Video shows prototypes of RED Hydrogen smartphone

YouTuber Marques Brownlee has posted a video showing prototypes of the RED Hydrogen smartphone. The device is switched off and the ‘holographic screen’ is not yet shown. He does show a module with a sensor and lens mount.

Marques Brownlee’s hands-on video shows the smartphone in real life for the first time. RED itself only released renders at the time of the announcement. Brownlee was shown three prototypes. A non-functional model, of which the housing is completely finished, a model with a working holographic screen and a variant with a Triplet lens that is mounted on a module with a sensor. It is not known how large the image sensor is in that module.

The YouTuber was also allowed to try out the phone, but is not allowed to show the screen in his video when it is on. The housing itself appears to be in an advanced stage. At the back are visible contact points that serve to connect modules.

Previously, patents came out containing information about how RED envisions the modular smartphone. The images show that the smartphone can be transformed into a large camera with different modules. Exact details about specifications and features are still missing.

Camera manufacturer RED announced the Hydrogen One smartphone in early July. It is the first smartphone of the American company, which specializes in professional cinema cameras. The manufacturer calls the phone “the world’s first holographic media machine.” The manufacturer gives hardly any details about the ‘holographic screen’, but it is a 5.7″ screen that can display normal 2D images and stereoscopic 3D content. For the holographic display, the device uses RED’s Hydrogen 4-View display. images in the H4V format The smartphone must apparently offer look around depth and be able to provide virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality experiences without glasses.

The Hydrogen One can also be connected to RED’s Scarlet, Epic and Weapon cameras, for example to serve as a monitor. The Android smartphone has a USB-C connection and a micro-SD card slot. RED is offering the device as a pre-order starting at $1195. The manufacturer expects to have a fully working prototype with the holographic screen ready within 30 to 45 days.