Take a moment to think back to October of 2018. It feels like a long time ago now, especially when we think about the fact that so much has gone between then and now. But something is missing. A Razer Phone 3! Razer announced its first smartphone, the Razer Phone, in November of 2017 and welcomed the second-generation handset in October the following year.
But 2019 did not welcome the third model in the lineup.
There are some expectations that will change this year, though. And I'll be the first to say that we don't need a new generation of a smartphone every single year. But what's more, taking a year off will give Razer plenty of time to work out any kinks it discovered in the first two handsets (especially the Razer Phone 2) and then iron out the details. It's possible that the Razer Phone 3 could not only be one of the best gaming smartphones on the market when/if it does arrive, it could be one of the best Android phones in general.
The Razer Phone 2 introduced the Chrome RGB backlit logo on the back of the device, and that alone is something to be happy about. It's great to see in person, too. I can remember all of the rumors that Apple was going to introduce a glowing Apple logo on the back of some older iPhone models years ago, but unfortunately that never came to light (no pun intended).
But beyond the glowing logo, the Razer Phone 2 wasn't a slouch when it came to the parts that mattered. It offered water resistance, a pair of cameras on the back, a powerful Snapdragon 845 processor, and the 5.7-inch display offered a 120Hz refresh rate. It was thin enough, but the bezels above and below the display might have been a dealbreaker for some -- even if they did make it possible to offer up the forward-facing speakers that were actually worth using.
But the gaming smartphone market is just a sliver of the rest, and there are a lot of different options out there. Razer has a name brand that's instantly recognizable, though, so it stands to reason that if it comes out swinging with specs and features and design in 2020 with the Razer Phone 3, it could have a seriously impressive handset for the crowded market.
But I'm curious: whether or not you've owned one of the previous Razer Phones in the past (or still do!), what would you like to see the company bring to a newer handset? What could Razer do, or add, to make you consider the new gaming smartphone to be your next daily driver? Let me know!