The RED Hydrogen One didn't exactly set the smartphone world on fire when it launched last year, but that isn't stopping RED from making a sequel.
RED founder Jim Jannard has confirmed that his company has started working on the Hydrogen Two. In a post on the H4Vuser.net forums (via The Verge), Jannard explains that RED selected a different ODM (original design manufacturer) from the one that made the Hydrogen One and that work on the new phone has begun "virtually from scratch".
Jannard goes on to blame the Hydrogen One's ODM for the phone's issues, saying that it "significantly under-performed" and that getting the company to finish features and fix issues with the Hydrogen One "has proven to be beyond challenging." Jannard doesn't say exactly which ODM he's talking about, saying only that it's located in China.
The RED founder then teased that he's bringing work on a cinema camera module for the Hydrogen phones into RED's house. "We have completed the new and extraordinary sensor and redesigned the package," Jannard teases. The new module is known as Komodo and will integrate with the Hydrogen One and Two. "While it does not replace its big RED brothers, it will certainly be a complimentary camera for cinema grade images at the highest level at lower pricing," says Jannard.
Finally, Jannard hinted that Hydrogen One owners will get a hookup on the Hydrogen Two, saying that he's planning "significant preferential treatment" for the new phone and new cinema camera module. This special treatment will apply to both delivery allocations and pricing, but little else is known about what it entails.
RED is known for its high-end cinema cameras, and so there was some interest in RED's first smartphone when it arrived last year. Not only was it coming from a high-end camera company, but it also promised included a screen that could show 4-View content, similar to glasses-free 3D. Unfortunately for RED, the Hydrogen One didn't exactly get glowing reviews when it arrived last year. The reputation of the RED brand and the promise of a new ODM could still get people interested in a Hydrogen Two, though, and so we're looking forward to seeing how RED will improve its next smartphone.
Did you ever try the Hydrogen One?
