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RED teases Hydrogen One specs, holographic display, and ‘unprecedented’ carrier support

Last year one unexpected announcement came in the form of the Hydrogen One, an Android smartphone from camera maker RED. While we did find out about the ridiculous pricing, most of the details were unknown back at the unveiling. Now, RED is revealing a few more details…

A couple of RED employees working on the Hydrogen One recently posted in forums regarding a lot of details about the phone we didn’t previously know. First off, that includes some more details on the display. As previously teased, the display is “holographic” and apparently has gotten some interesting reactions from users.

In 4V mode (holographic), the screen dims a bit and out pops a “better than 3D” image… no glasses needed. There is no way to describe this. You just have to see it. So far, everyone that has seen it gasps, swears or just grins. I wish we had recorded all the reactions. Priceless.

To go along with that display, RED is setting up a marketplace for “4V” content. The company is working with partners to add this type of content from “big dogs,” whatever that means. Further, users will be able to shoot, upload, and even sell their 4V content in that marketplace.

As for specs, the company is teasing a pretty good package. The Hydrogen One will apparently run on the Snapdragon 835, have a 5.7-inch 1440p display, headphone jack, USB-C, microSD, and dual-SIM capabilities. Further, the battery measures in at a whopping 4,500 mAh, which is pretty crazy.

Another big point revealed in this post is carrier support. While unlocked orders will be shipping before summer, “unprecedented” carrier support is probably going to end up delaying things a bit as far as carrier sales go. It’s unclear what “as good as it gets” means for carrier support, but I’d bet we’ll be seeing at least a couple of big-name carriers jumping on board with this phone.

These RED employees share a few additional details on the original post, so if you’re curious about the phone, definitely give that a look. One important takeaway for me is that RED is clearly taking this device seriously, mentioning multiple times that “you will not be disappointed.”


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