What you need to know
- RED founder Jim Jannard has confirmed the company is working on the Hydrogen Two.
- The company will partner with a new ODM for the Hydrogen Two, which is apparently being designed from scratch.
- A redesigned cinema camera module called Komodo is on its way as well.
RED's first smartphone, the was one of the most disappointing smartphones last year. In a post on the company's website, RED founder Jim Jannard has announced that the company has started work on the Hydrogen Two.
The post does not include many details regarding the upcoming smartphone, except that it is being designed "virtually from scratch" to "surprise and exceed expectations." In the same post, Jannard has blamed Hydrogen One's ODM in China for all the issues plaguing the device. He claims the ODM has "significantly under-performed" and failed to fix known issues on the Hydrogen One. For the Hydrogen Two, RED is working with a new ODM that is said to be much more capable of building and supporting a product that can meet the expectations of both the company and its customers.
As for the for the Hydrogen One, RED says that it had to be modified and is now being developed in-house by the company. The project was brought back into the RED house after realizing that the ODM "was not going to complete the module that they committed and guaranteed to do."
The camera module has now been redesigned and fitted with an "extraordinary sensor". More details regarding the camera module, called Komodo, will be shared soon. Jannard claims the new module will have vastly improved capabilities compared to the originally planned module. While it will not be in the same league as the company's high-end cameras, it is claimed to be a "complimentary camera for cinema grade images at the highest level at lower pricing."
The company will also offer "significant preferential treatment" to customers who had purchased the Hydrogen One, including discounts on both the Hydrogen Two as well as the new Cinema Camera model.