Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends

We ’re long past the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. when phones were pick out solely based on their design . Despite more modern form factor such as foldables , the contemporary slab sound design reigns supreme — because why reinvent the wheel when the current one give way you complete traction on all road ? That read , phone brands have never stop imagining newer design tweak to help phone stand out , and a headphone ’s color is a primary focal point of care .

Within the limited dimensions of the back control panel , smartphone brands have persistently reiterate unlike color choices , combination , and texture over the past few years . We have see movement such as textures under spyglass , gradients , vegan leather , and more . But OnePlus is take a rather simple step of launching a newfangled whitened colour variate of theOnePlus 12 . The Glacial White OnePlus 12 has been useable in China since the earphone was in the beginning launched last December and is now moving out of the mainland as a limited variation .

OnePlus 12 Glacial White on a wrinkly satin white cloth.

Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends

OnePlus has a long lineage of awe - inspiring designs , be it theOnePlus 11 ’s Marble Odyssey editionor thelimited -edition OnePlus 12Rwith artworks inspired by the popular office - playing gameGenshin Impact . Choosing a white paint line of work may seem like a lazy selection , but it ’s actually a very bold step . Here ’s why I think the young semblance is so outstanding .

What makes the OnePlus 12 Glacial White special

White is a timeless color that signifies elegance , perfection , and purity , yet smartphone brands rarely offer a white color , peculiarly on their more exchange premium devices . Apple and Nothing continue to hold up the trends — or rather make choice that other make want to avoid — by systematically pumping out iteration of white phones .

Other brands , OnePlus included , have made bloodless sound on and off . If we overlook the off - whitish Marble Odyssey OnePlus 11 ( which is close to a light yellow bamboo ) , the last one was the OnePlus 9 . And I really look up to the fact that OnePlus fail down this path once again .

As a phone reviewer , I juggle between multiple phones . While the novelty of raw phones and the variation that each offer in experience are exciting , it is every bit perturb — especially when I have a crucial deadline to tackle . To avoid instinctually pick up phones to angle out new features , I tend to keep them on my desk with the display facing downward .

From among the drove of phones , the OnePlus 12 well stands out . The plain aerofoil , plus the pernicious reflectivity off its back and the camera ring , feels spellbinding to depend at , even from a length . The Glacial White OnePlus 12 is so likable because of how rarified livid phones are these day .

But in addition to the rarity of blanched phones ( or light - colored unity , in general ) , it is the level of delicacy that make the Glacial White OnePlus 12 so special . There is a high level of item here that I simply can not brush off or attribute just to the vividness . Instead , every detail on the white OnePlus 12 feels intentional and meticulously calculated .

The OnePlus 12 already has a well - rounded and premium plan , so there was n’t much the brand had to improve on that front . All curved shape immix seamlessly across different stuff and there are no sharp edges , lending the phone a very premium appeal .

Like several premature phones , OnePlus ascribes the inspiration for the color to nature : magnificent glaciers to be exact , as is also evident from the rather straightforward naming . “ It is crafted to reflect the power that balances the topsy-turvydom of spirit , ” OnePlus says . Beyond the poetical verbal description , the sound ’s in - person appearance is what makes it so captivating .

Details that go beyond the white color

OnePlus has an exceptionalvideoon the qualification of the Glacial White OnePlus 12 . But the fine artistry that lead into creating it can only be witnessed when you look at it in person .

From the moment I took the phone out of the box , I could n’t resist apprise the pearl - corresponding finish of the lily-white back panel . I also could n’t aid but notice that the color is not simply a stroke of pigment on the top - most stratum . or else , it sits a few millimeters late under the chalk — further protected by an unspecified version of Gorilla Glass . The OnePlus logo in calamitous is incised into the bloodless and not merely printed , which is sustain by the artifacts ring it under direct light .

Unlike the Emerald Green OnePlus 12 , which is lead by a layer of chicken feed with a satin polish , the white OnePlus 12 uses a highly glossy duvet . This makes the back panel highly reflective , adding significant perceivable depth .

take care closely at the back , I point out a superfine weave normal that ’s only visible under light and at certain angle . It ’s not easily apparent , but once I comment it , I spent the next few minute examining all the different angles it is visible at — and even revisited it several times .

OnePlus knowns plain white is boring

Another thing that I instantly find about the back panel was that it was n’t composed of a upstanding blanched color . While I am unsure if that is because of the groundwork plate or the glass that tops it , the back while adapts prevalent gloss from the milieu to come along in different shades of white or gray . For case , it appears more creamy clean under brilliant daylight , but assumes a cooler greyish vividness indoors . Under a warm lily-white author or mood firing , the back has an amber tincture to it .

Unless there is an intense lite source , the OnePlus 12 ’s back circularize the light somewhat . This pattern of dispersion also take issue from that of the OnePlus 12R , which uses a likewise calendered and pondering glass back , but with a texture that resembles metallic paint . Speaking of which , there is another part of the phone where OnePlus has generously sprinkled glitter : the camera mental faculty .

Unlike the comparatively simplistic finish on the back instrument panel , the circular camera module use a shimmery surface with tiny heartbeat particles . Similar to theOnePlus Open — and the OnePlus 12 ’s other color variants — the Glacial White uses a vacuum - sealed tv camera bay , with three smaller halo hem in the three cameras and a 4th one for the flash and the optical maser autofocus . This design choice , as OnePlus has previously said , is inspire by premium analog watches .

Based on the light that fall on the camera mental faculty , it work flares pivoted along the essence of the traffic circle . The flare well catch the care , especially when the phone is held out to take a photograph or video recording . Besides these shard of reflected light , markings denoting the aperture sizes and focal length of each of the cameras — as well as the “ H ” logo for Hasselblad — are joyfully play up .

Like the other people of colour options , the metallic element frame extend to twine around the camera bump . This discussion section is made of atomic number 13 and has a chrome finish , contrast against the white of the rest of the phone . Owing to its chrome finish , the surface is highly brooding , but also very prostrate to smudges and fingerprint , which are otherwise less visible on the blank back board .

As gorgeous as Elvis

The smartphone industry is perpetually alter — and under attempt fromnon - speech sound widget attempting(yetmiserably failing ) to replace phones . There ’s no sure room to guarantee whether white phones will persist in to be in a control limbo or amount back in vogue like they werea decade ago .

This does n’t refuse that colorful and flashy headphone have a clear vantage in sales . They more easily grab your attention , specially in a store with dozens of evenly confusing options . So , it ’s unlikely to bear brands would stop make such telephone . However , subtler colour option , such as clean , will emphatically feel more toothsome than corny gradient ending .

The OnePlus 12 with all its capabilities and charm reminds me of Elvis and hisdandy white jumpsuits . It is also a reminder that the timelessness of white will prevail against the betting odds and for all product categories , not just earpiece .

However , if you wish to buy the Glacial White OnePlus 12 , you might have to bank exclusively on luck since it ’s not descend to the U.S. just yet . While it has been limited to China so far , OnePlus is now expanding availableness to India , but has not point out on global availability . The pricing is monovular to the other colour variant but the Glacial White OnePlus 12 will only be available in a exclusive 12 GB + 256 GB stochastic variable . However , OnePlus has claimed this is a modified - edition role model , which further limits your chances of fix a unit . But if you superintend to catch one , know that you ’re in for something extra .