Razer Phone 2 review: Always fun, always in a niche



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It's not easy to turn heads in the mobile phone industry in 2018. At best, we see new handsets praising criticism, but also a feeling of stifled boredom. Maybe it's the best of the genre so far, but so what? Aside from the fact that each box is checked, what does it bring back to the table? Fortunately, for those of us who are looking for something different (although a little weird), Razer has decided to embark on the mobile phone market. The gaming hardware company is now using its second generation smartphone, the Razer Phone 2, and remains true to its original vision: a handset for high-profile mobile players. This puts the device in an interesting position. It is a luxury product – so it should not only compete with the best, but do more. This is where the display of the refresh rate at 120 Hz and the bright RGB logo comes in.

But the price is revealing. Although it is certainly competing with other high-end devices at $ 799 – like the Pixel 3, for example – it still dares not go higher. The main reason is probably that the Razer phone has too little brand recognition (or not the right kind – when I say the name, most people think it's a reincarnation of the famous Motorola Razr), however I think the price is appropriate in other respects, too. First, because the gaming phone market is still nascent, and second, because Razer continues to find its place in mobile hardware. The Razer Phone 2 is an excellent phone, but it does not tick all the boxes yet.

Note: Razer provided this verification software with pre-production software. We will update the review if something changes substantially during the public release.

120Hz still amazes

Let's start with the display as this is the main selling point of the device. While this may sound like a hyperbole, the refresh rate of the 120Hz display is nothing short of breathtaking. When you enable the setting (90Hz by default), the display can change images up to 120 frames per second. That's twice as often as an ordinary smartphone. In addition, the Razer Phone 2 has a touch sampling of 120 Hz, which allows to enter the touch inputs at a much faster rate. The latest iPhone has this technology and it plays an important role in the quality of interactions (something that Apple fans love to brag) – and that is badociated with a 60 Hz display.

It's hard to say how much this refreshing rate raises the overall experience in gaming but also simple mobile navigation. In recent years, few new mobile technologies have been seen as a significant and generational step forward. The devices without glbades or almost without glbades come closer, but it is a change that divides and introduced the much-maligned notch. I think everyone could be late on 120Hz screens. From Pokémon Go to Twitter Scroll, every interaction has been significantly improved.

The only drawback is the fact that the display is not OLED (the technology is not there yet), and the IGZO LCD is a much weaker and warmer one than you will be used to if you use just about any other high-end Android flagship product. Be badured that it is significantly better than the Razer phone from last year – about 50% better, rising from 380 nits of brightness to 580 nits.

area of ​​acceptability, although, occasionally, you have to squint on a sunny day. But it's a small price to pay for a screen with the best smooth interaction experience I've ever felt.

This handset is powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset – a standard for the flagship products of 2018. As we have seen with the other biggest smartphones of 2018, it is endowed with outstanding performance, d & # 39; 39, a Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU, as well as a gigabit LTE X20 modem. There's also 64GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM, double the size of Pixel 3. Of course, many will argue that 8GB of short-term digital storage is simply useless, but this argument is rather useless. go out the window. If a device could use spare memory, it was one dedicated to 3D games, and if it could not, well, nothing serious.

Performance and Design in Practice

In my gaming experience with On the Phone, my longest session lasted about two hours. I've been playing Lara Croft Go (a game optimized for 120Hz) without stopping during this time, and the experience has remained constant throughout. No slowdown and no crash. I can not say the same for overheating: the phone is a little hot during intensive treatment tasks (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit), but stabilizes at this level when you keep playing.

I Can not Determine Whether This Is an Indictment Against the New Steam Room Cooling System on the Telephone or Does It Work in Just the Same Way because the heat is evenly distributed at the back of the phone. It's not uncomfortable, but it worries me a bit for the 4000 mAh battery – it could contribute to faster degradation than usual. For now, the battery life is an excellent aspect of the Razer Phone 2. When I settle for daily phone activities such as navigation, calls and messaging, its life is more than a day, this which is excellent compared to many leading companies. But the game causes a precipitous fall, as one could expect. In about two hours of play, you risk losing 50% of your charge. If the phone is completely idle, you will lose about one percent per hour.

The only real problem I have with the overall gaming experience of the Razer Phone 2 is the design of the device. It may be the least comfortable phone I have used, and I have used several Sony phones in recent years. I will note that I have quite small hands and wrists, but even people with larger hands than mine found it big, angular and heavy (36 grams more than the 3 XL pixel, to be precise) . Of course, I appreciate the 5.72 inch screen, but at what price? My little finger almost broke every time I tried to put the phone on it. The handset is also a very dangerous device for getting into a pair of pants or a jacket pocket, given its size and slippery glbad back. All this taken together is for me a decisive point. The design is just not practical.

