The OnePlus 11 Concept has been unveiled at MWC 2023 and its unique feature is a cooling system called “Active CryoFlux.” OnePlus has announced a few concept smartphones over the last couple of years. At CES 2020, it unveiled the OnePlus Concept One, a smartphone based on the OnePlus 7T Pro that had a piece of electrochromic glass covering the rear cameras. The glass cleverly hid the cameras but when a current is passed through it, it becomes transparent, thus allowing the camera sensors to become visible. It also announced the OnePlus 8T Concept, which had a color-changing back, in the same year.
News of the OnePlus 11 Concept first surfaced at the launch of the OnePlus 11. The device has a similar design to the OnePlus 11 but manages to stand out with its build. According to OnePlus, the smartphone has a glass unibody and the area around the camera features a Guilloché etching which is used in luxury smartwatches. However, what makes it special is the illuminated liquid cooling system dubbed Active CryoFlux which is visible under the transparent glass back.
Very Minimal Benefits When It Works
The OnePlus 11 Concept's Active CryoFlux system is practically a miniaturized version of the flashy liquid cooling system used in desktop gaming PCs. As described by OnePlus, the system uses an ice-cold liquid that is pumped by ceramic piezoelectric micropumps, which are connected to pipelines that are sandwiched between an upper and lower diaphragm. As the circulating liquid runs through the pipes, it takes heat away from the CPU and thus lowers the device's temperature. The pumps are said to take up an area of just 0.2 cm², which makes it possible for the liquid to flow through the pipes without adding significant thickness or weight to the phone.
Despite the surrounding hype, the benefits are quite minimal and almost negligible. When the cooling system works, it is supposed to reduce the temperature by up to 2.1 °C when gaming, which should translate to a 3 to 4 fps gain in framerate during gameplay. In addition, the Active CryoFlux cooling system should also lower the temperature by 1.6 °C during charging and this should convert to a reduction of between 30 and 45 seconds in charging time. What is even more disappointing is that the cooling system is reported not to work, according to tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee who has had a review unit for a few weeks.
It won't be farfetched to say that the OnePlus 11 Concept is a classic case of form over function, as while the Active CryoFlux cooling liquid — which also circulates around the camera island — is aesthetically pleasing, it seems it offers very little benefit. As far as OnePlus concept smartphones go, the OnePlus 11 Concept isn't as mindblowing as the OnePlus One Concept.
Source: OnePlus, Marques Brownlee/YouTube