Remember the Hydrogen One? It was supposed to be getting a sequel in the near future but just last night, RED founder Jim Jannard announced that he would be retiring and that the RED Hydrogen phone program would be shut down.
The RED Hydrogen One was a bit of a disaster. It failed to live up to the hype, and it was obvious that this was the first phone from a manufacturer that primarily made cameras. That said, we have the very first details of a RED Hydrogen Two, courtesy of company founder Jim Jannard.
The RED Hydrogen One is the phone that just can’t seem to get a win. After rough reviews and a delayed launch, RED has finally made the Titanium version of its smartphone available for purchase at a hefty cost.
The RED Hydrogen One has easily been the biggest mess of the past couple of years in Android, and things just continue getting worse. After it was revealed yesterday that RED had removed all mention of the Hydrogen One’s promised modules, the company has put out a statement that only leaves us with so many more questions.
There’s usually a phone or two every year that we look back on and cringe. With the RED Hydrogen One, that cringing started before the phone was even released. Now, the one thing that gave us any hope for the device’s future has seemingly been blinked out of existence – RED has removed all mention of the Hydrogen One modules from its site.
RED makes some of the best cinema-grade camera gear on the market, and that’s a huge reason why the Hydrogen One was a disappointment when it launched in 2018. Now, though, RED is preparing Lithium, a new cinema-quality 3D camera rig which operates using the Hydrogen One as its monitor and controller.
The RED Hydrogen One was first announced back in mid-2017. Over a year later and after a handful of delays, it has finally arrived. The device has always been aimed at a niche market, but after using it for a couple of days, I struggle to say it even appeals to them. Let’s take a closer look.
AT&T invited 9to5Google to a special RED Hydrogen One launch event last night with a keynote given by RED founder Jim Jannard. The evening didn’t disappoint with a moving rags to riches, against the odds history of Jannard’s startup exploits at Oakley, which went public in 1995 and sold out to eyewear monopoly Luxottica in 2007. In 2005, Jannard again went up against the establishment and started the RED Cinema Camera Company, which struck it big in the motion picture industry.
Act 2 from RED is the Hydrogen One Smartphone which, as we’ve seen before, is a gargantuan beast of a specs powerhouse. Its standout features, besides the size, are the 3D front and back cameras and screen, which we aren’t allowed to show you on our lame 2D website. But we can show you some new stuff here in our unboxing…
The Red Hydrogen One remained a mystery for a long period. Who is the target market? How will it differentiate itself as a device first and camera system secondly? Well at the very least thanks to a leak courtesy of Instagram, the entire device has been seemingly laid bare.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Earlier today, we had the opportunity to go hands-on with the RED Hydrogen One. During this 45-minute demo period, we got a feel of the handset and saw a demo of the company’s “4-view” 3D display technology. But even with this limited time, it was clear to me that this isn’t a device that should be marketed to consumers.
Almost a year ago, RED announced the Hydrogen One with a focus on modularity and accessories to serve professionals, as well as a “holographic” display for 3D content consumption. The former feature alone could be a significant justification for why this phone exists, however, what goes unrealized is that RED actually wants to create a consumer phone.
Earlier this month, RED announced that it would be delaying its Hydrogen One Android-powered smartphone until August to give it more time to add new features. It was also announced that the company planned to show off the device today, May 19, at its Hollywood studios. Fortunately, some members of the press were on-site and managed to get some first impressions.
Carriers can be fairly picky at times with what they will and won’t offer, but sometimes all of that gets thrown out the window. Today, both AT&T and Verizon announced they will be carrying the RED Hydrogen One. Yeah, really…
After RED first teased its Hydrogen One Android smartphone early last year, we’ve slowly learned more about the futuristic handset. Unfortunately, as what usually happens when a company tries to make a phone for the first time, the device has been delayed. Thankfully, that extra time will be spent including new features…
Expand
Expanding
Close
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…
Back in July, RED revealed that it was working on a modular phone aimed at 3D content whose marquee feature was a holographic display. Since then, we have only seen one impression of the screen, but RED today unveiled the technology and company behind the screen and holograms.
RED surprised the tech community last month when it announced the Hydrogen One, its first foray into the smartphone world. While we initially had very little information on the phone, the company gave tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (better known as MKBHD) an exclusive first look at some of its early prototypes, revealing loads of new information.
RED, a company that produces high-end cinema cameras that are used to shoot major motion pictures, has just announced a new smartphone running Android. Aiming to ship early next year, the biggest issue with the Hydrogen One phone is that its press release is filled with a bunch of marketing speak that doesn’t actually go into detail about the handset itself…
