Category: RED

RED Confirms Hydrogen 2, Blames Chinese ODM For Failed First Smartphone

RED announced its first-ever smartphone back in May 0f 2018. The announcement led to the build-up of a lot of hype. Its popularity soared due to RED being a renowned name in the digital cinema industry owing to its cameras. The phone was much awaited prior to its launch but failed to deliver many of its basic expectations. RED’s Hydrogen One was a commercial failure because of its shortcomings on basic UI and even the camera, a department RED specializes in. Now, the company has gone on official forums to blame a Chinese ODM which was tasked with manufacturing the smartphone and has seemingly confirmed Hydrogen 2.

In the forums, RED explained why its bold endeavour into the smartphone industry wasn’t a success. Allegedly, RED claimed that getting the Chinese ODM (Original Device Manufacturer) that was tasked for making Hydrogen One to complete the work was “beyond challenging.” It explains why the smartphone had faced delays prior to its actual launch date. The phone faced disastrous levels of un optimization which RED claims were due to the poor software integration of the Snapdragon 835 SoC.

Furthermore, RED is now partnering up with a new ODM which according to the company seem much more capable. In the post, the company also confirmed the second iteration of the Hydrogen phone. The new device is being built from the ground up and is expected to release in 2020. Additionally, an attachable module that RED had promised is finally planned to be released. It is an improved Komodo module that will work with both Hydrogen One and Two and will allow for “cinema-grade images at the highest level at lower pricing.”

Also Read: Google Launches Gallery Go, A 10MB Offline Photo App

Unfortunately, more information regarding the upcoming RED Hydrogen Two is still unavailable. It is speculated that the device is still in its early stages of development and more details are expected to arrive later this year. Hopefully, the second iteration is a much better experience than the last and will hold true to any promises RED makes. Stay tuned for more updates.

July 25, 2019
RED Hydrogen One To Run On The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835X

RED is the industry standard when it comes to video making gear. Mid 2017, the company announced that it will enter the world of smartphones with the RED Hydrogen One. More details for the smartphone have appeared now on Red User forums.

The Hydrogen One from Red will be the first smartphone ever to have a holographic display. Priced at US$ 1195 for the Aluminium variant and US$ 1595 for the Titanium version of the Red Hydrogen One, The aluminium variant has a price which is similar to the 256GB variant of the iPhone X. The Hydrogen One titanium variant will become one of the most expensive smartphones in the market.

Image Via MKBHD

Jim Jannard, RED’s CEO and founder, gave a timely update in a post on the company’s forum. Though very unclear, the post does shed a bit more light on what to expect from the Hydrogen One. Announcing that RED has managed to get mobile carriers in the US on board for the phone’s launch. Jim was still not open about the shipping date, but, said that RED will release preordered phones before carrier phones.

Specifications for the Red Hydrogen One Confirmed

There were a few details on the phone that were doing the rounds, and Jim Jannard has confirmed a few. Jim writes that the Hydrogen One is powered by the Snapdragon 835X chipset, which is interesting because such a chipset doesn’t exist. Jannard wanted to write Snapdragon 835, it seems. It will also have a dual SIM slot and include a massive 4500mAh battery. Could Qualcomm be developing a special chipset for the Red Hydrogen One?

The RED Hydrogen One will also be a modular phone meaning you can attach add-ons for extra functionality. Jannard teased a pair of modular accessories that will attach to the Hydrogen One, including a battery pack and a “cinema grade camera module.” He has also claimed that additional modules for improved 3D and 4V filming are in the pipeline. RED is also working on a “Hydrogen Network” that will collect 4V video from “major studios and other content providers.”

Image Via MKBHD

RED had already announced that the Hydrogen One will have a 5.7-inch display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution. It will charge via a USB-C port, support microSD card expansion, a headphone jack, and have dual front and rear cameras. The phone’s highlight will be its cameras and display. The screen will display “holographic 4-view content,” which are basically 3D images that change with your perspective without requiring any other special hardware or eye glasses. The Red Hydrogen One’s cameras will be able to record video in 2D, traditional 3D, or RED’s new “4V” format, which will presumably only work on the Hydrogen One in the beginning.

A CEO of a company is as reliable a source as you’ll ever get. These little nuggets of information only increase the anticipation of the Hydrogen One, which is expected to be Q2 2018.

January 24, 2018
Red claims Dragon is ‘Single most Significant Sensor in the History of Image Capture’

Red Camera’s CEO, Jim Jannard claims that the company’s new camera sensor are going to be the most extreme thing that has happened to the movie industry in a long time. While the company calls this camera the new resolution and dynamic range king. It is also touted as the cleanest sensor you have ever seen, ISO 2000 looks better than MX at ISO 800.

The company showed off its sensor at NAB touting 15+ stops of DR and 120fps at a full 5K of resolution, with $6,000 upgrades for Epic customers coming at the end of the year. Dont worry if you own their new $9,700 (brain only) Scarlet-X, which is also set to get the Dragon Sensor.

[Reduser Forum]

August 11, 2012