OnePlus’ latest concept phone has icy blue ‘blood vessels’ that glow
Mobile World Congress starts next week and we’re starting to see companies preview all the fun to come, including a concept phone from OnePlus. A recent teaser post suggests that the new prototype will feature “icy blue pipelines running through the entire back of the phone – almost as if the OnePlus 11 Concept had its own set of blood vessels.” That’s certainly a way of describing the industrial design of a smartphone, and I’m intrigued.
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OnePlus says the pipelines are layered beneath “a bold and futuristic unibody glass design inspired by the calm stillness and massive power of a glacial lake,” which, if we know anything about glacial lakes, suggests the back is a transparent one item could have It.
The layer of icy blue pipelines is sandwiched between the phone’s internal components and the outer back cover. OnePlus
This isn’t the first time the company has unveiled pioneering devices to the public; It did just that at CES three years ago when it showed off its Concept One prototype, which used electrochromic glass to hide its camera lenses. Like most concept products, this design never saw the light of day.
The same result can be expected with the new OnePlus 11 Concept, which according to the company will be presented next week on February 27 in Barcelona.
analysis
While concept phones give us a glimpse into the future of technology, they’re never readily available. However, I have reason to believe that what is shown as a demo this time will appear in more smartphones, especially from OnePlus, in the years to come.
Based on the teaser blog and assets, the icy blue pipelines likely serve two purposes: cooling the inside of the phone while giving it a glow-in-the-dark effect. The former is the more educated (and practical) guess of the two, given the pipelines are laid out on the back of the concept device – and OnePlus’ over-dramatization of what a phone looks like when you push it to its limits (see video). The design is similar to the liquid cooling tubes that gaming desktops usually have for quiet and more effective heat dissipation.
Considering OnePlus’ focus on graphics performance and fast charging, as recently revealed One Plus 11I wouldn’t be surprised if the company thinks of new ways to keep its phones running smoothly.
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The second purpose of the pipelines reminds me of last year’s Nothing Phone 1, which had glowing LEDs on the back of the phone for refreshment that lit up when a notification came in. While OnePlus’ glowing design looks less complicated than Nothing’s 900-LED assembly, there’s a chance it could have a similar pulsing effect as it and 2020’s OnePlus 8T Concept, glowing together when you’re texting, receive a phone call or a call app alarm.