Razer Phone 2 officially revealed
- Published
Razer has officially revealed its latest smartphone the Razer Phone 2. After creating the category of gaming phones with the first Razer Phone in 2017, Razer has further pushed the boundaries of mobile devices to power the world of mobile esports and entertainment.
“The first Razer Phone disrupted the smartphone industry and created a new category,” said Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer Inc. “With the Razer Phone 2, we have pulled out the stops to define flagship and gaming on our terms.”
As revealed by the company, the Razer Phone 2 offers up to 30 per cent more performance than its predecessor thanks to the combination of the latest flagship components and thermal cooling solutions.
The company further revealed that the Qualcomm 845 Snapdragon chipset and Qualcomm Adreno 630 graphics processing unit (GPU) will blitz through the most demanding apps, and their performance is further enhanced by the Razer vapor chamber cooling system that provides for industry-leading thermal cooling. The vapor chamber provides more surface area for heat to dissipate while sustaining high frame rates for an overall cooler and more powerful experience.
The Razer Phone 2, as revealed by the company, improves on its imaging capabilities with a new rear dual-camera setup that offers a 12 MP wide-angle lens with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a 12 MP telephoto lens with 2x zoom. Be it fast action or low-light scenes, the Sony IMX sensors are tuned to produce low-noise images with a wide gamut of colors. On the front, the 8 MP camera supports video streaming at full HD resolution, a boon for all live-streaming professionals.
The Razer Phone 2 camera app comes with a new user interface that allows for easy one-handed operation for portraits and scenic panoramas. Razer further revealed that it is committed to constantly provide software updates to take advantage of the latest improvements in the imaging space.
As revealed by the company, the Razer Phone 2 is now powered by Razer Chroma, the world’s most popular RGB lighting system for gamers. That said… Taking a closer look at the device, the rear of the phone features the Razer triple-headed snake logo that glows in 16.8 million colors to provide app notifications (such as Facebook comments or WhatsApp messages). Razer Chroma also allows you to customise lighting effects such as Static, Spectrum Cycling and Breathing.
Wireless charging is now enabled on the Razer Phone 2 with its new glass back. Razer has announced its new wireless charger with Chroma – the world’s largest RGB lighting ecosystem – according to the company. If you prefer plugging in a USB-C cable, Qualcomm QuickCharge 4+ will allow users to charge the phone from a flat battery to 50 percent charge within just 30 minutes. When it comes to durabilty, the Razer Phone 2 has also been tested for IP67 resistance to dust and water.
As stated by the company, the Razer Phone 2 continues to take the lead with the only true 120 Hz display – now with even better performance for those who love high framerates and silky-smooth action without any lag or stuttering. The new display is also now 50 per cent brighter than the one in the first Razer Phone.
When it comes to sound quality, Razer revealed that the Razer Phone 2 is even louder and clearer than the first device. This is thanks to upgraded hardware and Dolby Atmos. The dual front-spacing speakers take up home position on the top and bottom bezels, allowing for both sound projection across any room, as well as an ergonomic form factor for long hours of handheld gaming.
The Razer Phone 2 packs a 4,000 mAH capacity battery for all-day gaming and entertainment needs and Razer continues to improve battery efficiency. Where its predecessor was benchmarked for 10 hours of battery life at a screen refresh rate setting of 90 Hz, the Razer Phone 2 is optimised to also last 10 hours at a higher 120 Hz.
Apart from battery life, Razer further revealed that the Razer Phone works with LTE Gigabit networks with download speeds up to 1.2 Gbit/s, allowing for 20per cent faster downloads while on the go.
The Razer Phone 2 has been optimised for today’s hottest mobile titles like “PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds Mobile (PUBG Mobile),” “Rival Crimson x Chaos,” “Marvel Future Fight,” “Guns of Boom,” “RuneScape” and more.
When it comes to streaming, the Razer Phone 2 is the only phone officially certified by Netflix for HDR (high dynamic range) video content and Dolby Surround 5.1 audio content.
Razer introduces Razer Cortex, the app that was built for mobile gamers. Razer Cortex will help users organise their games on their phone, as well as recommend the latest games optimised for 120 Hz gaming. It will also optimize the Razer Phone 2’s performance for different games, either with easy presets or manual settings. Razer Cortex is now available on Google Play Store and will work with a variety of phones.
The Razer Phone 2 will be available starting at US$799 MSRP in Mirror Black and in a Satin Black variant (arriving in Q4), in the USA, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. No release date has been specified for Africa as of yet.
Edited By Darryl Linington
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