RED’s $1,200 holographic phone features snap-on camera accessories
The prototypes weren't completely functional, but they showed off the finished device's setup.
Digital camera maker RED is still releasing new products at different price points, like its $15,000 4K Raven bundle the company plans to release in a partnership with Apple. But the company's looking to enter the mobile market, revealing last month that its first device will be its holographic Hydrogen One smartphone with a planned sticker price of $1,200. While the earlier news was light on details and only had a render of the upcoming phone, a YouTuber just uploaded a hands-on experience with a prototype, giving us our first look at what it will actually look like.
Marques Brownlee of MKBHD channel got handed three prototypes, starting with the fit-and-finish casing that shows off how the Hydrogen One will appear. At first glance, it's a lot like the render, with a stylish black metal setup, ridges on the sides for finger grips and a dedicated shutter button. The walkthrough showed off off a 5.5-inch display (slightly smaller than the anticipated 5.7 inches) with dual speakers beneath it; On the back, a camera bump sat on top with a stippled grid of contact pins at the bottom, which will hold snap-on additions a la Moto Mods.
Unfortunately, we don't get to see the phone's vaunted holographic display: RED wasn't ready to show it off, so all we have is Brownlee's expression to go off of when he tinkered with it in the second prototype. (If you're not looking forward to 3D, it can always be turned off, he said.) Lastly, the third model included a much heftier-looking lens and sensor bolted on the back. RED believes this prosumer setup will be the future of mobile footage, and with gear like that, it's hard not to believe them.
But the Hydrogen One still has to prove that it can function as a smartphone, too -- which we might find out when the first fully-functional prototypes roll out in 30-45 days.
