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Here’s another way OnePlus might hide the cameras on its phones
August 16, 2025
OnePlus seems to be hard at work trying to conceal the cameras on its phones. We previously saw theOnePlus Concept Onepulling off its disappearing act usingelectrochromic glass.
Now, a newOnePlus patentshows another phone capable of hiding its rear camera sensors. However, this one uses a different mechanism altogether.
A cheaper way of hiding rear cameras?
First spotted in theWIPOdatabase by serial patent huntersLetsGoDigital, the new OnePlus patent shows a smartphone with lenses that disappear when not in use.
Unlike the Concept One, this new patented OnePlus phone hides its rear cameras beneath a plastic flap. The images in the patent filing show aOnePlus 7T-like circular camera housing. However, this time, the lenses are stacked vertically instead of horizontally.
There are two phone models depicted in the patent. One of them has three cameras and a flash, while the other has four cameras and a flash. Both of them have the plastic flap that conceals the camera sensors. You can see them in the image below.
Why would you need a phone with hidden cameras? Perhaps OnePlus is pushing this concept to protect the lenses from scratches and dirt. It’s also possible this is a privacy feature much like how you can disable cameras on smart speakers like theAmazon Echo Show. Then again, it could just be a gimmick, but we won’t know for sure until OnePlus actually releases such a device.
This new mechanism of hiding the cameras is also much simpler than that of the OnePlus Concept One. The transparent glass used in the Concept One is more expensive to produce compared to a simple plastic flap described in the new patent.
A cheaper cost of production could make it easier for OnePlus to actually launch this design in the market instead of the Concept One. It still sticks to the idea of no visible camera lenses at the back, if that’s what OnePlus is gunning for.
The electrochromic glass used in the Concept One can also be used as anND filterwhen taking photos though. So you’ll be losing out on this capability if you opted for a phone with plastic flaps instead.
At last! No notch
Besides the hidden back cameras, the new patent also hints atan under-screen selfie camera. Given that itssister companyOppois already experimenting with under-screen cameras, we wouldn’t be surprised if the tech lands on OnePlus phones too.
Related:OPPO under-screen camera detailed: What to know about the next-gen tech
According toLetGoDigital, there’s no visible notch on the phone models depicted within the patent. There’s also a top-angle image included, which does not show any compartment from which a selfie camera can emerge.
Could we see these patented OnePlus smartphone designs this year? Yes and no.
We still don’t know what the OnePlus 8T series has in store, so this patent could very well be related to the upcoming OnePlus phones. However, companies usually patent many different designs and they don’t always make it to production.
We’ll have to wait and see what OnePlus has in store. For now, the upcomingOnePlus 8 seriesis the talk of the town and we expect it to launch in the next month or so.
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