In late December, OPPO launched the Reno5 Pro+ as the high-end model in the Reno5 series. This device comes with a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC. The company also announced a special variant of this handset called OPPO Reno5 Pro+ Artist Limited Edition with an electrochromic rear glass panel. This special version is now up for pre-order in China.

OPPO is known for releasing special variants of its popular phones. Last year’s OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G had multiple such versions. One of them was ‘Artist Limited Edition’, in collaboration with James Jean, a Taiwanese-American artist. This variant of Reno4 Pro 5G had a distinct AG rear glass panel with an art etched on it.

However, the new OPPO Reno5 Pro+ 5G Artist Limited Edition boasts an electrochromic glass panel on its back. This device is designed in partnership with another artist called Joshua Vides, who is known for his sketch-like designs.

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Hence, this limited edition of OPPO Reno5 Pro+ 5G looks like it is out of a sketchbook. Also, it is the world’s first commercial smartphone with an electrochromic glass panel. Thanks to this tech, the device’s rear color can be changed from ‘Silver’ to ‘Blue’ by simply tapping on it. Since the company claims over 30,000 color change cycles, it should work up until the end of the handset’s lifecycle.

That said, this version of OPPO Reno 5 Pro+ 5G comes in a single 12GB + 256GB storage configuration. It is priced at ¥4,499 ($693) and is up for pre-order on JD in China ahead of its sale on January 22. Like the most limited edition smartphones by OPPO, this one may also remain exclusive to the brand’s home country.

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Electrochromic glass made its first appearance on smartphones with the OnePlus Concept One at CES 2020. Later, vivo showcased a handset with a color-changing rear panel with this tech. ZTE’s Red Magic also has a gaming smartphone with a similar design in the works. OnePlus 8T Concept is another device with this type of glass. According to Digital Chat station, a well-known Chinese tipster, more OEMs will use electrochromic glass on their devices in 2021.

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In January this year at the CES 2020, OnePlus announced the Concept One smartphone which is equipped with a rear glass panel that has electrochromic technology in order to hide the rear cameras. The Reno 5 Pro+ 5G that was launched recently also has electrochromic technology on the rear panel.

There are indications that the technology may become a new trend in the mobile phone circle next year. According to noted tipster Digital Chat Station, the electrochromic technology which premiered on the Concept One and is going commercial on the Reno 5 Pro + will be utilized on many phones next year.  The source tips mobile phone manufacturers such as Vivo, Xiaomi, Meizu, and Nubia as working on smartphones that will use electrochromic technology. Testing of this technology has reportedly started.

Electrochromic technology uses an invisible alloy called tungsten oxide. When tungsten oxide is applied to glass, the surface can conduct electricity, and the passed charge can change the composition of glass molecules, thereby generating a variety of gorgeous colors.

This technology allows users to customize the color of the back cover of the mobile phone and can prompt the user accordingly by changing the color of the back cover according to different application scenarios for functions such as incoming calls, message notifications, or health.

It is worth mentioning that, although the principle of electrochromic technology is complicated, it has minimal impact on the battery power of mobile phones. On the OnePlus Concept One, the electrochromic rear panel is monitored to consume only 2-3mAh of battery power in one hour.

At present, electrochromic technology has been widely used in buildings, airplanes, and automotive glass. It is believed that this technology will become one of the selling points of various mobile phone manufacturers in the near future.

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In recent times, many OEMs have been placing an increasing emphasis on the looks of their device. This holds true especially with Chinese smartphone makers like Realme that try and offer unique colors and designs on their offerings. Now, Vivo is also looking to offer an eye catching device, which features a color changing rear panel.

In a video shared by the Chinese tech giant, a device can be observed that features a rear panel with shifting colors. The technology used to achieve this is based on electrochromism. For those unaware, this phenomenon allows the glass to change colors and opacity based on the voltage applied to it. In the short video, a Vivo engineer can be seen explaining the technology.

