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Red releasing pro camera version of Hydrogen One in lieu of add-ons?
- Red CEO Jim Jannard has confirmed that the company recently pulled references to add-ons for the Hydrogen One.
- The CEO said the references were removed from the Red website because of changes to the Hydrogen program.
- Jannard also seems to suggest that the firm will launch a new variant of the Hydrogen One.
Red’s Hydrogen One may have been the most disappointing smartphone release of 2018, but it looks like people who bought the phone might be in for more disappointment. An eagle-eyed redditor noticed that the company recently removed references to upcoming add-on modules from its website.
One of the selling points for the Hydrogen One was the mooted ability to slap add-ons onto the device, with specific examples on the site including a power pack and camera. In fact, an archived version of the website shows that the camera module was supposed to launch this year. So why did the company remove references to these gadgets?
CEO Jim Jannard has issued an explanation of sorts on the company forum (h/t: Android Police), confirming that the decision to remove the references was a deliberate one.
“Some have noticed that we have taken down the images of the 2D module from our website,” Jannard elaborated on the forum. “The reason for that is because we are currently in the middle of radically changing the Hydrogen program. As I have said before, everything can and will change.”
Is a new phone incoming?
The Red executive noted that a “series of obstacles and then new discoveries” has opened the door for the firm to improve the Hydrogen One program.
“The Red team, led by Jarred Land, as of now will now be fully in charge of the professional image capture program for Hydrogen and the Hydrogen team is fully engaged on the new in-device image capture system. Both are major advancements to what was previously posted,” said Jannard.
It wasn’t immediately clear from the original post whether these improvements are hardware and/or software-related (e.g. a new camera app), but the company says it’ll share more details after filing patents and finalizing details. In a later message, however, the Red CEO stressed that the Hydrogen One won’t be obsolete when the “pro camera version” comes out. This certainly suggests that we’re looking at a new variant of the Hydrogen One.
We don’t know what a pro camera variant of the Hydrogen One would offer over the standard model, but a new camera sensor and improved image processing certainly seems like a good start. Would you buy an overhauled Hydrogen One? Let us know in the comments section!