A new version of the OnePlus 11 is on the way – and it’ll be built out of something other than glass or metal.
That’s according to OnePlus China president Li Jie, who revealed the news on the social media site Weibo. "OnePlus 11 is about to launch a ‘special product’, which once again challenges the ‘impossible’ in the industry,” Jie said “It is built with unprecedented materials and craftsmanship, making each mobile phone unique and leading the flagship quality again."
There were no further details as to exactly what the phone will be made from, but interestingly the post included an image of a OnePlus 11 superimposed over the planet Jupiter. Suffice to say, this doesn't look to be a market-ready version of the OnePlus 11 Concept phone we went hands-on with at MWC 2023, with integrated liquid cooling.
The OnePlus 11 is currently sold with a rear made of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and a metal frame running its edge, much like the best Samsung phones are, and indeed as the likes of the Google Pixel 7 is.
So, why Jupiter?
Assuming OnePlus isn't going to pull off a sci-fi feat and make a phone entirely out of gas (though some might find their marketing full of hot air), the question of the day is what the Jupiter reference indicates. And indeed, how that then tallies with the choice of material.
Glass, ceramic, metal, leather, vegan-leather, and polycarbonate are all options that have already been used by other phones – so it would be surprising if OnePlus chose any of those. A few people have suggested marble, based on the look of Jupiter. The planet, from a distance, does resemble marble, which isn't a far cry from ceramic – a material that parent company Oppo already uses.
A design similar to the signature brown of the Oppo Find X6 could find its way to global markets, after all, with this new material as its medium. A OnePlus 11 in marble would be rather marbellous (please clap) and something we haven't seen yet in a phone. Of course, there's also only a slight chance that it will come to Australian, European, and US markets anyway with a China-only rollout far more likely.
Fortunately, the company’s latest flagship is great even without fancy new materials. As our OnePlus 11 review makes clear, it has a powerful camera, fast charging, and excellent performance, and deserves its place in our list of the best phones currently available, as a result.
