After Razer, a company that is well known for its PC gaming hardware and accessories, acquired Nextbit back in January of last year, the easy guess was that Razer was going to jump into the smartphone market. The anticipation was pretty high leading up to the big unveil party on November 1 of 2017, and there were plenty of questions swirling around, too.
Namely, what would the first Razer-branded smartphone look like? Would the company go all-in with physical designs adopted by the majority of companies last year? Namely, would the handset have a big display but offer minimized bezels? Would it have a dual camera setup on the back? What would the resolution be on a device that would probably be geared for gamers?
The Razer Phone answered all of those questions, but whether or not the answers were worthwhile depended entirely on what you were looking for in a phone.
The Razer Phone looks like a Nextbit Robin. Namely, it definitely doesn't reduce the bezels. However, Razer used those bezels to pack in a pair front-facing speakers, and not tiny audio output devices, either. The phone has Dolby Atmos speakers, and listening to headphones means better audio quality, too, thanks to hardware certified by THX.
The display is the first smartphone to boast a 120Hz refresh rate, and it has a resolution of 1440x2560. It might not be an OLED panel, but the reviews for the device paint that screen as one of the best out there, and it should definitely be good enough for owners.
Basically, the Razer Phone is a powerhouse, and Razer should be proud of the company's first smartphone. That's a solid first step, and it will only get better from here (hopefully).
Still, the Razer Phone shares similarities to a lot of other companies that have attempted to go on their own: No real wireless carrier support. You can't walk into your preferred carrier retail store and find a Razer Phone sitting there on the shelf, ready to buy. If you want one you need to visit Razer's official online store, and while there is a monthly payment option provided by a third-party company, that still might not be as easy as just picking up a new phone from your carrier.
Right now, Razer has a great smartphone on their hands. They came into the market swinging for the fences and, as far as I'm concerned, have a hit on their hands. So, I couldn't help but wonder if you happen to be someone that picked up the Razer Phone after it launched a couple of months ago.
If you did buy Razer's first smartphone, how are you liking it so far? Do you like the design, the audio performance, and the display? Do you consider it a smartphone for gamers? Or is it just another great flagship device for everyone? If you didn't pick up a Razer Phone, what led you to the decision to skip it? Let me know!
