A phone is a big brick of plastics, aluminum, and wires. There’s nothing particularly natural about it, but OnePlus’ latest iteration on its mainline phone, the OnePlus 12, is returning to nature thanks to a unique colorway that looks chiseled out of a rockface. More importantly, the company’s next phone will move the beloved alert slider from the left to the right side to make way for a type of game-streaming antenna.
According to a new teaser trailer the company dropped on Monday, OnePlus wants you to run through scenic grassland and cross mountains with its upcoming OnePlus 12 smartphone. They want you to sprint to the top of that hill and bellow in a strange, bird-like “caw” as you hold your phone by your side. Oh, and eventually you can use the phone to snap a new picture of those grand natural vistas, we can assume.
There are very few actual details about the new phone in that video nor on the company’s product page. If you pause the video, you’ll notice the alert slider, which lets users toggle from mute to silent with the flick of a switch, has moved from the right to the left side of the phone. Some dedicated OnePlus fans might be annoyed by the change, but it’s not like companies like Apple haven’t been sticking their mute toggle on the left side of their phones for years.
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The shift is reportedly due to a new focus on game streaming for OnePlus phones. The company told Gizmodo there’s a new antenna on the right side that’s supposed to reduce latency for game streaming. The company claimed the move would improve the signal by 3dB and reduce latency by 15%.
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“Based on internal testing, it has been determined that the optimal position for gaming antennas is between the forefingers of the user when the phone is held in landscape orientation,” the company relayed in an email. “However, the space is currently occupied by the Alert Slider on the OnePlus 11. By relocating the Alert Slider to the opposite side of the phone, better gaming antennas can be deployed on the OnePlus 12.”
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Whether that focus on streaming ends up being a selling point of the new phone is still to be determined, but it doesn’t really fit into the company’s whole “nature” advertising. We may need to wait until next week for the full reveal.
According to Yahoo Tech HK, the new phone will be sporting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which isn’t much of a shock considering the OnePlus 11 ran on the Gen 2. The new phone should also have a 2K display by Chinese manufacturer BOE. It will also support wireless charging and “infrared remote control functions.” Interestingly, the new phone might also get “rain touch,” which is featured in the company’s China-only Ace2Pro that will prevent ghosting when trying to use a phone in wet conditions.
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The large Hasselblad circular camera array remains virtually unchanged, though it will be getting a pretty big upgrade with a Sony-brand 50 MP main sensor and a 64 MP, 3X periscope telephoto lens. We were big fans of the telephoto lens on the OnePlus Open, so we’re hoping for similar output from the company’s next phone.
The company, owned by the China-centric Oppo, also shared the opening colors for the upcoming phone through Chinese social media app Weibo. These colors include “blank” white, as well as black plus a more jade-tinged green. That green is a particular standout with an interesting marbling design on its rear that would be a real shame to cover up with a case. The black seems to have a kind of brushed steel finish that’s also pretty pleasing to the eyes, the same as the OnePlus 11.
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While OnePlus is more known for its back-to-basics, no-frills smartphones, we were particularly enthusiastic about the company’s entry into the foldable market. The OnePlus Open was easily one of the best foldables of the year thanks to its limited crease and smooth folding/unfolding action. With a new focus on game streaming and additional features like “rain touch,” OnePlus may be trying to angle its Android phones toward the more premium market to take on giants like Samsung and Google.
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