Razer introduced on Wednesday its first smartphone ever, the Razer Phone. As you might expect from a tech powerhouse dedicated to gaming, the company has made the device all about mobile games. The phone starts shipping this November 17 and it costs $699.99.
In an era where handsets are dropping old features and adding new ones, the Razer Phone feels like a device that got caught in the transition. Its uninspired design certainly doesn’t help its case, but the specs it packs might just do the trick to some tech enthusiasts.
With its hefty price tag, the Razer Phone will try to compete in the same bracket as other Android rivals like the Samsung Galaxy 8 and Note 8, the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, and the LG V30. If Essential is any proof, newcomers with big ambitions need more than bold proposals to break into this highly competitive market.
Razer Phone: specs and design
As a gaming peripheral manufacturer characterized by its sometimes extravagant designs, Razer seems to have just stamped their logo on the back of the Razer Phone and that’s it.
The phone is a black aluminum rectangle, thicker than most by today’s standards. Some have gone as far as to call it a brick, which goes to show how outdated it looked to some during hands-on reviews.
However, the Razer Phone compensates with some top-of-the-line specifications which include a Snapdragon 835 SoC, 64 GB of storage expandable up to a whopping 2 TB and 8 GB of RAM to handle heavy workloads during gaming sessions.
Razer Phone: features
The display of the Razer Phone certainly counts as a unique feature and selling point. The 5.7-inch IGZO LCD features adaptive refresh rates up to 120 Hz to deliver a smooth gaming experience in 1440 x 2560 QHD resolutions.
Weirdly enough, it has a set of dual cameras on the back that together create composite images. 12 MP wide and zoom lenses are on the rear, while the front camera has 8 MP for selfies. There is no headphone jack on the Razer Phone, but there is a pair of stereo speakers on the front with Dolby Atmos and THX audio.
Other than that, Razer also jumped on the no headphone jack wagon and removed it completely. There is a respectable 4,000 mAh battery powering the phone, so at least you’ll get enough juice to get you through the day and through longer than usual gaming sessions.
Razer Phone: price and release date
Razer is selling the Razer Phone directly on their website and on Amazon.com for $699, €749 and £699 respectively. It ships November 17 and you can preorder yours right away. There are 1,337 special editions available with the company logo on green emblazoned on the back, so you can also try your luck.
It has been optimized to play the best mobile games there are right now and coming soon, including Arena of Valor, Lineage 2, Tekken, Titanfall: Assault, Old School RuneScape, RuneScape, and more.
Source: Razer