OnePlus Concept One: The Disappearing Camera at CES
Yes. OnePlus showed its Concept One phone at CES 2020, featuring a rear camera that could visually disappear behind electronically tintable glass. The demonstration was a design concept—not a retail phone—and the camera itself did not retract or vanish; the glass changed from transparent to dark.
What OnePlus showed at CES
The Concept One was unveiled publicly at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2020. OnePlus described it as a concept device, a way to explore design ideas rather than announce a phone that customers could buy. Its most eye-catching feature was the rear camera panel: when the camera was not in use, the glass over the lenses could turn dark and make them less visible; when the camera was needed, the panel cleared.
The look was inspired by automotive design. OnePlus developed the concept in collaboration with McLaren, whose cars use electrochromic glass in some applications. The phone’s rear also used a Papaya Orange leather finish, echoing McLaren’s signature color. Those materials and details made the device feel like a design study as much as a technology demonstration.
How the disappearing camera works
The effect came from electrochromic glass, sometimes called electronically tintable glass. An electrical signal changes the material’s optical state, shifting it between a relatively clear appearance and a darker one. In the Concept One, a very thin layer of the material sat over the rear camera area.
When the layer was clear, light could reach the camera lenses for photography. When it darkened, the lenses became much harder to see through the back of the phone. The camera hardware remained in the same place throughout. “Disappearing” described its appearance, not a mechanical movement or a camera being switched off.
OnePlus said the transition could happen in about 0.7 seconds, fast enough to work as the camera opened. The company also presented the tinted state as useful for a cleaner-looking rear surface when the camera was idle. The concept was meant to show that a camera could be present without being a permanent visual centerpiece.
Why the camera feature mattered
Smartphone cameras have become increasingly prominent on phone backs. Multiple lenses, flash units, and large camera modules can make the rear design look busy, even though the cameras are among the device’s most-used components. A cover that changes appearance offered one possible compromise: keep camera hardware available while making it less conspicuous when it is not being used.
Electrochromic glass also suggested uses beyond hiding lenses. In principle, a controllable dark surface could serve as a visual indicator or let designers change the appearance of a device without moving parts. But the Concept One announcement focused on the camera panel, and it should not be treated as evidence that the technology was ready for widespread phone use.
What the demonstration did not establish
A concept phone can demonstrate an idea without resolving the engineering and commercial questions that determine whether it belongs in a mass-market product. OnePlus did not announce a retail release, price, or a schedule for putting the feature in a regular phone. The CES showing was not a product launch with a purchase date.
It also did not mean the phone had an under-display camera. The camera lenses were still on the rear, behind a layer of glass. Nor did the system make the camera physically disappear: it changed how visible the lenses were through the panel. That distinction matters because descriptions such as “hidden camera” can otherwise suggest a different design or privacy feature.
The demonstration alone also does not answer practical questions about long-term durability, repair, manufacturing cost, or how the glass might affect image quality in all lighting conditions. Those are reasonable evaluation points for a production device, but they were not established simply by showing a working concept at CES.
How it compares with ordinary camera bumps
Most phones make their cameras visible through raised modules, separate lens rings, or a camera island that groups lenses and flash together. That arrangement is straightforward: the lens openings stay exposed, and the exterior design makes no attempt to conceal them. The Concept One instead used a variable-opacity layer to alter the camera area’s appearance.
It is different from a pop-up selfie camera, which physically moves a front-facing camera out of the phone’s body, and from an under-display camera, which places a front camera behind the screen. The Concept One’s rear cameras did not move, and they were not hidden beneath the display. Its innovation was a changeable cover over visible rear-camera hardware.
It was also not a conventional camera shutter intended to block the lens for privacy. The glass darkened as a design effect, but the presentation did not establish it as a security control or a guarantee that a camera could not capture an image. Users should rely on a phone’s actual camera permissions and indicators, not infer privacy from the appearance of tinted glass.
Did the idea become a regular OnePlus feature?
The Concept One remains best understood as an experimental design showcase. OnePlus did not turn this specific disappearing-camera feature into a standard, widely available feature on its mainstream phones. The CES prototype demonstrated a possibility, not a promise that the next OnePlus handset would include electrochromic camera glass.
Concept devices are useful for revealing the questions a company is exploring, but their features do not necessarily reach commercial products. A reader considering a phone purchase should compare models that are actually sold and check their published specifications, rather than treating a concept presentation as a product announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the OnePlus Concept One shown at CES?
Yes. OnePlus presented the Concept One at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, showing its electronically tintable rear camera glass.
Did the camera physically disappear?
No. The lenses stayed in place. The glass above them changed from clear to dark, making the cameras less visible when not in use.
What is electrochromic glass?
It is glass or a glass-based layer whose appearance changes when an electrical signal alters its optical state. In this concept, it darkened the camera area.
Could you buy the Concept One?
OnePlus presented it as a concept phone, not a retail model with an announced price or release date.
Was it an under-display camera?
No. The rear camera lenses were behind tintable glass on the back of the phone. The design did not place a camera beneath the phone’s display.
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