OnePlus' new concept phone is the coolest phone ever

OnePlus' latest concept phone is all about keeping it cool. The company showcased the OnePlus 11 concept device at MWC Barcelona, the back of which has bright blue piping to represent the cooling liquid of its "Active CryoFlux" cooling technology.

Yes, it's designed to look attractive, but OnePlus argues that the cooling system serves an important practical purpose. The company claims that by keeping the phone cool under load, you can get better performance from games and faster charging speeds. Without the need for the "size, weight and noise" of a physically rotating fan as we've seen in smartphone cooling accessories from the likes of Nubia or Razer or Asus.

Two cited performance benefits include a temperature drop of 2.1 °C (about 35.8 °F) during gaming, which OnePlus claims can improve performance between 3 and 4 frames per second, or while charging. A short out may occur during an active cryoflux system. The temperature rises by 1.6 °C (about 34.9 °F), which increases the charging speed to 30 to 45 seconds.

Unfortunately, none of these performance benefits were on display with the OnePlus 11 concept device that the company was showing off during its MWC showcase, so we'll have to go by the company's practical benefits. Although they do look beautiful.

OnePlus says an "industrial-grade piezoelectric ceramic micropump" pushes the liquid into the device's pipelines, and it takes up less than 0.2cm² of space. Despite the cooling system, the phone didn't feel particularly thick or heavy in the hand, although it's unclear whether other internal components were scaled down to make room for the cooling system.

Unfortunately it's unclear when, or if indeed, the active Cryoflux cooling system could make it into a consumer device. OnePlus has revealed similar concept devices before, including one with a color-changing back and another with a vanishing camera, and we've yet to see the technology released to the world. It would be a shame if the OnePlus 11 concept met the same fate.