Razer has announced the upcoming release of a smartphone for gamers. Yes, you read that correctly. Razer the gaming peripheral giant has made the leap into the very crowded smartphone market. The phone take advantage of their acquisition of Nextbit last year. The phone itself is essentially a matte black version of the Nextbit Robin in looks. Internally though the Razer smartphone has upgraded itself from the Nextbit version to provide something extra.
Razer Looking Sharp
The Razer smartphone (really we need a name guys!) is made of aluminum and maintains overall aesthetic of most of their line. It has two large speakers at both the top and bottom of the front, framing a 5.7 inch display. Razer worked with Dolby to make the speakers Atmos-certified, with each speaker having its own amplifier.
The display is aimed at making gamers especially happy. The adjustable refresh rate can go as high as 120Hz. The higher refresh rate will allow for smoother transitions of on-screen graphics as well as better performance.
The dual cameras are situated at the top left on the back of the handset. Not much was shown off of the camera, however it does pack a 12MP wide angle lens and one 12MP zoom lens. The front facing camera is a standard 8MP lens.
The most unique thing about the exterior of the phone is actually the fingerprint reader. The reader is located on the right side, which seems to be a more natural place to grab the phone to unlock it than both the iPhone and Pixel which are on the front and back, respectively.
Razer Smartphone Guts
The phone runs on Android Nougat, which will update to Oreo some time during the first quarter of 2018. Razer says that the smartphone will have at least two years of regular Android software updates, which is vital in the age of device security hardening.
The Razer smartphone (guys, seriously, need a name!) comes in only one configuration featuring a Snapdragon 835 processor, 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The storage may make mobile gamers a bit hesitant, however a microSD card slot can house up to 256GB of additional storage.
As many gamers know, mobile games drinks up battery life like it’s water. Razer has included a 4,000 mAh battery and supports Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0. The quick charge will recharge up to 50% in just 35 minutes. Razer also included a “game booster” setting which can save battery life. The setting adjusts frame rate, power consumption, and other settings while playing games.
The smartphone market is extremely competitive and Razer is taking a major gamble that gamers are looking to maximize their mobile gaming experience. The Razer smartphone is available for pre-order now for $699 and will be available beginning on November 17th.
