The OnePlus 11 Concept is the coolest smartphone you’ll never have
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When OnePlus teased its OnePlus 11 Concept ahead of MWC 2023 earlier this month, we were quick to speculate that the mysterious device looked more like a gaming PC than a phone.
Well, it turns out, that assessment wasn’t too far wrong. Now that we’ve covered the OnePlus 11 Concept ourselves at the annual Barcelona trade show, we can confidently say that this phone is indeed the most gaming PC-like handset we’ve ever seen. But hold on to the applause, because we also know that the OnePlus 11 Concept certainly won’t earn a spot on our list of the best gaming phones anytime soon.
Unfortunately, the OnePlus 11 Concept is just that: a concept. Essentially it’s a prototype version of the OnePlus 11 (you can read our thoughts on that phone in our OnePlus 11 review) that aims to demonstrate how gaming PC-like liquid cooling tech could be applied to future OnePlus smartphones – which is sure a nice idea, albeit one in the early stages of development.
That said, the OnePlus 11 Concept does operate like a real phone. The models we were able to handle at MWC looked and felt like real devices we could buy, complete with scrollable screens and working operating systems, which is an achievement in itself on OnePlus’ part.
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Active CryoFlux is the aptly futuristic name OnePlus has given to the active cooling technology at work in the OnePlus 11 Concept, and the company’s description of how this system works is even more Doctor Who-esque.
Per OnePlus: “Active CryoFlux has an industrial-grade piezoelectric ceramic micropump at its core, connected to pipelines sandwiched between an upper and lower diaphragm. The micropump occupies an area of less than 0.2 cm squared, allowing coolant to circulate through the pipelines without significantly increasing the weight and thickness of the OnePlus 11 Concept.
“The clear back provides a mesmerizing view of the Active CryoFlux pipelines at work. The back cover also has a magnetron sputtering coating where metal and alloy are deposited onto the case in small amounts using an electric field.
Piezoelectric ceramic micropump? Magnetron sputtering coating? Honestly, we’re not entirely sure what all this means, but it sounds cool, and that’s good enough for us to notice.
As for the practical benefits of Active CryoFlux, OnePlus says that lab testing has shown the system’s ability to lower a phone’s temperature by up to 2.1°C during gameplay, increasing the frame rate of the tested game by 3 -4 is being improved. frames.
Active CryoFlux was also found to reduce the temperature of the tested phone by 1.6°C during charging, reducing total charge time by 30-45 seconds.
Sure, those could read as negligible improvements on paper, but if active cooling technology can be proven to match or better the cooling capacity of heavy smartphone fans, then we’re all for it.
Besides, what kind of person wouldn’t want a luminous, “glacial” zigzag across the back of their phone? Count us in, OnePlus.