Where To Buy Razer Phone
Razer is mostly known for its gaming hardware, so it was a little surprising when the company acquired phone-maker Nextbit earlier this year. Eleven months later, and it finally revealed the results of that acquisition: The Razer Phone. Just like the rest of Razer's lineup, the company's first smartphone was built with gaming in mind. Even so, the Razer Phone has features that would please non-gamers too. Whether it's worth $700, however, is another question.
where to buy razer phone
Like the Robin, the Razer Phone has a power button on the right side that doubles as the fingerprint sensor. It worked well in my tests, and I was able to wake the phone with a slight touch. Sitting right above the power button is a slot for both the SIM and a microSD card. On the left side are two volume buttons, while the front-facing 8-megapixel camera sits above the display. On the back of the phone is a 12-megapixel dual-lens camera; one wide-angle lens with a f/1.7 aperture and a f/2.6 telephoto zoom lens. There's a dual-tone LED flash next to the camera as well.
On the bottom is a lone USB-C port, and -- just like the latest iPhones and Pixels -- the Razer Phone does not have a headphone jack. Instead, it comes with a USB-C-to-headphone adapter that packs a 24-bit THX-certified digital-to-analog converter. Or, of course, you could just use a pair of Bluetooth headphones.
If you're going to boast that your phone is "made for gamers," then the display had better deliver. Thankfully, for Razer, it certainly does. The screen is an absolutely gorgeous Sharp IGZO 5.7-inch QHD (1440 x 2560) IPS edge-to-edge display, with bright, rich colors and brilliant detail. What's even more impressive is that the screen refreshes at rates as high as 120Hz, which is really unheard of in a globally available smartphone like this one -- it's the same refresh rate found on the iPad Pro and a Japan-only Sharp Aquos R Compact.
What this translates to is a wonderfully smooth gameplay experience, which is especially useful in action-packed titles like Titanfall Assault or Final Fantasy XV. Not all games can take advantage of the 120Hz refresh rate -- most developers cap their games' FPS in order to support all displays -- but Razer is working with select devs to optimize their games for its display. Developers for games such as Shadowgun, Arena of Valor and Final Fantasy XV are already on board. Thankfully, you don't need to be gamer to appreciate this higher-than-usual refresh rate: sifting through apps and scrolling down long webpages look smoother and more natural than on other devices. Once you see this super-fast refresh rate in action, you'll wish it was the smartphone standard rather than the exception.
Sandwiching the display on the top and bottom are two front-facing speakers, which are probably the best speakers I've heard on a smartphone. Each has its own amplifier and, as the phone is tuned with Dolby Atmos for Mobile, there's hardly any distortion or crackling -- even at high volumes. In short, the audio is loud, immersive and an absolute treat when playing games, watching shows on Netflix or just playing your favorite tunes on Spotify.
One preloaded app that I particularly like is called Game Booster. This app lets you customize the frame rate, resolution and processor clock speed for each individual game, which is great if you'd rather not make global changes that affect the entire phone. For example, if you want your games running at 120, you can set that accordingly, while leaving the rest of the phone at a lower refresh rate to conserve battery. The app also has a couple of automated adjustments. There's Power Save mode, which automatically downscales settings to save battery, and Performance mode, which maxes out all the settings for the best gameplay experience possible.
A word of caution: If you were expecting the cloud-backup solution that Nextbit's Robin was known for, you won't find that here. Instead of the phone offloading unused apps like Nextbit did, you'll just have to store them the old-fashioned way -- on local storage. Thankfully, the Razer Phone's sizable 64GB of space (and up to 2TB of additional storage via microSD card) should be good enough for most people. As for documents and photos, you can store them in the cloud, thanks to Google Photos and Google Drive, just like any other Android phone.
The Razer Phone's built-in camera is very basic, with the ability to toggle flash, HDR and a few extra features like a visual grid and a timer, but not much else. I appreciated the tap-to-focus ability, but that's standard for most phones these days. Shutter speeds feel a touch slow, and if you do decide to use HDR, it's even slower, with a delay of one to two seconds. You can quickly launch the camera by double-pressing the power key, and holding down the shutter button will take photos in burst mode. That's really it.
