This doesn't come as much of a surprise. Following the woes of the Essential Phone and Nextbit Robin (and Razer Phones), the ambitious yet flawed Hydrogen One experiment has come to an end. Despite the power and experience behind the aforementioned phones, with names like Android co-founder Andy Rubin and gaming computer manufacturer Razer (who eventually bought Nexbit), trying to break into the well established and fiercely competitive smartphone market is near impossible. So, somewhat predictably, RED just threw in the towel, canceling the upcoming Hydrogen Two smartphone.
The Hydrogen One seemed doomed from the start. It was significantly delayed several times after its May 2018 announcement, released six months later in November to a cold reception. Performance issues, a less than stellar screen with gimmicky 3D (holographic display) and ironically a lackluster camera all but killed sales. An outrageous $1,295 price tag certainly didn't help. Support will continue for current Hydrogen One phones for now, without further specifics from the company.
RED founder Jim Jannard announced that the Hydrogen project was being shut down as he simultaneously retires due to health issues. Current President Jarred Land will continue to lead the company. Known for its class leading digital cinematography cameras, RED Digitial Cinema ventured into the smartphone market with ambitious plans for a groundbreaking modular camera system and next generation 3D display. The modules never became a reality and the onboard camera was eclipsed by Samsung's and Huawei's flagships, among many others.
The upcoming Hydrogen Two, which was promised to have a ground-up design with a new hardware partner, is now scrapped. Whether or not the company revives its smartphone efforts under a different program remains to be seen, but for now, the focus returns to cinematography.
source: Android Authority
