It appears that smartphones with holographic displays will be a reality sooner than we thought.
A new premium smartphone called the Hydrogen One was announced today by the high-end camera developers, RED. The Hydrogen One’s defining feature is its “holographic display”, a feature never before seen in smartphones. According to a press release sent out by RED, the Hydrogen One’s 5.7-inch display will make glass “obsolete” by using nanotechnology. The Hydrogen One will be able to seamlessly switch between traditional 2D content, holographic multi-view content, 3D content and interactive games.
The Hydrogen One will operate using the standard Android operating system. It also uses a USB-C cable and charger with and expandable Micro SD card slot. The phone will also allow for modular attachments, allowing for better image capture. RED is planning to have make the Hydrogen One compatible with their lineup of digital cinema cameras.
Modular attatchments for phones isn’t exactly a new thing. Motorola developed a line of “Moto Mods” for their Moto Z line of smartphones. These allow for better camera functions, audio and a variety of other features.
Though it isn’t explained in detail how the Hydrogen One’s “holographic display” works, it sounds similar to devices seen in the past. The Nintendo 3DS broke new ground with its ability to display stereoscopic 3D effects without 3D glasses.
RED is aiming to launch their Hydrogen One smartphone in early 2018. Those interested can preorder the phone now from RED’s official website. The aluminum version of the phone will cost $1,195 while their titanium variant will cost $1,595. The company has stated that none of this is concrete yet. The design of the phone may change before it ships next year and its price might change. While modular attachments won’t be available when the phone launches, RED will give “something special” to those who preorder.