On the one hand, it's really no surprise the camera is in the shape that it's in. This is Razer's first phone, and as we've seen with devices like the Essential PH-1, it's very difficult for a team without loads of experience to nail a smartphone camera on their first try. That said, the Razer Phone's camera falls well short of what we expected from a device that costs this much -- I'm pretty sure gamers like to take nice photos, too. For what it's worth, Razer has acknowledged these camera issues and it says it's working on updates to improve the experience. We'll see how things change once those updates are released, but for now, merely OK photos are the best you can hope for.
I was particularly impressed with the Razer Phone's 4,000 mAh battery. During moderate use peppered with several intense gaming sessions, the phone easily lasted a day and a half between charges. I should note here that I used the phone under default settings, where the screen refreshes at 90hz and then changes depending on whether a higher frame rate game is running. The phone does get a little hot if you're playing a particularly action-intensive game -- Titanfall Assault, for example -- but it cools down quickly. The Phone also comes with Qualcomm QuickCharge tech that lets it charge from zero to around 85% in just under an hour.
Due to the Razer Phone's price, I thought it fair to compare it to phones of a similar price range. The Essential, for example, initially sold for around $700 (it's since dropped to $500, however) and has a 5.7-inch QHD screen too. It doesn't have the same refresh rate as the Razer, but that display is nothing to sneeze at, either. Yet, the Essential falters when it comes to its speakers and doesn't do well when it comes to photo quality.
Razer definitely nailed the "phone for gamers" ethos, with its beautiful display, buttery smooth performance and ear-tingling speakers. Its performance as a regular ol' phone isn't too bad either, as those same qualities are great for other fun activities like watching videos and listening to tunes. Plus, battery life is stellar, which is great news for gamers and non-gamers alike. That said, if you wanted a stylish phone with a good camera and a display that works great outdoors, we'd advise you to look elsewhere. For those who care about gaming above all else, though, Razer has your back yet again.
As a result of Razer's acquisition of Nextbit in January 2017,[5] Razer started developing its own phone. The Razer Phone, therefore, is very similar in design to the Nextbit Robin. Its fingerprint scanner and front camera's positioning is the same, and both phones have large bezels, although the Razer Phone is made of aluminum, unlike the plastic Robin.[6]
In February 2019, Razer confirmed that it had let 30 employees go and was shutting down several projects. It is assumed the Razer Phone 3[8] was among those projects canceled. Razer did confirm that it would continue to sell the Razer Phone 2 and that it remains committed to supporting the phone with the latest updates and features.
It uses the USB-C charging port[2] for its 4,000 mAh battery; capable of fast charging using Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+. It also has a 24W fast charger included in the box. The phone does not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.[11] The speakers are enhanced with Dolby Atmos, and the phone comes with a THX-certified USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter.[13]
On release, the phone ran near-stock Android 7.1 Nougat. On April 16, 2018, the phone was upgraded to Android 8.1 Oreo.[3][14] Its default launcher is Nova Launcher Prime. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirmed to a user on Twitter that the Razer Phone would get Android Pie in 2019.[15]
At CES 2018, Razer previewed a prototype laptop codenamed "Project Linda" that uses the Razer Phone to power the computer. After the phone is placed into the touchpad area of the computer and a hardware button is pressed, a USB-C connector clicks into the phone, which also charges the phone when docked.[16]
The laptop uses a custom operating system based on Android and has 200 GB of internal storage, a 13.3" 1440p display, two USB ports, a 720p webcam, a dual-array microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, but lacks dedicated speakers and uses those built into the Razer Phone.[17]
Indeed, judging from its specs, the Razer Phone, which the company announced Wednesday, could handily beat Apple's iPhone X, Google's Pixel 2, Samsung's Galaxy devices, and other top smartphones, when it comes to performance.
The Phone's $700 price is cheaper than that of many of the latest flagship phones. Combine that with its specs and power, and Razer's device offers more bang for the buck than the $950 Galaxy Note 8, the $700 iPhone 8, the $800 iPhone 8 Plus, or the $1,000 iPhone X.
Nearly a year after Razer bought Nextbit, we now know what the startup smartphone company has been working on while under the gaming company's leadership. Razer debuted its first smartphone today, the Razer Phone, and it's clearly born from the ashes of the Nextbit Robin. Mobile gaming continues to be important to all types of smartphone users, and gaming companies are now focusing on making mobile games or translating big titles for mobile. While it's not being billed as a "gaming phone," the Razer Phone is the company's attempt to give gaming enthusiasts the hardware they need to play any kind of title on the go. 041b061a72