OnePlus 9 Pro could bring back this fan favorite feature we haven't seen in years

We're just a few weeks away from the OnePlus 9 reveal and it looks like OnePlus is reviving this design feature for the Pro

OnePlus Sandstone Black bumper case
(Image credit: OnePlus)
Shabana Arif
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The OnePlus 9 is on the cusp of being revealed this month, with pre-orders rumored to be opening on March 23, and for those of you raring to put your money down, it looks like the fan favorite sandstone chassis could be making a comeback.

We're expecting the OnePlus 9 launch livestream to take place shortly before pre-orders go live, and as well as building up hype with the Hasselblad partnership, which should see OnePlus pulling out the stops on the camera front, the potential return of the sandstone material for the handset is a slightly less impactful spruce-up for the hardware, but is something fans will be excited about nonetheless. 

Twitter tipster Max Jambor has shared an image that appears to be teasing a new finish for the OnePlus 9 Pro, saying: "Something I am personally looking forward to! It's more than just 'Matte' - you know what I mean when it launches." The image looks like a textured smartphone body, and reads "matte black". 

Coupled with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau's comments from last year, it's looking more and more likely that the textured sandstone finish that debuted with the original OnePlus smartphone, and finished with the OnePlus 3 is making a comeback; and as an actual finish on the device, rather than the case it introduced as a replacement of sorts, which was swapped out for the Sandstone Bumper case when the OnePlus 7T rolled out.

Tweeting about the leaked OnePlus 9 designs that were floating around at the time, Lau said:

"No design is ever set in stone. Because if it were, it wouldn't be a very lightweight smartphone."

Could this be alluding to a return to the sandstone chassis that fans loved? The "more than just 'matte'" comment from Jambor implies that there's another design element at play, and we're starting to think it's a sandstone finish for the OnePlus 9 Pro. 

There's not too long left to find out though, so stay tuned for more OnePlus 9 news as we head towards the reveal event. 

Shabana Arif
Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.

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