Razer Phone: The Power-packed, All-black Smartphone for Gamers and Audiophiles
Razer is known as the world’s leading brand in gaming hard- and software. Their motto: For Gamers, By Gamers! Their products range from keyboards, mice & mouse mats, laptops, as well as headsets, speakers, webcams, microphones, and even accessories such as bags and cases. Most recently, the brand made a bold move introducing its very own smartphone.
The phone is equipped with a 4,000 mAh battery (which is one of the largest capacities found in any smartphone), 64GB flash storage, 8GB RAM and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform, which is engineered to deliver exceptionally long battery life, lifelike VR and AR experiences (4K UltraHD playback at 60 frames per second), cutting-edge camera capabilities, Gigabit Class download speeds.
For comparison: the iPhone 8 Plus has a 2,691mAh battery, the iPhone X with a 2,716mAh battery, and both models come with 3GB RAM.
The Razer phone features a 12MP back camera with a dual tone dual LED flash system, so colors look balanced and natural, and the camera features a zoom lens that supports shooting modes from f1.75 wide angle to f2.6 2x telephoto. The front camera features 8MP and an aperture of f2.0.
The phone is shipped with Android 7.1, and it features an innovative 120 Hz UltraMotion screen, which guarantees stutter-free and smooth motion at a Quad HD quality. The display is 5.7-inch in size (screen-to-body ratio 73%) and weighs 197g. Remarkable is the high pixel density of the display, which is 513 ppi.
For comparison: the display of the iPhone 8 Plus is 5.5-inch (screen-to-body ratio 67%), the phone weighs 202g and the pixel density of the display is 401ppi - even the iPhone X features only 458 ppi.
There is no headphone hack, but a USB-C headphone adapter is included in the box. Further functionality includes a microSD memory card slot, touch screen with fingerprint recognition, 4G, Bluetooth, NFC and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The phone features Dolby ATMOS and THX certified audio, which provides cinematic sound experience and audiophile quality sound, and it can be paired with every Bluetooth headset. However there is no need to seek far afield as the good is right close by: the "Razer Hammerhead BT" wireless in-ear headset delivers impressive 8 hours battery life, and it boasts 10mm drivers (industry standard is 6mm) which delivers substantially louder and clearer audio experience, from deep bass to high notes. The headset is available at US$99.99.
While being a cutting-edge piece of technology that is in most regards on par or excelling competition, there are two areas where the Razer phone lags behind: display contrast/brightness and Bluetooth.
According to display tests made by GSMArena (one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date mobile phone information websites), test results show a contrast ratio of 871:1 for the Razer phone (while the iPhone 8 Plus features 1300:1), and a display brightness of only 223 nits. With the industry average being between 400-600 nits (both iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X feature 625 nits), the Razer phone comes with one of the dimmest screens currently available on the market.
While iPhone 8 and iPhone X already feature Bluetooth 5.0, the Razer phone comes with Bluetooth 4.2. This is a pity as compared to 4.2, the 5.0 technology is faster (2-times), has a higher range (4-times), is more reliable and consumes less power.
The retail price of $699 USD is very reasonable, making it 30% more affordable than the iPhone 8 Plus. Preorders can be made already, directly from the Razer website or on the Amazon marketplace. The phones will officially start shipping on November 17.