RED has delayed its Hydrogen One smartphone until August, with a prototype to debut this month

Premium camera manufacturer RED announced its debut into the handset market last year with its Hydrogen One titanium smartphone. Due to debut this year, RED has announced that the Hydrogen One has experienced a snag and will be delayed until late August as a result.

The company has proven fairly ambitious with its first ever entry into the smartphone world, announcing that the Hydrogen One will sport a 5.7-inch display with the capability of seamlessly switching between traditional 2D, holographic multi-view content and 3D content. This paired with the ability to convert stereo audio until “multi-dimensional audio” shows that it is unsurprisingly targeting the multimedia market.

Unfortunately, RED has “no idea whatsoever” when it comes to the new market, according to a statement by the company's founder, Jim Jannard. “We have never built a phone. No one ever tried to integrate a 4-view display in anything before. When we started this project we didn't know any cell carriers or anything about the cell phone industry.”

While the company is using the extra time to implement dual cameras on the front and back for its real-time “4V” functionality, it is finding carriers that is proving the most difficult for the company. On a positive note, RED has stated that it will be launching with multiple carriers, but juggling the simultaneous launches has proven difficult.

“When we launch… the product won't be complete,” explains Jannard. “There will be more firmware/software updates than any other phone ever made. We are learning as we go. Truly, we have no business entering this market.”

To ease potential buyers of the upcoming $1,200 smartphone, Jannard did reassure that the company was similarly inexperienced when it released the RED ONE camera, which went on to be a success.

The exact date of release will be determined by the carriers, with ‘late August' being the latest confirmed window. RED has delayed its smartphone twice before, from ‘early 2018' to ‘summer 2018‘, making its most specific launch window to date entirely subject to change.

Fortunately, Jannard will be debuting prototypes on May 19th at RED Studios to show its already confirmed black aluminium and titanium models, with a third unannounced model that may or may not make it to release.

KitGuru Says: RED is often quite meticulous about detail in its designs so it could very well break into the market in a similar way to how Razer has with its smartphone. Of course, whereas Razer targeted gamers, RED is using its camera expertise to the best of its ability to ensure it is the best in its field. Are you excited for the Hydrogen One?

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