A few weeks ago, when Apple introduced the iPhone 17 Pro, I breathed a sigh of relief. After continuing the same fundamental design language that appeared atop the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple finally decided to switch things around. The square-ish camera hump is gone, and we have a new dual-tone look at the back.
Now, one can argue that a phone’s design isn’t too consequential, as most users will slap a case on it at the end of the day. I don’t agree with that logic. If that were true, why would brands even experiment with colors in the first place, or why would buyers spend time pondering over the right color to pick?
The color you choose is an expression of your aesthetic taste and personality. So far, 2025 has been rather drab, and just as I was losing hope, the OnePlus 15 dropped. Naturally, my eyes were fixated on the sand dune-inspired color option. Yes, the color theme is unique, but I have a few more reasons to pick this one than just the freshness of its nature-inspired looks.
This one is stronger. And thinner. And lighter.
It’s quite rare to see a brand experiment with different materials for the same smartphone. At best, you get half a dozen color options, and it’s usually a choice between matte and glossy finish on the rear shell. OnePlus is an exception. Over the past few years, it has delivered some stunners, and with different material choices to pick from within the same generation.
My personal favorites are the mineral-inspired OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey Edition, the fiery OnePlus 11R Solar Red, and the OnePlus 13 in Midnight Ocean trim that is clad in blue micro-fiber vegan leather against silver metal. This time around, the sand dune-inspired OnePlus 15 is the one that got my heart racing.
OnePlus officially refers to it as the “Sand Storm” edition. And here’s the best part. This one is not only an eyeball-grabber, but also sturdier than the other two color variants. So, what makes this one special? Well, the surrounding metallic frame and the camera island on this one have been treated to an aerospace-grade Micro-Arc Oxidation (MAO) process, a first for any smartphone.
“Aerospace-grade toughness arrives through a high-voltage plasma process that grows a ceramic coating directly on the metal frame,” says the company. But this process is not merely an aesthetic choice. OnePlus claims that the deposited material fortifies its metallic frame, making it 3.4 times as hard as aluminum and nearly 1.3 times as tough as titanium.
From the official assets that OnePlus has released so far, it seems the mid-frame has a matte texture to it, instead of the glossy or polished metal that the industry has seemingly grown obsessed with. To complement the understated sandy look, the glass fiber reinforced composite material on the back also has a silky texture without any gaudy gloss over it.
Interestingly, the hero shade of the OnePlus 15 also happens to be thinner and lighter than the black and purple color options. We are looking at a difference of 8.1 vs 8.2 millimeters in thickness, and 211 vs 215 grams in weight. The difference isn’t too significant, but it’s still worth talking about for buyers who are picking the Sand Storm variant.
It breaks the monotony
I recently wrote about how Samsung’s smartphone design is in a crisis phase. Apple wasn’t too different, up until the 2025 portfolio shifted things around. Save for Chinese brands such as Oppo, Xiaomi, and OnePlus, the big players have mostly stuck with the same design routine.
The fundamental design language is a familiar glass and metal sandwich. Be it Apple, Samsung, or Google, the choices have been stiff. Glossy or frosted glass at the back. A choice between aluminum, steel, and titanium for the metallic chassis. The color palette either falls within the white-grey spectrum, or goes with bubbly, vibrant shades.
These cash-loaded brands barely ever look at the natural elements around them, or even the synthetic beauties such as carbon fiber or vegan leather. OnePlus, on the other hand, has drawn inspiration from wood grain, marble, sandstone, leather, and more. The OnePlus 15 carries forward that legacy with the Sand Storm edition.
It’s unique, and I haven’t seen this shade appear on a mainstream phone in years. But OnePlus went beyond a vain color experiment for this one. On the contrary, the company gave it a meaningful twist by bestowing it with a unique silk-inspired texture that offers a secure grip while also lending some extra sturdiness to the kit.
Overall, the sand dune-inspired variant of the OnePlus 15 is not just a bold design experiment that goes beyond the norms and breaks the monotony that has gripped the industry, but also gives a meaningful twist to the whole effort. Neat work there, OnePlus!
It’s in vogue
I recently came across an article in The Guardian discussing the “sad beige aesthetic” and how it has caught the world by storm. The article argued that shades such as oat, bone, and sand have a strong anaesthetising effect. Experts, on the other hand, have a logical explanation behind the popularity of such understated shades.
Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, told the outlet that colors such as beige are deemed dependable because people associate them with sand, stone, and nature in general. “The human mind, light tones like beiges are reliable – it’s the color of the sphinx. People will often refer to the beige tones as everlasting and classic,” she was quoted as saying.
And it seems these shades are in vogue, too. Mocha Mousse was the Pantone Color of the Year in 2025, while Peach Fuzz took the honors in 2024. In 2021, it was ultimate grey, while Rose Quartz was deemed the winner in 2016. Sand Dollar, which looks closest to the Sand Storm shade embraced by the OnePlus 15, was crowned by Pantone in 2006.
These shades have also been lapped up by a rather affluent niche of the fashion industry lately. Alessandro Sartori, artistic director at Italian luxury label Ermenegildo Zegna, told The New York Times that beige colors are luxe and less noticeable, something that signifies fashionably super-rich.
“The ultrawealthy don’t want to show off, and beige colors are good in that sense,” he told the outlet. The top echelons of the fashion industry have lapped up the formula, too. “Browns dominate with a 58% rise, accompanied by other neutrals like light beige and light green,” says an analysis of the 2025 Spring/Summer fashion weeks by Fashion Network.
It notes that neutral stone shades have actually grown by 155% on a year-over-year basis. It would seem OnePlus has been closely monitoring the rise of “quiet luxury” shades and decided to put one on the OnePlus 15. Maybe, it’s just a coincidence that the sand storm shade was locked a while ago, and it materialized when the fashion climate was just right.
Either way, the final product is stunning. And without an iota of doubt, I am picking this one as my daily driver in the coming weeks. I just wish Apple did similar experiments where each color option on the iPhone 17 Pro had its own unique in-hand feel and story to tell. I guess we’ll have to wait a couple more years for the anniversary edition iPhone to redefine Apple smartphone aesthetics.
