Razer has confirmed that a mobile device for gamers is coming after Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan spoke to CNBC in a recent interview, stating that it hopes the device will be out by the end of 2017. Razer’s hopes for an end-of-year launch are likely echoed by legions of Razer advocates – the millions of like-minded gamers who tend to eat up Razer’s products and would no doubt be excited to see what a Razer mobile device would have to offer. Rumors of a Razer mobile device have been circling as early as last year after the company had announced that it was acquiring Nextbit, the mobile phone brand that launched its first and only phone, the Nexbit Robin, though the rumors were dismissed rather quickly.
Those rumors surfaced once more back towards the end of July as a report suggested that Razer was working on a smartphone geared towards gamers. After Razer’s confirmation today that it’s working on a mobile device focused on gamers and entertainment, the interests of anyone who follows Razer and its lineup of products are likely piqued, though it’s important to keep in mind that nowhere in Razer’s confirmation is the word “smartphone” used.
This means that Razer may not be working on a smartphone for its brand at all, and could actually be working on a mobile gaming tablet. Also worth considering, though, is Razer’s announcement earlier this year that it was partnering with 3 Group in Hong Kong for a handful of things focused on gamers, including phones and phone plans. Taking that into consideration, Razer’s gaming-focused mobile device could in fact be a smartphone. While Razer has now officially outed its plans to enter the mobile space with some kind of mobile device, there are still plenty of unknowns, such as how much it will cost, where it launch and who will be able to buy it. Many of Razer’s products are available globally but there are some products it has launched that are only available in certain regions. Other questions likely surfacing for anyone who has interest in a mobile device from the famed gaming peripheral company are what sort of features the device might offer, what operating system it might run on, and what kind of specifications it might include. If Razer hits its target of an end-of-year launch, that’s only a little over three months away, so more details could surface in the near future.