While the regular Hydrogen team will still be in charge of the built-in camera capture system, the pro system will be run by RED itself. To put it another way, you should get more of what you expect from a RED-badged phone -- namely, a camera that reflects the company's knack for imaging hardware that borders on overkill. We've asked RED if it can elaborate on what this means for the fate of the module program, but Jannard said more details would come once his firm could "lock down the changes" and secure patents.

He stressed that this didn't mean an untimely end to the Hydrogen One. The smartphone is "not obsolete once the pro camera version comes out," Jannard said.

This doesn't necessarily mean the module technology is dead. RED recently teased a 3D camera module that turns the Hydrogen One into a monitor. It hasn't lived up to promises, though, as owners have been left wondering when (and if) modules might show. And that's an issue when the built-in cameras fare poorly against those in phones costing hundreds of dollars less.