The Razer Phone is an Android-based phablet designed and developed by Razer Inc. that went on sale on November 15, 2017. The device is designed mainly for mobile gamers, although reviewers have noted that it is also good enough for everyday use.
History
As a result of the acquisition of Nextbit in January 2017, Razer started developing its own phone. The Razer Phone, therefore, is very similar in design to the Nextbit Robin. Its fingerprint scanner and front camera's positioning is the same, and both phones have large bezels, although the Razer Phone is made of aluminum, unlike the plastic Robin. In October 2018, Razer announced the Razer Phone 2 with numerous enhancements from the Razer Phone, such as improved screen and camera, wireless charging, and Razer Chroma lighting.
Specifications
Hardware
The Razer Phone's back is a slab of black aluminum with a chrome Razer logo. Special editions were released, one with a gold logo, and one with a green logo. The front glass is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the volume buttons are made of aluminum, and the power buttons are made of plastic. It uses the QualcommSnapdragon 835SoC, coupled with 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64 GB internal storage. The internal storage is expandable by a microSD card. The display is a 5.7" 1440pIPS LCD panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Its highlighted feature is an "UltraMotion" 120 Hz display with Qualcomm's Q-Sync variable refresh rate, similar to Apple's second-generation iPad Pro. The quick refresh rate allows for gamer's to play with almost zero latency. The phone comes with two 12 MP cameras on the back, one being a wide-angle lens, and the other a telephoto. The wide-angle lens features an f/1.75 aperture, while the telephoto lens offers f/2.6 aperture. It uses the market-standard USB-C charging port for its 4,000 mAh battery, capable of fast charging using Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+. It also has a 24W fast charger included in the box. The phone does not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The speakers are enhanced with Dolby Atmos, and the phone comes with a THX-certified USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter.
Software
The phone originally came out running near-stock Android 7.1 Nougat. On April 16, 2018, the phone was upgraded to Android 8.1 Oreo. Its default launcher is Nova Launcher Prime. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirmed to a user on Twitter that the Razer Phone would get Android Pie in 2019.
Accessories
Project Linda
At CES 2018, Razer previewed a prototype laptop codenamed "Project Linda" that uses the Razer Phone to power the computer. After the phone is placed into the trackpad area of the computer and a hardware button is pressed, a USB-C connector clicks into the phone, which also charges the phone when docked. The laptop uses a custom operating system based on Android and has 200 GB of internal storage, a 13.3" 1440p display, two USB ports, a 720p webcam, a dual-array microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, but lacks dedicated speakers and uses those built-into the Razer Phone.
