When OnePlus’s boffins
decided to create their first
ever concept phone, they were
clearly too sidetracked with
refining the tech to think up
a more imaginative name... but
frankly, who can blame them
when they were working on
an ‘invisible camera’? This isn’t
some pathetic special effect,
like James Bond’s ridiculous
vanishing car in Die Another
Day – the Concept One uses
impressive glass technology
to hide the lenses from sight.OUnder the rainbow
Colour-shifting electrochromic
glass on the back of the Concept
One can change its transparency,
so the lenses only become visible
when the camera is in use. It’s
a trick inspired by the clever
sunroof of supercar partner
McLaren’s 720S, with organic
particles in the glass shifting
it from opaque black to entirely
clear. The glass also doubles as
a built-in polarising filter so you
can achieve sharper, more finely
detailed shots under strong light.OWe’re off to see the wizard
The Concept One uses two glass
panels just 0.1mm thick with
the colour-shifting material
sandwiched between them.
It takes 0.7 seconds to make
the transition from solid black
to fully clear – quicker than it
takes for the 48MP camera (with
a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens)
to fully activate, and using almost
no power in the process.OThe merry old land of OnePlus
OnePlus calls this Electronic CMF
and sees it as the blueprint for
future smartphones, but it’s
gone into overdrive with the
overall design too. Collaborating
with McLaren, it experimented
with bamboo, bulletproof Kevlar,
Alcantara, matt-frosted glass and
ceramic before finally settling on
an orange leather back that’s easy
to grip and looks the part. No word
on if or when the Concept One will
become a reality... but in the words
of Jean-Luc Picard, make it so.OnePlus Concept One
£tbc / oneplus.comCAM OUT, CAM OUT,
WHEREVER YOU ARE