The 12 Biggest Failures In Android History

When one of the kings of the cinema camera industry decided to launch its own high-end Android smartphone, expectations naturally ran high. The RED Hydrogen One’s promise of cutting-edge hardware, a unique design, a holographic 3D screen, and interchangeable modules generated a significant degree of hype. What’s more, photographers were anticipating the promised camera module that would allow the phone to be attached to professional camera lenses.

It was not to be, however, and the launch of the Hydrogen One was truly disastrous. From a disappointing holographic display with little available 3D content to outdated hardware thanks to nearly a year of delays, the phone was not up to the standards of what you’d expect from a device that started at $1300.

To make matters worse, the promised additional modules were never produced, compounding the other issues the Hydrogen One faced — so that practically everyone who bought one ended up disappointed. RED pledged that the Hydrogen Two would make up for the sins of its first phone and that early adopters would be rewarded with special treatment, but that turned out to be an empty promise when the Hydrogen Two was canceled along with the entire Hydrogen project.

In hindsight, it seems clear that for a first foray into the smartphone market, RED fell into a similar trap as Amazon with the Fire Phone. Instead, they would have been wise to have focused on essential features, a timely release, and the modular camera system that could have made the Hydrogen One stand out from the crowd in a good way.