Gaming-Centric Razer Phone Announced With 8GB RAM And Dual Cameras for $699

Razer, a company popular for its gaming laptops and peripherals, among other things, has launched a gaming smartphone. Previously, there were also devices from major brands including the Nokia N-Gage, the N-Gage QD, and more recent efforts like Sony’s Xperia Play and NVidia’s Shield tablet that tried to push gaming-centric smartphone into the market.

Dubbed as the Razer Phone, the offering by the company seems to take on Nextbit Robin’s design with two front-firing speakers on either side and some thick bezels above and below the display. The rear of the device sports a dual-camera setup alongside a LED flash and the Razer logo sits at the bottom.

As far as its specs are concerned, the Razer Phone features a 5.7-inch 1440p LCD display made by Sharp and comes with 120Hz variable refresh rate, which is the primary highlight of this smartphone. The phone also offers you the option of manually setting the refresh rate to run at 60Hz, 90Hz, and even 120Hz. Under the hood, the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, which is the standard for high-end flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5. The processor is clubbed with a massive 8GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

To top it off, the Razer Phone is backed by a 4,000mAh battery and runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with the Nova Launcher Prime built in. In terms of camera, the handset flaunts a dual 12MP setup on the back with f/1.8 aperture lens for wide-angle photo and a f/2.6 lens for telephoto images.

Unfortunately, the Razer phone lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack as well as the RGB lighting which might disappoint some audience. The smartphone also packs a THX-certified audio dongle that is expected to deliver 24-bit sound.

Priced at USD 699 (approximately Rs. 45,000), pre-orders for the Razer Phone start from November 1 and shipping will commence from November 17. The smartphone will be available in select countries including North America, Canada, Ireland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden via the Razer.com website.