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RED Hydrogen 3 Marques Brownlee/YouTube The Hydrogen One definitely isn't trying to be like most smartphones.

Last summer, professional camera company RED announced it would release the "world's first holographic media machine" in early 2018.

The Hydrogen One phone was immediately available for pre-order starting at $1,195.

RED teased an image of the Hydrogen One and gave popular YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee ( MKBHD ) a non-functional prototype, but not much else was shared about the device for several months. 

In a more recent update on the smartphone's status, RED founder Jim Jannard shared additional details and a rough launch estimate for the final product, which both he and RED president Jarred Land now own. 

"I can proudly say that my current phone (and Jarred's) is a working HYDROGEN One... serial numbers EVT1- 0001 and 0002," Jannard said. "While there are still a few things to add, it does everything we need from a cell phone... plus display 4-view content. It is awesome. If we never sell one phone... I am totally happy. We both have exactly what we wanted."

Here's a closer look at the Hydrogen One smartphone:

Jeff Dunn contributed to an earlier version of this post.

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This is the nonfunctional prototype that Marques reviewed in July. Right away, you can see its design is much busier than those of most other smartphones. The back has a mix of metal and Kevlar, with a big dual-lens camera, four screws in the corners, a big, ruby-like logo, and modular accessory pins at the bottom.

This is the nonfunctional prototype that Marques reviewed in July. Right away, you can see its design is much busier than those of most other smartphones. The back has a mix of metal and Kevlar, with a big dual-lens camera, four screws in the corners, a big, ruby-like logo, and modular accessory pins at the bottom.

RED says the base version of the Hydrogen One will use aluminum ($1,195) and a pricier model will be made of titanium ($1,595). 

The sides of the phone meanwhile, are grooved to fit your fingers. On one side, there's a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner, and a dedicated button for video recording.

The sides of the phone meanwhile, are grooved to fit your fingers. On one side, there's a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner, and a dedicated button for video recording.

"This works," Jannard said, referring to the Hydrogen One's industrial design. "The scallops make it easier to hold, fish out of your pocket… and looks cool as hell."

On the other side of the phone, you'll see separated volume buttons.

On the other side of the phone, you'll see separated volume buttons.

At the bottom, there's a USB-C port and a headphone jack.

At the bottom, there's a USB-C port and a headphone jack.

The phone will have multi-channel spatial sound for both the internal stereo speakers and the headphones, according to the update. Jannard said the phone would also include a dual-SIM slot, which is extremely useful for travelers.

The front of the phone looks pretty standard, with a handful of speaker grilles dotted around a 5.7-inch display. But don't expect the slim bezels of a Samsung Galaxy S8 or iPhone X here.

The front of the phone looks pretty standard, with a handful of speaker grilles dotted around a 5.7-inch display. But don't expect the slim bezels of a Samsung Galaxy S8 or iPhone X here.

In 2D mode, or normal cell phone mode, the resolution is reportedly 2560 x 1440. To put that into perspective, that's sharper than the slightly bigger iPhone X (5.8-inch display) resolution at 2436 x 1125.

Brownlee said that RED walked him through an early demo of the Hydrogen One's "holographic" display tech, but that he wasn't able to show it on camera. Brownlee suggested it was a tad rough around the edges, and it's still hard to say how much video content will actually use it.

Brownlee said that RED walked him through an early demo of the Hydrogen One's "holographic" display tech, but that he wasn't able to show it on camera. Brownlee suggested it was a tad rough around the edges, and it's still hard to say how much video content will actually use it.

For the "holographic" mode, Jannard says the screen dims a bit before it pops out an image  that you can see without needing special glasses.

Jannard calls this 4V resolution "better than 3D," but what that means isn't completely clear. 

Note: The "holographic" tech itself is completely optional. If you just want to use the Hydrogen One normally, you can, but it's apparently going to be built with a very large battery for capturing and playing content. Buyers might want to take advantage of the size — and the price.  

 

Altogether, the Hydrogen One is a pretty large rectangle and relatively thick. Brownlee's comparison shows that it's a bit taller and wider than an iPhone 7 Plus or a OnePlus 5.

Altogether, the Hydrogen One is a pretty large rectangle and relatively thick. Brownlee's comparison shows that it's a bit taller and wider than an iPhone 7 Plus or a OnePlus 5.

Jannard confirmed that the smartphone "weighs about 2 ounces more than most 5.7-inch cell phones," since it's a few millimeters bigger and a bit thicker. "Think SOLID."

Brownlee also tested a potential modular camera accessory. The idea here is to snap on lenses and sensors that would make the Hydrogen One's image quality competitive with higher-end mirrorless and other small form-factor shooters, and possibly even work as part of a larger professional-style rig.

Brownlee also tested a potential modular camera accessory. The idea here is to snap on lenses and sensors that would make the Hydrogen One's image quality competitive with higher-end mirrorless and other small form-factor shooters, and possibly even work as part of a larger professional-style rig.

The phone won't need an additional module to shoot 3D to 4V on either the front or the back cameras, though. The stackable multi-component modular system is "done through our pogo pin system on the back of the phone," Jannard said. 

Brownlee's accessory was also non-functional, so, again, it's way too soon to say how well all of this might work. But, unsurprisingly, it looks like it would make the phone even thicker.

Brownlee's accessory was also non-functional, so, again, it's way too soon to say how well all of this might work. But, unsurprisingly, it looks like it would make the phone even thicker.

The modules might be worth the extra thickness, though. Apparently, there's going to be a YouTube-like network that Jannard said will let users "sell 4V projects or give them away for free." Jannard also teased an announcement about social media partners, meaning you might be able to share "holographic" videos on your existing platforms. 

To see more of the Hydrogen One phone in person, check out Brownlee's full video.

Jannard said an upcoming post on the RED forum is going to show users how to shoot and create 4V content, so maybe we'll get a better glimpse of the functionality soon.

Aside from that, RED is currently showing prototypes of the Hydrogen One phone to potential content production partners, and said it will hold an event in April that pre-order customers can also attend. 

The Hydrogen One phone won't ship via carriers until this summer, but pre-orders for unlocked phones will ship earlier than that. There's still no official word on carrier support just yet; it will take some time for the carriers to certify the device.

The phone itself is chunky and expensive, but if RED can release a modular, glasses-free 3D smartphone, the Hydrogen One has the potential to be one of the more unique and interesting smartphones in some time. Of course, we'll have to see a working model before we can really be impressed by any of it.