RED to Offer Hydrogen One on AT&T and Verizon Networks
You won't have to wait much longer for your Hydrogen One phone—with service, to boot.
RED will be releasing Hydrogen One to AT&T and Verizon this summer though there's no confirmation on how much plans will cost if you managed to jump on an early $1,200 pre-order.
While we don't know the final release date, the company said in an AT&T presser that it will be "giving the public a first look at the future of entertainment through a demo at AT&T SHAPE at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, June 2-3." At the event, you'll be able to view "sample games, movies and other content on the RED Hydrogen One smartphone before it is released to the public." You can register for the event here.
Our initial thought was that RED would be launching the smartphone during Cine Gear, but RED's Jamin Jannard told us, "We aren’t basing the launch off of a trade show, but on certifying the phone and when we can maximize our efforts." So what if you are not on AT&T or Verizon networks? Don't worry. Back in January, Jannard said "If you purchase directly from us, it will be an open market phone which allows for all carriers. If you buy directly from a carrier partner, it will be specific to them." We'll know if this is still the case at launch.
As reported previously by NFS, the RED Hydrogen One is a 5.7-inch "holographic display" that touts a new H4V 4-view video format to display a 3D effect without using special glasses. The nanotechnology behind the display will also be backward-compatible with 2D, 3D and VR content. YouTuber Marques Brownlee aka “MKBHD” got his hands on an early prototype and shared his thoughts here.
Though RED has previously admitted it has "no idea whatsoever what we are doing", in talking with the company, it seems the hold up has been FCC approval/carrier certification. Based on the AT&T announcement, we could see the smartphone released possibly by the end of June. But that's only a guess. We'd definitely be on the lookout for it during Cine Gear as the event runs May 31 - June 3. History shows RED is usually the first to showcase a new product to the public.
