What is Razer trying to accomplish with the new Razer phone series?
Razer is out to get people to want a smartphone that is the same as a high-end PC. Razor hopes that you are a committed mobile gamer and want you to think that people with gaming phones have an outstanding advantage against other people with “regular phones.” This gives you the mentality that you’re investing in something that is specifically tailored to what you like.
What is the problem with this?
In most cases you don’t need a massive and very expensive computer to play mobile games. Your normal flagship smartphone will do the trick. But Razer wants you to believe that this is the “best gaming phone” and you should buy it if your a gamer.
Can the Razer phone compete with other flag ship phones at this price point?
Not quite, although the Razer Phone 2 is a an excellent choice for gaming, it’s weak features hold it back from being a flagship smart phone. At the current price point of $799 USD you could pick up the iPhone 8, Galaxy S8, or the Pixel 2.
Here’s why:
- The Razer Phone 2 doesn’t have the camera chops to be equal to any of the new iPhone XS or Pixel 3 models.
- It’s a pretty large phone. people with large hands have complained about how angular and heavy itis. If it’s a massive phone by it’s self, imagine how much larger it is with a case on. It’s also around 36 grams heavier than the Pixel 3 XL.
- The chunky design, RGB lighting and old-school 16:9 aspect ratio will also be a drawback for many buyers
Pros and Cons list:
Pros:
– Top of the line specs in terms of processing and speed
– Loud speakers
– IP67 dust and water resistant
– Wireless charging
– 4000mAh Battery, with support for quick charge 4+
– Cool light up logo
– Doesn’t scratch as easily as the Pixel 3 XL
– Very bright display, twice as bright as previous model
Cons:
– Price tag
– Screen to body ratio
– “Your normal square phone”
– Very large and slippery
– Old android interface, Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, which is a little disappointing considering Android 9 Pie is now available
– Looks the same as last model
– Audio in the video mode sucks
Specs:
Display:
- 5.72-inch IGZO LCD
- 1440 x 2560 resolution
- 513ppi
- 120Hz
- Wide Color Gamut
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Processor:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
GPU:
- Adreno 630
RAM:
- 8GB
- LPDDR4x
Storage:
- 64GB or 128GB
- UFS
- MicroSD — Yes, up to 1TB
Rear cameras:
- 12MP wide-angle sensor with f/1.75 aperture, OIS, PDAF
- 12MP 2x telephoto sensor with f/2.6 aperture, PDAF
- Dual tone, dual LED flash
Front camera:
- 8MP fixed focus sensor with f/2.0 aperture
Sound:
- Stereo front-facing speakers
- Dual amplifiers
- Audio adapter with THX-certified DAC
Battery:
- 4,000mAh
- Non-removable
- Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0+
- Qi fast wireless charging
Connectivity:
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
- Dual band MIMO with 2×2 antennae
- Bluetooth 5.0
- NFC
- USB Type-C
Network:
- CAT18 DL/CAT13 UL
- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900
- WCDMA: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8
- FDD-LTE: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B66/B71
- TDD-LTE: B38/B39/B40/B41/B48
- LAA: B46
- TDSCDMA: B34/B39
Software:
- Android 8.1 Oreo
Dimensions and weight:
- 158.5 x 78.9 x 8.5mm
- 220g