Razer today announced its first smartphone, aptly named the Razer Phone. The phone packs a 5.2-inch QHD,first-in-class, 120Hz UltraMotion IGZO display from Sharp. The high refresh rate would bring smoother motion in animations and graphics for gaming. The display is the highlight of the phone and features variable refresh rate. So, when you have just static content on the display, it lowers the refresh rate to conserve battery-life and as soon as you touch it, the refresh rate jumps back to 120Hz.
You can choose to limit the refresh rate to 60Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz, based on your preference. Talking about battery, the Razer Phone packs a 4000 mAh unit in its metal body. To prove its gaming cred, it packs the flagship-standard Snapdragon 835, 8GB RAM and 64GB internal storage which is expandable. It runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with a promised update to Android Oreo coming next year.
It runs an almost stock build of Android, with Nova Prime launcher pre-installed. The company has also partnered with some game publishers to take full advantage of the 120Hz display.
Again, going back to the hardware, it also features dual stereo speakers up front, above and below the display. But there's no headphone jack here. However, you do get a THX certified 3.5mm dongle within the box, which has a 24-bit DAC built-in.
Coming to cameras, there are two of them on the back. Razer has packed dual 12MP cameras on the back, one with a f/1.8 aperture lens and another telephone lens with f/2.6 aperture. The telephoto lens allows for smooth 2X optical zoom without any quality loss. Up front, you also have an 8MP selfie camera. Given the massive battery and huge display, with large bezels, the Razer Phone is quite large. All this is tucked inside an 8mm thin metal shell and weighs in at 197 grams total, not light at all.
If the design of the phone looks a little too familiar, that's because Razer had acquired Nextbit earlier this year. Their first phone Robin and the Razer Phone share similar design and aesthetics.
Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE support, dual-band WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C and NFC.
The Razer Phone has been priced at $699.99 (Rs. 45,000) / €749.99 / £699.99 based on where you purchase the phone. It will be going on sale in North America and Europe starting November 17th, pre-orders start today. There are 1337 special Razer Phone units going on sale as well with Razer's iconic triple-headed green snake logo, while most phones will come with a chrome logo.
