Skip to main content

OnePlus 8T Concept uses mmWave to track your breathing, and looks good doing it

OnePlus is getting a little more … experimental. With the new OnePlus 8T Concept, the company is showing off a number of new features that might eventually make it into OnePlus phones. The new device is essentially a OnePlus 8T, with a few features that OnePlus thinks push the boundaries of current smartphone technology — though whether or not those features end up being used in actual phones in the future is up for debate.

According to OnePlus, the 8T Concept uses a combination of “natural design inspiration and advanced technologies to create a more natural interaction between users and the device.”

For starters, the device once again features OnePlus’ color-changing glass, which was first shown off in the OnePlus Concept One earlier this year. The tech essentially uses a film that contains a metal oxide and changes color from dark blue to light silver when that metal oxide is activated.

OnePlus 8T Concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder

But OnePlus is taking that a step further by integrating that tech with mmWave. According to OnePlus, when this device receives and transmits mmWave electromagnetic waves, the device can use a combination of digital signal processing and the CPU to perceive and locate objects in 3D around the phone. Note that this doesn’t necessarily occur during 5G use — the device just uses the ultra-high-frequency radio waves that are similar to and also used in 5G transmission.

The actual uses for this tech, of course, may be a bit limited — but OnePlus has a few ideas. For example, your device could flash different colors for an incoming call, and the call could be accepted or rejected with a gesture, similar to the Pixel 4’s gesture controls, enabled by Soli. Or, OnePlus says that it could be used to register a user’s breathing, and even change color in sync with your breathing.

This kind of tech seems interesting, but how accurate it is, and whether or not people adopt it, remains to be seen. Of course, there’s also the fact that OnePlus has yet to include it in a phone that it’s actually selling — and until then, we can’t really try it out for ourselves.

It is cool to see companies experimenting with new kinds of technology, and it looks like that may continue at OnePlus, too. The company is also announcing OnePlus Gaudi, which is a new team within OnePlus that’s dedicated to integrating technology and art. Safe to say, we should see more of this kind of tech from OnePlus in the future.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
This is OnePlus’ next Android tablet — the OnePlus Pad Go
OnePlus Pad Go official imagery.

OnePlus Pad Go OnePlus

OnePlus started its journey making fast phones that didn't cost an outrageous amount of money — a strategy that soon trickled down to earbuds and subsequently made its way to the tablet segment. The OnePlus Pad arrived in April, serving a sleek slate with a high-resolution 144Hz screen and a top-tier chip for a price lower than Apple’s entry-level iPad.

Read more
Is this our first look at the OnePlus 12?
Leaked OnePlus 12 render

The next flagship from OnePlus might not serve much of an aesthetic surprise, but it just might win over mobile photography enthusiasts. SmartPrix (in collaboration with @OnLeaks) has shared purported renders of the upcoming OnePlus 12 "based on real-life pictures of a testing unit prototype."

Now, before we dig further into the juicy details, here's the standard disclaimer. The leak comes from a reputed source, but the renders depict a testing stage device, of which there could be multiple iterations. That means the final device hitting the shelves could look slightly – or much – different.

Read more
Is this our first look at the OnePlus Fold? I sure hope so
Purported front and rear view of the OnePlus V Fold

OnePlus recently gave a teasing glimpse of its first foldable phone. Well, that glimpse was actually turned into a high-resolution view of the upcoming device, thanks to leaker @OnLeaks (via SmartPrix). The leaked renders of the upcoming OnePlus Fold show a device that is unmistakably OnePlus, with some standout design touches and a promising camera perk.

But a word of caution before you start digging into your wallet. The leaked renders are reportedly based on “a prototype unit in the testing stage,” which means the final version hitting the shelves later this year might look a tad -- or maybe entirely -- different.

Read more