RED adds dual front and rear cameras to Hydrogen smartphone

Camera manufacturer RED is delaying the Hydrogen One smartphone until August. The maker has encountered problems with the production of the device. In addition, RED has decided to put a dual camera on the front and back.

The dual dual camera makes it possible to shoot footage in RED’s proprietary 4-view format without any additional modules, RED director Jim Jannard reported in a forum post noted by Cnet. That 4-view format should work well on the smartphone’s 3D screen, allowing users to see objects on the screen from the side and back.

Making the software to process the 4V footage on the smartphone is the main reason for the postponement, Jannard reports. Another reason would be that providers have to approve the device for use on their network. That is a process that can take months. RED hadn’t counted on that, because it’s making its first smartphone.

Jannard admits in another post that the company “has no idea what we’re doing,” but also that the smartphone is “the most exciting project” he’s ever done. RED will be showing the Hydrogen One one day on May 19 at RED Studios in Hollywood. The phone will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-soc, 5.7-inch screen that has a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels in regular mode and a 4500mAh battery.

RED announced its smartphone in July last year. Then the manufacturer said that the Hydrogen One would be released in early 2018. There is an aluminum version that costs $1195 and a titanium variant that costs $1595. It is the first smartphone of the American company, which specializes in professional cinema cameras.