In short: Just a few hours after announcing the Razer Phone 2, the company has already opened pre-orders for the device on its website. The Razer Phone 2 is available now for $799.99 which is the same price as the original Razer Phone. Ironically, in 2018, it is actually one of the “cheaper” flagships. And that is due to all of the flagships smartphones out there hitting the $999 price tag these days. However, with the Razer Phone 2 at $799, you are getting a whole lot for your money, arguably more than you would get from a Google Pixel 3 which is priced the same.
The Razer Phone 2’s spec sheet looks very similar to the original Razer Phone’s, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. The specs of the Razer Phone, released in 2017, is still higher than those of smartphones coming out this month. The Razer Phone 2 sports that 5.7-inch LCD display from Sharp. However that LCD display is now 50-percent brighter compared to the original Razer Phone, improving one of the most complained about issues with the Razer Phone. It is also a 120Hz display, which makes the phone feel buttery smooth. That also makes it great for gaming. Another aspect that makes it great for gaming is the dual front-facing speakers. These are Dolby Atmos-certified, so you are getting some really good audio here, and there are large front-facing speakers here, so even while gaming, you aren’t going to fully cover up those speakers and get muffled sound. That is definitely a good thing. The Razer Phone 2 isn’t just about gaming though, it is also about media consumption. And the Razer Phone 2 is certified to for Dolby Atmos and HDR on Netflix, being the first smartphone to get both – others have one or the other but not both.
Other internals for the Razer Phone 2 include the Snapdragon 845 – despite the so-called leaks that it would have a Snapdragon 835 chipset – along with 8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 4000mAh capacity battery. These are all the same as last year, aside from the processor, which is going to give you around 40-percent better performance compared to its predecessor. The 4000mAh capacity battery should still last all day long and then some, and when its time to charge, there is Quick Charge 4+ support, as well as Qi wireless charging – thanks to the glass back that is now on the back of the Razer Phone 2. The Razer Phone 2 is one of the few smartphone makers out there that are actually support Quick Charge 4 or 4+, so that is good to see here. And on top of that, Razer is including a Quick Charge 4+ wall adapter in the box. Allowing you to quickly charge your phone with the included wall charger and not needing to buy a Quick Charge 4+ adapter. Of course, part of that is because many companies aren’t making wall adapters that support Quick Charge 4. But it is also a good thing that Razer isn’t including a 5W wall charger in the box like Apple is doing with the iPhone XS.
Background: Last year when the Razer Phone was announced, it was met with some mixed reactions. Gamers obviously loved the phone. Since it had that 120Hz 16:9 aspect ratio display, incredible front-facing speakers, and that impressive battery capacity. That also led to a really incredible gaming experience on the Razer Phone, and that’s what gamers expected from Razer and still expect from the company. But for other users that were looking for something that was a spec-powerhouse, it did fall short in a few areas. That included the camera. The Razer Phone did sport two cameras last year, but it was far behind the competition. Razer informed AndroidHeadlines last year that this was because the team had focused more on gaming and media consumption with the Razer Phone than with the camera performance. Which made sense, because gamers are really not going to spend a lot of time taking pictures. However, Razer decided to make some changes to the camera this year, and it’s supposedly much better this time around.
The specs on the Razer Phone 2 are pretty similar to the Razer Phone and a big reason for that is because there wasn’t much to improve on the spec sheet. It was already a pretty incredible phone with unparalleled performance and battery life. That will continue with the Razer Phone 2. Of course, Razer has also worked with a number of game studios to get games that are compatible with that 120Hz display on the Razer Phone 2, so that customers can play more and more games. Which is also pretty impressive. Of course, the one thing that users wanted Razer to add to the next Razer Phone was a headphone jack, but that didn’t happen. Though, we have not seen any manufacturer add a headphone jack after taking it away, so that’s not a huge surprise. But as a consolation, Razer does included a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle in the box, which has a DAC that is certified by THX. So it is still offering some really impressive audio quality here, even though there isn’t the standard headphone jack – which would have definitely been more convenient then having to carry around a dongle.
Impact: Reviews of the Razer Phone 2 are not out just yet, but so far everyone is pretty impressed with the device, especially at this price point. Which is a bit interesting, considering on paper, it is essentially the same phone as last year’s at the same price. But with other flagships getting more and more expensive, the Razer Phone 2 is looking pretty good at $799. You can pre-order the Razer Phone 2 now from Razer’s website at the link below. It is available in Mirror Black or Satin Black. They are essentially the same colors, though the Satin Black color is not quite as fingerprint prone as the Mirror Black which is essentially like a mirror. Razer also offers up a one-year warranty on the Razer Phone 2, so you will be covered if anything should go wrong with the device.
Pre-Order Razer Phone 2