Red Hydrogen One review: You've never seen a phone like this

The Red Hydrogen One phone launches at a time when smartphones have a certain sameness about them. Most have a giant screen – or with a notch – inside a rectangular body that runs either Android or iOS software. But in 2018, we're seeing some welcome specialization.

There's the new Palm, a small companion phone, and the Cat S61, which packs a thermal imaging camera. Then there's the Razer Phone 2 and Asus ROG phone, aim at gaming. And do not forget about new versions of old specialized favorites such as Galaxy Note 9 with its stylus and the Motorola Moto Z3 modular, which will get 5G next year via a Moto Mod. Viva the difference.

And now, with the Red Hydrogen One, we have the most specialized phone of all. This 5.7-inch Android is the first phone from Red, a California powerhouse camera known for bleeding-edge video cameras Crazy Rich Asians, Ant-Man and The Wasp and Deadpool 2.

As you'd expect, you can expect, you can expect to deliver fantastic video, photo and audio quality that you can stash in your pocket back – just not one in a pair of skinny jeans. It sweetens the deal by allowing you to add modules, including one for a movie camera sensor and lens mount coming out in 2019. But it is Red's inclusion of a 3D display that makes the Hydrogen One so crazy unique. When it's not showing 3D content, the screen is a perfectly normal 2D phone display. As mundane, this is truly a remarkable achievement. You need to see it in real life – showing it in a 2D photo or video just does not do it justice.

But this spell of innovation does not come cheap. The Hydrogen One goes on sale Nov. 2 and will cost $ 1,295 (which converts to about £ 985 or AU $ 1,800) for the aluminum version I tested for $ 1,595 for a titanium version. Yes, that's more than an iPhone XS Max gold Galaxy Note 9.

Besides the high price, there are a few things to consider about the Red Hydrogen One. Currently it feels more like a curiosity, one of those daring experiments to "revolutionize" the way we use our phones. 3D or "4V" photos and videos are effectively proprietary, and near-impossible to share at the moment. A slew of promises are also proprietary, and will not arrive until 2019 at the earliest.

We've seen this kind of Lytro Light Field Camera and the Essential Phone. Both showcased cool technology that was rough around the edges in actual execution.

Similarly, the Hydrogen One has a "paint is not quite dry" feel to it. It was delayed multiple times, and at launch, Red 's software feels like it' s not fully ready. For example, the camera app can lag and freeze up.

The more I use the Hydrogen One, the more it seems like a camera that doubles as a phone. And that's what truly differentiates it from 3D devices. The Hydrogen One is not just about consuming 3D content. It's about creating it. And if that appeals to you, then it's definitely worth checking out.

If you're a Red cinema camera user who is excited about the possibilities of the Hydrogen One phone and the yet-to-be-realized movie camera module, it's worth waiting to learn more its price.

But for almost everyone else, it's hard for me to recommend the Red Hydrogen One phone at this time. That said, try to check it out in-person. Both AT & T and Verizon are planning displays for the Red Hydrogen One in their stores. Experiencing that screen will definitely make a few people cough up their credit card.

Red Hydrogen One's 3D holographic screen

The 3D screen is the most curious feature on the phone. It draws both the dumbfounded looks from some and "how dare you waste my time" eye rolls from others.

I showed the Red Hydrogen One to a bunch of friends and coworkers to get their reactions:

• "Holy shit! It's 3D without glasses."
• "I do not want to look at it, it makes me sick."
• [laughter]
• "This is absolutely one of the coolest things I've seen from a company in years."
• "I'm not really impressed."
• "How? How? How? How is it doing this?"
• "It hurt my eyes."
• "This is really good."
• "This is really bad."

When I ask people to look at a 3D phone, there's a tiny moment where I can almost see them on their 3D critic's hat. For example, if you can not look at a picture of a cat, you might not be able to focus on the image of yourself, or moire or aliasing – no matter how bad the image quality might be. If you want to look at a picture of a 3D cat, you're likely to fix it on the effect more than the subject.

There are people, and I work with some of them, who does not like a gimmick. They quickly quote as proof the Amazon Fire phone, Nintendo 3DS and every 3D television ever made.

But if Apple held a press conference and told every iPhone user their 3D support screens starting today, people would flip out. There would be 3D videos, 3D FaceTime, 3D games and 3D Memoji everywhere.

Part of the problem for "3D" is that it is more than just a tool for expression. Red seems to embrace the latter approach.

The Hydrogen One's screen is part 3D and part hologram which Red calls 4-View (4V). Under the 5.7-inch 2.560×1.440-pixel LCD screen is a nano light field that produces the effect. It's neither Princess Leia being projected by R2-D2 from Star Wars, nor is it as simple as the hologram sticker on the back of a credit card.

The 4V effect gives a layered depth to 4V photos and video. It reminds me of a play or opera in a proscenium where the scenery is a three-dimensional illusion. Red's 4V effect is oddly reminiscent of lenticular printed 3D baseball cards – that could be one of the reasons almost everyone I showed the phone to move it side-to-side.

Of course if you have a 3D screen, you're going to want to watch 3D content on it, so Red smartly created a mini ecosystem for 4V content. There's the Red Hydrogen Network app to find 4V movies, videos and shows. For playing 4V games, there's the Red / Leia Loft app. (Leia, no relationship to the aforementioned princess, is the company behind the 4V screen technology.) There's an Instagram-style app called Holopix for posting 4V photos. Back in May, Red also demoed a video messaging app that is allowed to chat in 4V. No word on if or when that will be coming out.

There's one way to get 3D content: Make it yourself. The cameras on the front and back let you take 4V photos and videos.

Red Hydrogen One cameras can capture both 2D and '4V' photos and videos

On the back of the phone are two 12-megapixel cameras that are exactly the same. Unlike the iPhone XS or Galaxy Note 9, the second camera is not for zooming. The two cameras are paired stereoscopically – 4V photos and video.

The Hydrogen One smartly saves a 2D version of any 4V photos you take so there's no FOMO. After some time shooting with the phone, I sought out angles and framing to show off more depth in my pictures. Instead of just taking a photo of a friend, I would have had a look at their glasses on the screen.

Curious enough, 4V photos taken with the rear view camera and 4V selfies can only be captured in portrait mode. And yes, there are two 8-megapixel front-facing cameras used to create 3D selfies which I found especially fun for group shots.