concept One smartphone at CES 2020. The phone has been developed in association with McLaren and is the first smartphone to feature an electrochromic glass panel, which can change to reveal or hide transparent or opaque. Rear camera. OnePlus claims that it takes just 0.7 seconds to transition from solid black to fully clear, which is quicker than a camera that is fully active.

It was inspired by McLaren's 720S Spider sports car, which features a retractable hard-top with the same kind of electrochromic material that can be switched between tinted and transparent states. The phone also features a leather panel at the back in McLaren's signature Papaya Orange shade. OnePlus has not revealed any specifics about the specifications or when / if the device is planned to be launched soon.

This is not the first time that OnePlus has experimented with different textures and materials on its phone. We have seen finishes like bamboo, wood, Kevlar, Alcantara, frosted glass and ceramic on OnePlus phones in the past. The Concept One's special glass only covers the camera section, while the rest is covered with leather, with stitching. This glass contains organic particles that react to the current, to move it to the desired position. In addition to this party trick, it also serves a practical purpose as the glass is said to double as a polarizing filter for cameras when shooting in very harsh light. It is implemented in the camera app in Pro mode and allows for lower ISOs and longer shutter times.

OnePlus claims that the concept used on the One is the most advanced electrochromic glass ever. The two glass panels sandwich the organic material between them and measure 0.1 mm each, for a combined thickness of just 0.35 mm. OnePlus also claims that this glass panel uses the power to "almost" operate. OnePlus partnered with McLaren on the design of the Concept One.

The phone's frame is made of aluminium alloy treated with a new vapour deposition process to properly deposit a thin gold finish layer, resulting in what the company calls a subtle glow.

“This concept phone is an important experiment in future smartphones. OnePlus started the initiative with the goal of bringing the "inexperienced" user experience to the next level. Invisible Camera stands as a new form of camera design, one that spares the user from compromising the existing camera layout, ”said OnePlus CEO and founder, Pete Lau, speaking about the OnePlus Concept One phone.

OnePlus is also very proud to show its R&D efforts, stating that it now accounts for more than 70 per cent of the company's workforce. There are seven OnePlus R&D centres around the world, including one recently launched in Hyderabad which already has over 200 people working on software for 5G.