Calling all Razer fans: Razer unveils the Razer Android Phone

 

Razer today formally unveiled its long-rumored (but hardly surprising nor secret) Razer Phone—which noticeably lacks a headphone jack and the name of any predatory creature (as is typical of Razer products).

The Razer Phone is an Android phone running Android Nougat. (An Oreo upgrade is slated for Spring 2018.)

It’s based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, and paired with  Dolby Atmos-powered audio and a 5.72-inch Quad HD IGZO LCD display boasting an impressive 120 Hz refresh rate.

The Ultramotion Display (as Razer calls it) also features adaptive refresh technology to  synchronize the phone’s GPU and display to eliminate lag and image tearing without crushing  battery life.

 

The Dolby Atmos-powered audio fires through front-facing speakers, each powered by a dedicated amplifier. (In addition, you can use an optional THX-certified USB-C audio adapter with a 24-bit digital audio converter (DAC) for audiophile-quality sound with your favorite headphones.)

 

The Razer Phone includes 8GB of RAM and comes with Razer’s Game Booster app. According to Razer, the phone is also designed with advanced thermal characteristics to maximize power and performance—and hopefully help prevent its sizable 4000 mAh battery from causing pants to spontaneously combust.

 

Other features include dual, rear 12 MP cameras with a f1.7 wide angle lens to 2x telephoto zoom, as well as dual tone flash.

 

 

The standard Razer Phone comes in a sleek 8mm-thin aluminum body with Razer’s chrome,  triple-headed snake logo. In addition, 1337 sets of the Razer Phone Special Edition will be available featuring Razer’s green triple-headed snake logo from Three stores in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, at Razer Store in San Francisco, and online in the USA and Canada via Razerzone.com.

A special Razer Theme Store will be available for customizing the Razer Phone with wallpapers, ringtones, and more.

The Razer Phone ships initially with Android Nougat,  and receive the Android Oreo upgrade in spring 2018.

(Brief) Hands-on with the Razer Phone

I got to spend a little time with a Razer Phone at PAX West 2017. Here are a few ‘from the hip’ thoughts:

• It’s a very sleek,  attractive phone.
• At the very least it seems reasonably competitive with phones at a similar size and price point.
• The audio is definitely a cut above the average smartphone.
• The display was beautiful and smooth — but I didn’t really get to see it do a whole lot beyond brief, canned demos and a little casual hands-on use.

Razer no doubt faces a severely uphill battle in a realm largely dominated by Samsung and Apple, and a sea of consumers that generally don’t care about 120Hz refresh rates or the video gaming prowess of their phone. (And even if you get a Razer Phone and love it, (likely) scant market penetration will result in difficulty finding accessories, such as cases, screen protectors, etc.)

 

Calling all Razer fans

The Razer Phone will go on sale in launch countries from November 17, 2017, with pre-orders beginning November 1st, 2017, 9 p.m, at a launch price of  US $699.99 / € 749.99 / £ 699.99

• In Europe, THREE will be the exclusive carrier for Razer fans in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden.
• The Razer Phone will also be available through Razerzone.com for North America, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark and Sweden.
• The Razer phone will be available on Amazon.com and at select Microsoft Store locations in the US.

 

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Razer Phone Features and specifications

Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 Mobile Platform

Memory: 8GB dual channel (LPDDR4, 1866 MHz)

Storage:

• Internal: 64GB UFS