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I’ll admit, I was one of many Android enthusiasts who believed the RED Hydrogen One would be nothing more than vaporware. If nothing else, it sounded like a clever tool to get people talking about the company but something that would never see the light of day outside a few non-working prototypes.
While that could still be the case, RED founder, Jim Janard, posted a quick update about the device in their own user forum. According to Janard, he and RED president Jarred Land are now carrying “near-final” Hydrogen One prototype units, something that should help ease fears of the device launching relatively soon.
In fact, when talking about release timing and availability for the Hydrogen One, Janard claims that “carrier support for Hydrogen is unprecedented.” He wouldn’t comment on which carrier the phone would launch on, but he did mention that certification was the main factor holding the device up. Carrier availability for the Hydrogen One is scheduled for sometime this summer, while those who pre-ordered the unlocked version would get them sooner than that. Still nothing outside a general ETA but he sounded extremely excited about the device’s display tech:
1. Display tech.
In 2D mode (normal cell phone) the display is completely as you would expect. 2560×1440 resolution. Fantastic color and brightness.
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.
2. Multichannel spatial sound… from the phone’s internal stereo speakers or headphones.
The audio demo has achieved as high of marks as the display tech. Same reactions. Again, no way to describe. You just need to hear it.
3. Multi-component modular system.
This is all done through our pogo pin system on the back of the phone. It provides power and data in both directions and modules are stackable. Think battery module, cinema grade camera module, and a variety of others.
A preview version of the device will be available to show on “Hydrogen Day” at the RED Studios in April. It’s then they’ll be showing off some of the technology running on the device while they look to recruit content providers for their upcoming Hydrogen Network. As for the rest of the hardware specs, Janard provided the following update:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835x processor. Unlocked or carrier specific.
The HYDROGEN One has a headphone jack. And a dual SIM slot. Two phone numbers or one sim and one micro SD card. USB-C.
It weighs about 2 ounces more than most 5.7” cell phones. The size is just slightly bigger than other 5.7” cell phones… like a few millimeters. It is also just a tad thicker. Think SOLID.
The internal battery is huge. 4500mA. We anticipate these being used a lot for image capture and content play.
Big news… shoot 3D to 4V on the cell phone. Both sides. You won’t need a module. We also break out a normal 2D companion file so you don’t have to.
The RED Hydrogen One looks like it’s shaping up to become quite the stunner. Of course, there’s going to be plenty of new Android devices announced before the phone ever comes to market, so we’ll have to see how the device looks against this year’s Samsung Galaxy S9, OnePlus 6, Moto Z3 and whatever else is coming down the pipeline.
REDUser.net | via GSMArena
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