CES 2020: OnePlus Concept One offers solution for pesky camera bumps

Maybe you're not a fan of unusual, pesky camera bumps that slightly jut out of the back of your phone. OnePlus has a solution for you (sort of). The company collaborated once again with McLaren to introduce the OnePlus Concept One. It is technically a vamped up OnePlus 7T Pro with a papaya-hued leather that the automaker is known for; but, it also has another material inspired by McLaren: the glass it uses for its sunroofs.

The rear cameras of the OnePlus Concept One are hidden under an incredibly thin slice of material called electrochromic glass. The glass can turn from opaque to transparent when a voltage is applied to it. OnePlus used four ultra-fine layers of solitary glass panels and the thinnest electrochromic glass in the industry right in the middle of that. The OnePlus Concept One's glass can shift from opaque to transparent in just 0.7 seconds, which the company claims is another industry speed record.

Aside from offering a cool way to hide your smartphone's rear cameras, the glass can also act as a neutral-density filter for the camera. It is capable of reducing the amount of light that enters the camera by three stops, allowing you to shoot wide aperture shots with tons of bokeh in Pro mode without having to worry about overexposure. According to Engadget, it can even help when shooting video in bright situations.

We don't have a clue when we might see this in a product that's going into production. OnePlus still has a lot of work to do with it, plus, it's expensive to produce at scale. But at least for now we know it's in the company's arsenal.