OnePlus teases a concept phone that could fix one of OnePlus 11's biggest problems

A teaser image of the OnePlus 11 Concept, showing blue pipework coiling beneath the phone's back glass, in exploded view — (Image credit: OnePlus)

The OnePlus 11 Concept, just teased by the company ahead of the Mobile World Congress event next week, looks a lot like the OnePlus 11 taken to, well, 11.

The 11 Concept appears to have the same basic body and camera shape as the OnePlus 11, except with a big change in the form of vivid blue "pipelines" coiling up and down the length of the phone. It's not clear yet whether they have a purpose, but we're hopeful that they will have some use. Or at least that the phone will debut some interesting tech alongside the unique "glacial lake" design, as OnePlus describes it.

In our OnePlus 11 review, we praised the phone's great battery life, display, performance and much-improved cameras, as well as the price. Our only two big concerns were the lack of wireless charging and the 2x telephoto lens being less powerful than rival phones.

While there is a suspicious-looking square opening in the Concept 11's camera module (usually a sign of a periscope zoom camera with high magnification), we doubt this phone is meant to be a serious replacement for the 11, even if it perhaps hints at an improved telephoto camera in the future.

A teaser image of the OnePlus 11 Concept, showing luminous blue pipes coiling up towards the camera module, which appears to have three round openings and one square one — (Image credit: OnePlus)

OnePlus' last concept phone, the Concept One, had a unique party trick in the form of electrochromic glass. This would change between transparent and opaque with the application of an electric current, letting the phone hide or reveal its rear cameras. That's why we're hoping the 11 Concept has something equally interesting to show us beyond its wiggly blue pipes.

No production OnePlus phone has used electrochromic glass, but OnePlus did at least follow the Concept One's design language for that year's OnePlus 8 series handsets. We've already seen the OnePlus 11 though, so the concept could point to how the assumed OnePlus 11T could look later this year, or the design of next year's OnePlus 12 models. Equally, this could just be an impressive-looking phone that has little bearing on the company's future direction.

The full announcement of this phone will be taking place next Monday (February 27) at 9 a.m. local time (8 a.m. UK, 3 a.m. ET, 7 p.m. in Australia). Tom's Guide will have reporters on the ground at MWC 2023, so when the phone is officially revealed, we'll be getting in close for a good look, and maybe even a hands-on if we're allowed. Stay tuned!

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Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.