Razer Phone Review: Strong Specs, Strong Performance

Razer specializes in video game-related devices, from mouses to headsets to keyboards. However, their creatively named smartphone, the Razer Phone, is introducing the company and its dedication to gaming into a new ecosystem.

RAZER PHONE REVIEW

Given the nature of how the Razer Phone is a gaming machine, it’s a powerful choice for gamers and smartphone enthusiasts alike. 8GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage are built-in, and the latter can be augmented with microSD cards. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which notably powers the OnePlus 5 and 5T, fuels Razer’s firstborn smartphone.

Moreover, Razer’s phone is the first phone to feature Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4.0 technology. This allows your phone to recharge from zero percent to 36 percent in only half an hour, and the phone’s 4,000 mAh battery assures you it will remain charged for a long time. (According to Gizmodo‘s testing, the Razer Phone’s battery lasts just over nine hours.)

A 5.7-inch screen composed of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 adorns the device, and gamers will be thrilled to learn that its display has a 120 Hz refresh rate. Although most games are developed for a 30 or 60 frames-per-second refresh, this is certainly an enticing proposition, and Razer is currently working with software developers on procuring more 120-friendly games on its machine. Plus, the audio output is as impressive as the phone’s visuals.

Disappointingly, Razer is the latest smartphone developer to omit a headphone jack, and their phone isn’t waterproof, either. One of the bigger problems with the Razer Phone, however, is with the underwhelming quality of its cameras. It comes with dual 12 megapixel cameras, but the quality of the photos they take was described by Gizmodo as “soft,” with competing phones providing stronger cameras. That said, Razer’s Min-Liang Tan issued a statement confirming updates to improve their quality will come.

A Razer Phone will cost you $700. Included in the package is a USB-C to USB-C cable, an audio adapter, a power adapter, a SIM eject pin and an information guide.