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When Razer created a new category of phones last year, the company offered players two features that are not usually found on your phone: a big battery of 4000 mAh and a fantastic 120 Hz screen that makes the games even smoother. But now that the rest of the smartphone world has begun to be more interested in gaming, aside from its screen and its new mandatory RGB lighting, how can Razer push the idea of a handset of game even further on the new Razer Phone 2?
The solution is to improve the phone so that it is just as competent in everyday tasks, like watching movies, taking photos or managing the rigors of everyday life, just like in games. That's because even though the first Razer phone gave a clear idea of what people could get from a handset, it often made them feel like a device in their own right, rather than something you wanted take away all the time.
What is it?
A phone for players
Price
Starts at $ 800, $ 900 for the satin black model
As
New RGB lighting, IP67 water resistance, Qi wireless charging and even more powerful speakers
Do not like it
The battery life is average, no way to customize notification colors for RGB back light, still works with Android 8.1
Thus, in its second test, Razer kept this screen 120.75 × 5.7 inches while almost doubling its brightness, from a mediocre level of 350 to 615 pixels. It matches (or exceeds) the brightness you will get on a Galaxy Note 9 (616 nits) or iPhone XS (547 nits) and allows to see the phone screen much more easily, especially in direct sunlight.
Then, Razer added the IP67 water resistance to make sure the phone does not burst every time it emits a slight smell of moisture. And even with the extra seals used to prevent water penetration, the Razer Phone 2's speakers are now even more powerful and count among the most powerful speakers of all smartphones.
In the back, Razer also replaced the old-generation phone's metal back with glass, which allowed the addition of Qi wireless charging. And of course, it would be a mistake not to mention the new RGB light hidden under the Razer logo on the back. It can pulse and breathe a rainbow of colors, just like other gaming accessories with Chroma technology. In addition, the RGB LEDs can also flash in different colors depending on the received notifications. Unfortunately, you can not customize the blinking colors for some applications. So, Snapchat is always yellow, Gmail always red, etc. But at least, it's a good way to sneak tabs on internets, even when the phone is returned to a table.
But by far, Razer's biggest upgrade for the Phone 2 is its new camera modules. The poor quality of images tends to be a problem for many smartphone startups like Essential, and last year, Razer discovered how offering a high end camera experience was not easy. And despite many post-launch updates, the original Razer phone often suffered from blurry and fuzzy images.
So, on the Razer Phone 2, the company has installed two sensors at the front and back so you can take portrait-style pictures that everyone seems to love nowadays, while the Rear also features an extra 2x zoom. Then, you bet on an improved automatic HDR processing, a better focus and a new optical image stabilization. Result: a significantly improved camera experience.
However, it is clear that, even with all the upgrades, the Razer Phone 2's photos are still not as good as the first-rate smartphone cameras like the Pixel 3, as clearly shown by a quick side-by-side comparison . Although the images of the Razer Phone 2 are quite sharp, there is a clear difference between the latter and the Pixel 3 in terms of exposure and color saturation. And when conditions become dark, the Razer Phone 2 often produces a lot of noise. But for the most part, many of these disadvantages could easily be masked by a filter or a quick edit in your favorite photo sharing application. What really matters is that the Razer Phone 2's cameras are no longer debt.
When it's time to play – Razer, like every other Android phone this fall – upgraded to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, while retaining a RAM of 8GB RAM, a microSD card slot and your choice of storage of 64 GB or 128 GB depending on the model you choose. (The basic black mirror model comes with 64GB, while the satin black model has 128GB).
There is also a new vapor chamber heat sink that allows cooling and better distribution of heat and, according to our benchmarks, the effect is small but noticeable. The Razer Phone 2 often has a 5% higher score than other Snapdragon 845 devices on Geekbench 4 and 3DMark, which it retains even after several tries. However, even with a more efficient processor and a large 4,000 mAh battery, the Razer Phone 2's battery life has only increased by about half an hour compared to last year's model. 9:45 am during our degradation test. Overall, it's just average.
Finally, to help you manage your games, Razer has created the new Cortex application, which has a Game Booster tab that allows you to change settings including resolution, anti-aliasing, refresh rate, and more. Screen and so much more. That's good when you know you want the full 120Hz for games like Need speed without limits or The Alto Odyssey, but maybe not so much on slower titles like Plague inc.
Cortex is also a discovery tool for finding new games. This means, however, that you will sometimes encounter contextual ads. But what concerns me most about the Cortex application is that it is divided into three categories (Featured, 120Hz games and Razer Partners), the 120Hz section having only enough space to display four applications at a time. Currently, the number of games compatible with Razer's optimized refresh rates is closer to 30, but it's hard to know which ones are because there's no way to dig deeper. These 120Hz games should be in the foreground instead of just a handful, because Razer's display is still the most important component of the device.
The Razer Phone 2 is not for everyone and it's ok. You must love the big phones, enjoy the senseless pleasure that is RGB lighting and, most importantly, be able to enjoy the impact of this 120Hz display. But thanks to the additional work of its speaker, its screen and its cameras, the Razer Phone 2 is a much more welcoming and more complete device, provided that you can support the asking price of $ 800, the second effort Razer is better. for both norms and players.
READ ME
- The Razer Phone 2 is not for everyone, but thanks to better cameras, wireless charging and IP67 water resistance, it's overall a better everyday driver.
- The life of the battery is about half an hour, which is good, but at 9.45, it is relatively average compared to "normal" flagship phones.
- Razer's Cortex app could use better conservation, so it's easy to find and discover games that take advantage of the Razer phone's 120Hz display.
- The new rear RGB light is nice, but it lacks the customization you expect from other Razer Chroma cameras and could also be brighter.
- The Razer Phone 2 supports GSM operators such as AT & T, T-Mobile and Verizon LTE (but not 3G or 4G standards).
SPEC DUMP
Android 8.1 • Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 • 8 GB of RAM • 64/129 GB of storage • microSD card slot • 5.7 inch 2560 x 1440 120 Hz LCD display • IP67 waterproof • USB-C port • Wireless charging Qi • Socket included 3.5mm jack • 8 MP selfie cam • 12 MP dual rear cameras (2x zoom) • Bluetooth 5.0 • 4000 mAh battery • Available in gloss black or satin black for $ 100 more
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