RED announces titanium smartphone with holographic screen

The famous cinematography camera company is taking pre-orders for its smartphone, featuring a modular titanium body and a 5.7-inch holographic display.

If you are into filmography or cinematography, you probably know a thing or two about RED, the company behind the Weapon series cameras that could cost as much as a brand-new BMW. While usually, the company’s products are limited to cameras and camera accessories, RED has a surprise in store for us: a smartphone called the Hydrogen One.

Although details are scarce for now, it looks like RED’s brand-new smartphone will be nothing like others, from its price tag all the way to its specs. The pre-order page indicates that the Hydrogen One smartphone will come in either an aluminium or a titanium body, which will set you back $1,195 or $1,595 respectively. Indeed, these will be some of the most expensive non-luxury smartphones out there, but the company warns that the current pricing is available for a limited time only, meaning they are likely to increase further in the future.

The most interesting feature of the Hydrogen One is probably its 5.7-inch “retina-riveting” holographic display, which uses “nanotechnology that seamlessly switches between traditional 2D content, holographic multi-view content, 3D content, and interactive games.” While RED doesn’t specify the screen resolution, it says the screen will let you view all traditional 2D content at full screen resolution, holographic RED Hydrogen 4-View content (H4V), stereo 3D content, and 2D/3D VR, AR, and MR content, all without wearable glasses.

Though it remains unclear what “holographic” entails exactly, it sounds like RED will have a dedicated channel where users can create, upload, and download H4V content in one place. And as you may have guessed from the pins on the back of the device pictured above, the Hydrogen One will be a modular phone, which will undoubtedly be used for photography-related attachments given the company’s main products.

Of course, the Hydrogen One runs on Android OS – but again, unclear as to which version – and will boast a proprietary H3O algorithm that enhances the audio quality. Curiously, however, RED does not mention the Hydrogen One’s camera specs. Considering that RED is primarily a camera company, it’d be disappointing to see anything less than a stellar camera sensor on this device.

Unfortunately, even if you know this is the phone you want and need, and even if you have over a grand to spend on a phone, the actual shipment isn’t expected until Q1 of 2018. To make things worse, specs and delivery dates “can change anytime and for any reason” according to the company. Though your payment is fully refundable prior to shipping, spending $1,200-$1,500 on such a mysterious phone may not be the wisest option, if you ask me.

What are your thoughts on the RED Hydrogen One smartphone? Is this the future of smartphones? Let us know by leaving a comment below.