Last month, we disseminated a public service announcement warning our readers not to preorder this crazy $1,200 holographic phone from RED. No one had actually seen the phone in action yet, and even if it turned out to be a revolutionary product, we didn’t want anyone to take the risk. Now, a month later, we’re finally getting our first hands-on look at RED’s Hydrogen One via Marques Brownlee.
As expected, the Hydrogen One is… unique. Brownlee had the opportunity to gets his hands on three separate prototypes during his time with RED, including a fit and finish model without a working display, a model that didn’t look like the final product but did feature a working holographic display, and a second fit and finish model that had a modular attachment similar to Moto Mods.
Brownlee is quick to point out that the design of the Hydrogen One is unlike anything else on the market. The sheer number of materials on the back of the phone is overwhelming, as are the grippable grooves on the sides of the phone. The power button on the right side doubles as a fingerprint scanner, while the volume button on the left side has actually been split into two separate buttons, taking into account those bizarre grooves. There’s also dedicated camera button on the right side.
Brownlee wasn’t able to show off the holographic display (which he admits wouldn’t have translated very well to video anyway), but from his reaction in the video, it’s clear that he was impressed. All in all, his reaction to the Hydrogen One was pretty positive. You can watch the full video below:
