CES 2020 is well underway, but one of the most exciting reveals is yet to take place. OnePlus is due to unveil the OnePlus Concept One camera phone today, with plenty of fascinating features to dig into. However, while we're still waiting for the official announcement, OnePlus were kind enough to recently tease a sneak peek at the innovative new design.
The Chinese phone manufacturer took to Twitter last week to post a teaser video of its shiny new tech in action. The short clip shows the blank back of the phone being tilted, revealing three lenses and a flash. This innovative new design means that this OnePlus concept camera phone is able to neatly hide away its lenses without having to resort to clumsier and bulkier solutions such as pop-up mechanisms or sliders.
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Wired reports that OnePlus worked with British automotive manufacturer McLaren to take the glass technology used in high-end car sunroofs and aircraft windows and incorporate it into their camera phone design. "The camera lens on the back of the phone sits under this special glass, the tint of which changes when the glass is triggered by an electrical signal. The effect is that the camera lens appears when you open the camera app, then vanishes from sight whenever the camera app is not in use."
If this camera phone is piquing your interest and you find your fingers itching for your wallet, then you may want to prepare for disappointment. As this is a concept camera phone. OnePlus won't be releasing the OnePlus Concept One to the general public.
However, the good news is that we might see some of this technology filter into upcoming phones in the future. Brands create concept products to see exactly how far they can push their own technology, so even if the phone itself doesn't come to market, aspects of it likely will.
However, we wouldn't surprised if consumers don't get their hands on this technology for another few years. The folding phone display sputtered into life in various forms across a number of years before we received a consumer model, from the 2007 Polymer Vision Readius to the more sophisticated Samsung Youm concept announced in 2013. With this in mind, it's very possible that we might see further iterations of this invisible camera design before it actually reaches the market.
Either way, with camera phone technology growing steadily more impressive day by day, we can't wait to see what other surprises CES 2020 has in store for us.
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