Last year, camera maker RED surprised everyone by teasing a new smartphone: the Hydrogen One. The company did not provide much information about the smartphone back then except for mentioning that it would sport a modular design, a holographic display, and details about its internals. And for interested customers, it also started accepting pre-orders for the smartphone with prices starting from $1,195 and going all the way up to $1,595.
Now, the company has provided some more details about the Hydrogen One including a potential release timeframe. Firstly, the Hydrogen One will come with a 5.7-inch QHD display that will be capable of working in both 3D and holographic (4V) mode. Under the latter mode though, the display will be slightly dimmer but it pops a “better than 3D” image. And unlike other holographic displays, you will not be required to wear glasses to view content on the holographic display. The Hydrogen One will also be capable of shooting 3D to 4V content on the phone without the use of any extra module or component. The handset will also store a 2D video file for easier sharing purposes. Just like its display, the stereo speakers on the Hydrogen One seem to be pathbreaking as well. The internal stereo speakers will support multi-channel spatial sound which if true would be really impressive. Additionally, details about the internals of the handset were also provided. The Hydrogen One will come with a Snapdragon 835 chip, a beefy 4500mAh battery, USB-C connectivity, headphone jack, and a hybrid dual-SIM slot. The industrial design of the Hydrogen One will make it easier to hold, stack components easily through the pogo pin system at the back but it also makes the device relatively chunky. RED says that the pogo pin modular system provides data and power in both directions and also allows modules to be stackable. This means that one can stack multiple modules on top of each other. Interestingly, carrier interest in the RED Hydrogen One is also pretty high. While this is a big news in itself, this also means that the Hydrogen One will have to go through the certification process of each carrier before it goes on sale through them. RED estimates that the “official” ship date of Hydrogen One through carriers will be sometime in the summer. Customers who pre-order the handset directly from the company will get their hands on it before that.
