Razer’s product lines are ever-expanding, and today the company added another category to its arsenal: smartphones. More specifically, the aptly-named Razer Phone.…
Razer’s product lines are ever-expanding, and today the company added another category to its arsenal: smartphones. More specifically, the aptly-named Razer Phone. This is the first product of Razer’s acquisition of Nextbit early in the year, and can be roughly described as a high-end Android smartphone with a twist.
The Razer Phone’s claim to fame is its 5.7″ IGZO wide-gamut panel with a resolution of 2560×1440 and a 120-Hz refresh rate. The screen also includes variable refresh rate (VRR) support that Razer calls Ultramotion. While technically the handset isn’t the first Android-powered phone with a 120-Hz display (the Sharp Aquos Xx3 did it before), the Razer Phone has the advantage of offering VRR support.
All the pixels are pushed by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC that’s accompanied by a whopping 8 GB of RAM. Razer says its handset outperforms even the Samsung S8+ in common benchmarks. Interestingly, the company also claims that the Razer Phone’s thermal performance outranks other flagship handsets. Perhaps in a bid to offer extra juice for the gorgeous screen and the powerful SoC, Razer saw it fit to slap a 4000-mAh battery inside its Phone. That big pack o’ amps has Quick Charge 4+ support and can charge up to 85% in only an hour, according to Razer.
If you’re wondering about the reason for the rather thick bezels on the Razer Phone’s face, they hide individually-amplified front-facing stereo speakers that carry a Dolby Atmos badge and THX certification. Razer says its Phone is probably the world’s loudest phone. The headphone output has a 24-bit DAC behind it.
Around the aluminum back, buyers will find a large Razer logo and a pair of 12 MP cameras—one with a wide-angle lens, the other a telephoto shooter. The cameras can work in tandem for seamless zooming, too. Built-in storage clocks in at 64 GB, and there’s a microSD slot for further expansion. According to Razer, the handset is powered by « stock » Android 7.1.1 with Nova Launcher, and there will be a software update to Android Oreo in Q1 2018. Razer also says it’s been working with some game developers to offer special 120-Hz and high-res-optimized versions titles like Arena of Valor, Tekken, and Final Fantasy XV.
The Razer Phone will ring in at $699. The handset can be preordered at the Razer online store come November 1, and will start shipping on November 17.
