When the Razer Phone has had made its first public appearance last year, truly, it was one of the first modern gaming smartphones to hit the market. Though it may not seem likely in the U.S., there is a growing appetite for hardcore gaming. More especially in Asia, in where the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) titles are all in extreme.
However, to meet this demand, Xiaomi came out together with its Black Shark and the Black Shark Helo gaming phone in 2018. And also, ASUS followed suit with its ROG Phone. In which, it has had lots of accessories – a gamepad, a hand-held dock, and even an external fan, that it packs on unbelievably.
Nevertheless, not to be left behind, Razer did just unveil its second-generation smartphone, the Razer Phone 2. Thus, the Razer Phone 2 looks and feels similarly as the original, with a few tweaks back and forth. Additionally, the company focused on bringing its smartphone closer to big-name flagships. Like so, it makes the phone sleeker and more robust. In which, Razer hopes to draw gamers away from their Galaxies and Pixels.
Moreover, just like the original, there is no reaction that the Razer Phone 2 excels as a gaming phone. But, the problem here, it is still quite the flagship rival it wants to be.
Updated on 29 December 2024
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There is no doubt that the Razer Phone 2 is a great phone for gamers. In which, it comes out with a gorgeous, buttery smooth in the display, punchy and powerful sound, and even lots of power and battery life to keep you in the game for longer. Additionally, the phone features water-resistance and a bright display. Moreover, be warned though, which the phone does suffer from poor quality of the camera. And also, a form factor that is not very ergonomically-friendly.
In line with this matter, if you only prioritize gaming above all else, look no further than the Razer Phone 2. Thus, however, others might look elsewhere.
The Razer Phone 2 packs with Android 8.1 Oreo. And probably, will be updated to Pie early next year. Like so, it’s a bit disappointing if you are expecting for the latest and strongest software out of the box. But still, the hope is, you won’t wait any longer for the upgrade. In this matter, like the original, the second generation comes with the Nova Launcher. In which, it replaces the default home screen with customizable gestures and desktops. In another way, the UI is fairly vanilla Android.
Additionally, Razer did add a little of style here and there by slapping some green paint on a few core app icons. That includes the Camera, Clock, and Settings. And also, it included the app of its own, such as the Razer Theme Store, one for the prior Chroma logo, and also Cortex – which is a brand new app that functions as Razer’s one-stop-shop for mobile games.
However, the idea behind that Cortex is, instead of searching through the Google Play Store to find games that will take advantage of the Phone’s 2, you can just head to Cortex. In where, you will see the list of Razer Recommended titles or any games that are optimized for 12Hz screens. Thus, tap on one and you will be kicked to the Google Play Store, where you can download it from Cortex.
Moreover, according to Razer, the recommended titles in Cortex will change over time depending on the kinds of games you are playing. For this reason, there are two more sections in Cortex. One leads to your existing game library, whilst the other is a link to Game Booster – an app that Razer Phone users might already be familiar with. In which, it essentially lets you customize the frame rate, resolution and CPU of each individual game.
Razer says that the familiar design is part of the brands’ aesthetic. In which, it makes sense if you saw the company’s peripherals and laptops. That said the Razer Phone 2 doesn’t feel like it is a cheap phone. Like so, it measures 6.24 x 3.1 x 0.33 inches. Thus it was constructed out of a solid aluminum frame, similar to the original. Along with a new mirror-finish glass back that is in line with current phone trends. Moreover, it all adds up to a handset that looks and feels so excellent.
As for other hardware information, there is a fingerprint sensor on the right side. Also, with a lone USB-C port at the bottom, and two volume buttons along with the SIM tray on the left side. In addition to Razer Phone 2, is the new feature of water-and-dust-resistance rating of IP67.
In such a way, the Razer Phone 2 also sees a bump in CPU hardware. The device comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, with an Adreno 630 GPU and 8GB of system memory, as well. Like so, it comes out with 64GB of internal storage, and with support for up to one terabyte microSD cards.
One of the biggest problems with the original Razer Phone was its colorless camera. Though, the company apparently made a point to update it with the second generation Razer Phone. But still, the resolutions are the same. In which, it has had two 12 megapixel cameras on the back – one telephoto, and one wide with OIS, and a front facing camera of 8 megapixels.
Moreover, Razer exchanged the sensors and lenses from Samsung to Sony and overhauls the software in an effort to right its wrongs. For some instance, the camera app on the Razer Phone 2 now supports Portrait mode, 4K recording, and Beauty mode, as well. Like so, none of these are new in the smartphone world, but it is a good news to see Razer catch up at least.
Final Thought – There is no problem that the Razer Phone 2 is a great gaming phone. But, if you are not a gamer, or if games just aren’t your priority in your choice of device, better the second generation phone is not a stay.