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While Electrochromatic glass isn’t something new in the world, but it is largely an untapped resource in the smartphone industry. To explain in brief, two transparent electrode sheets are sandwiched with two glass sheets with an electrochromic film in the middle alongside an ion conductor and ion storage film. So when low voltage is applied, the ios change their consistency, which in turn, changes the light and how it bends when it passes through the EC film.

In another leaked video, the smartphone used to demo the technology appears to be a Vivo S7 5G, as seen by its rear camera module. So, we might see the inclusion of electrochromism in future Vivo smartphones. It is a low power technology so it won’t strain the battery life or cause the device to overheat. Notably, since the technology is transparent by nature, we can also expect a dynamic rear panel that varies in its opacity as well. Although we will have to wait and see when Vivo finally decides to ship this technology in its smartphones.

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Yesterday, OnePlus released a teaser video showing a feature of the OnePlus Concept One smartphone it wants to show off at CES 2020 next week. A part of the video showed the triple rear cameras of the phone invisible at first and then visible the next second. OnePlus said they were able to achieve that using color-shifting glass technology. Now there is an explanation of how the technology works.

How it works

In an exclusive story by Wired, we learn that the technology actually uses electrochromic glass. This special type of glass changes from opaque to transparent when a current is applied to the glass. It is used to make the sunroofs of some luxury cars, airplane windows and can even be found in some buildings where it is used as walls and windows. Now, OnePlus is bringing it to phones with help from McLaren.

The OnePlus Concept One has taken a piece of this special glass and used it to cover up the rear cameras of the phone. So at first look, the phone appears not to have cameras on the back but when you launch the camera app, a charge is sent to the glass that makes it transparent and then the sensors become visible. When you exit the app, the glass becomes opaque.  It sure makes for a nice party trick, however, there is a lot of work behind it as well as challenges.

Challenges

First, OnePlus had to work on the time it takes for the glass to change between opaque to transparent. You don’t want to miss out on that perfect shot because the glass is yet to shift. For a company obsessed with speed, this is definitely a big deal but OnePlus’ CEO, Pete Lau, says the OnePlus Concept One is able to shift between opaque and transparent in less than a second.

Second, the glass requires power to function, so another thing they had to work on was how to minimize power consumption, so there is no impact on battery life.

Pete Lau said another challenge was the thickness of the phone as the electrochromic glass is said to require the addition of another material on the rear glass of the phone. They were able to do so successfully with just an increase of 0.1 millimeters to the overall thickness of the phone.

Last but definitely not least is reliability. No one wants a phone whose cameras can’t be used probably because there is an issue preventing the glass from shifting. It has also been reported that electrochromic glass can degrade after a number of years when switching between modes and is also not easily replaceable. OnePlus doesn’t really have to worry much since it says this is just a concept device and it has no plans to go into mass production anytime soon.

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Design

The Wired post also revealed details about the OnePlus Concept One. A model that was on display at a briefing in San Francisco last month is reported to be covered in leather that has the same papaya-orange color MacLaren uses. However, the one we saw in the teaser video appears to be all glass.

Based on some sketch diagrams of the product, the OnePlus Concept One appears to have a display unlike the curved one in the teaser video.

The OnePlus Concept One is said to have the same rear camera specifications as the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition. That means it has a 48MP primary rear camera paired with an 8MP telephoto camera and a 16MP ultrawide angle camera. The electrochromic glass technology covering the cameras is the same used as an option for the McLaren 720S and the 2018 McLaren 570GT.

According to Xi Zeng, creative director at OnePlus, it was the McLaren 720S they saw on a tour of McLaren’s headquarters that inspired them to bring the technology to phones. By the end of 2018, there was a dedicated group of engineers working on the project already.

It remains to be seen if the mobile industry will adopt the use of electrochromic glass but it is interesting to see OnePlus is experimenting with a new design.

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(Sources: 1, 2)

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