The Pleasure of Speakers and RGB Light

That does not mean that there are not good things about it. In fact, the front speakers bring us back to the convenience of convenience stores. I know it may not be very sophisticated, but I like to play music and podcasts from the speakers of my smartphone. This is the best way to bring audio with you home if you do not have a configured multi-room audio system. It's unpleasant when the sound quality is low and quiet, but I do it anyway. That's how I'm engaged in this lifestyle. Fortunately, the Razer Phone 2 has made listening to podcasts and music aloud a fantastic experience.

These speakers are so powerful. Up to 103.3 strong decibels. You can easily hear your sound even if you are doing the dishes or taking a shower. The quality is very good too. It's not the best thing I've ever heard, but at high volume, Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers produced a well balanced sound with lots of body. Even when you hear sounds at the highest possible volume (which hurts your ears, it's so loud) – it's only slightly metallic and the highs do not seem masked. The performance of the wired headset is also satisfactory, but nothing exceptional. In close comparison with the Pixel 2 using Razer's new USB-C Hammerhead wired headphones (there is no 3.5mm headphone jack, unfortunately), I found that the audio Pixel 2 had more depth and sharpness, but in everyday use, do not notice much difference.

To return for a moment to the external speakers, I am particularly impressed by these: Razer has managed to include these two huge front speakers. and still offer IP67 waterproofing, which is great for peace of mind. In addition, the company traded a metal back against a glbad, allowing wireless charging. But the most important design element, in my eyes, is the RGB light logo. I chose the "breathable" lighting rhythm, which immediately gave the device the impression of being an adorable little sensitive robot, an effect reinforced by the fact that the lights notify you of notifications – blue for Facebook, yellow for Snapchat, etc. – and alert you when the battery is low with a red light. Never have I felt more guilty of not having a charge cord. I love the RGB light logo so much that it almost makes up for the uncomfortable and blocky design of this mobile gaming beast. But not quite.

Camera and User Interface

Let's move on to the less exciting aspects of the Razer Phone 2. First, the camera. The first Razer phone got a very bad news regarding the camera. There were many problems, ranging from low dynamic range to slowness of focus and capture speed to the wrong user interface of camera applications. This time it's a much more respectable shooter, and Razer is to be congratulated for at least trying to solve as many of last year's problems. He replaced last year Samsung sensors by sensors from the IMX range of Sony, and also worked on the software and the user interface of the application. What we have, however, is a camera that is no problem.

Right: Razer Phone 2. Left: Pixel 2.

It's not about getting the richness of the details and the liveliness of the colors you see with an excellent camera, like the Pixel 2. The photos tend to be softer and there is a tendency to blow the bright areas of a given scene. That being said, this is not a bad shooter and, it's a gaming phone. For what it's worth, the camera experience has reached a level that is not a decisive factor, at least for me – and it's probably the same for all intermittent mobile photographers.

As for the user interface, aside from some game improvements, Razer sticks to Android's near-stock, a choice that was hailed last year. Out of the box, the new phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo, which tempers the excitement. When I spoke to Razer, a representative of the company said that he was committed to regularly updating the information. Up to here, all we have to watch is the update schedule of the first Razer phone, launched in November 2017 with Android 7.1 Nougat and Android 8.1 Oreo five months later, in April. Hopefully this year, the company will not lag behind and may even be able to accelerate its pace: a high-end Android smartphone is nothing if not supported. On a positive note, the phone continues to feature the Nova Launcher Prime, which is extremely customizable and already familiar to many Android users – a very smart choice for a new mobile brand.

Should I buy it?

It depends.

In part, your operator could be taken into account in the decision. The support will probably be better than last year because Razer says that Verizon customers can use the device this time – but I have not been able to check Verizon's network performance, partly because that Razer would only guarantee AT & T before launch. I've also tried T-Mobile, and it worked very well, but Project Fi is not yet supported. In short, it is probably best to proceed with a little caution. If you buy the Razer Phone 2, keep it in good condition so you can return it if it does not work well on your network.

Is Razer doing enough to make a place for itself in the smartphone market as a luxury gaming experience? ? In most cases, yes. Its 120Hz refresh rate and powerful features make its use absolutely delicious. The front speakers and the RGB illuminated logo only add to the fun. That said, there are some major disadvantages, including camera and design. Razer is about to be the best you can get – it's not quite there yet.

Do not buy it …

If you need an excellent camera, you do not care. the games and a comfortable design are important to you.

Buy it …

If you're looking for an amazing performance experience combined with features you'll be hard pressed to find with another flagship product. [19659031] [ad_2]
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