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Prototypes reveal OnePlus devices with no headphone jack, crazy colors
- A look at a collection of OnePlus prototypes gives a glimpse into design ideas that didn’t make the cut.
- Among the prototypes are devices without headphone jacks and OnePlus 5 designs with only one camera lens.
- The OnePlus 6 had dozens of color tests before OnePlus settled on the four current choices.
OnePlus is a company that obsesses over design. Their recent 600-word treatise on why the OnePlus 6 Red edition is red is a testament to the fact that the company is almost too into the design elements of its devices.
As one would expect, a company that pays that much attention to the minor details of its phones likely has a lot of prototype designs laying around its offices. OnePlus does for sure, and PCMag got a look at them; there’s some pretty interesting stuff in there.
Check out the video tour below to see for yourself:
One of the main things you’ll notice in the video is just how many color choices the company tested for the OnePlus 6 before it eventually came down on four: Silk White, Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and the brand new Red. It looks like there’s some pink in there, a lot of different purples, a gradient gold, and even a gradient design that looks a lot like the back of the HUAWEI P20 Pro.
The next thing you’ll notice is how radical the changes were to the OnePlus 5 from its original prototype to its final design. For example, it originally had a single camera lens and a back that made it look almost identical to the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.
However, if you read the article attached to the video, there’s some info there that isn’t shown, like the fact that in that pile of prototypes are devices without headphone jacks. This proves that OnePlus was at the very least playing around with the idea of removing the headphone jack from its phones.
Luckily, all the OnePlus 6 prototypes in the video have a headphone jack, so it seems that OnePlus abandoned the idea of going without the jack early on.
You’ll also notice that two design elements are completely missing from all the prototypes in the video: the sandstone back that came on the original OnePlus One and the wood back that came as a swappable cover. Unfortunately, it seems OnePlus has moved on from these ideas.
What do you think? Is there anything in the video you wish OnePlus had kept? Let us know in the comments!