What you need to know
- OnePlus showed off the design of the OnePlus 12, and the device looks largely similar to this year's model.
- The big change on the design side of things is that the Alert Slider has been moved to the left of the phone.
- The Flowy Emerald color has a unique texture at the back that mimics the flow of water in New Zealand's Dart River.
- The phone is launching in China on December 4.
OnePlus is all set to unveil the OnePlus 12 in China on December 4, and is usually the case ahead of launch, the manufacturer is teasing details of the upcoming phone. Today's news involves the design, with OnePlus revealing the design of the OnePlus 12. The phone retains the same styling as the OnePlus 11, and that's a good thing because I think the OnePlus 11 is one of the best OnePlus phones ever made.
To that effect, you get the same circular camera housing at the back that has the camera modules encased in individual rings, and this time, the Hasselblad logo is moved to the left and you just get the stylized H logo instead of the full name. While the design at the back hasn't changed, OnePlus is using a unique texture that looks evocative.
The Flowy Emerald color variant has a unique stylized texture that's inspired by the "captivating wonders of nature," and in this instance, it is New Zealand's Dart River. Look, I'll just let OnePlus talk about the design:
"Absorbed in the Dart River's embrace, the team was driven to infuse their design with the same elegance that flowed through its braided channels. The ever-changing and fluid pattern of the braided rivers served as the wellspring of inspiration for the OnePlus 12 design."
"To capture the mesmerizing beauty of the braided river on the OnePlus 12, the design team used the 3X periscope telephoto camera of the OnePlus 12 supported by the 4th Gen Hasselblad Camera for Mobile and then employed the latest AG technology to imprint it onto the glass surface of the device. The result was a meticulously crafted texture, perfectly replicating the interwoven strands and breathing vibrant life into the device, seamlessly harmonizing with its cutting-edge technology."
My takeaway there is that the device will continue to feature a 3x optical zoom module, and that's also a good thing. The biggest change on the design side has to do with the position of the Alert Slider — it's now located on the left of the phone. OnePlus says this is because of the positioning of the antennae; basically, by moving the Alert Slider to the left, OnePlus is able to slot in an "Ultra-compact Full-band Antenna" on the right, and this allegedly delivers a better signal. Cool.
If you don't like the look of the Flowy Emerald color option, the OnePlus 12 will also be available in white and black variants. With the phone launching next week, we'll undoubtedly hear more about the hardware, cameras, and battery over the coming days — that's just how OnePlus likes to do things.
