The Razer Phone: A Gaming Powerhouse?

Hey guys, this is Austin, and today I'm here with something just a little bit different. This is the Razer phone. So as you guys can probably tell, we're here at the Razer HQ where we get to do an exclusive unboxing of the new Razer phone that was just announced.

The idea here is that this is going to be a phone that's meant for gamers. Not only does it have a pretty interesting screen, which we'll discuss in a minute, but it has crazy speakers and you can also see it's kind of built like a tank, look at that! So if you guys are familiar with Nextbit, Razer purchased them a little over a year ago, and you can see a lot of that DNA in the Razer phone. It's very sort of squared off, but it also has a nice sort of metal texture, which feels exactly like the sort of finish they have on their laptops.

So if you take a look at the phone, you'll see that it does have fairly large bezels, although that does house the dual front-firing speakers. But what's really impressive about this is the display. It has a 5.8-inch 2560 by 1440p panel. What's really interesting is this can run at a full 120 hertz.

Before we get too far into it though, let's see what else comes in the box. So we get some paperwork on the Razer phone, we also get the power adapter, so this phone is using USB-C, however what it doesn't have is a headphone jack. So to be fair, they do include a USB-C headphone adapter in the box, and supposedly it's going to be pretty good with a 24-bit DAC, but the problem is, if you wanna actually play a game and listen to headphones, you're going to be doing something like this.

It's not a deal breaker, but for a gaming phone, it's a little bit goofy. However, what is cool is the speakers that are built into the phone. Hey guys, this is Austin. This is the Google Pixel 2 and this is the Pixel 2 XL. That's pretty loud. So yeah, I think it's actually pretty safe to say this is probably one of the loudest phones I've ever heard.

I would still like to have a headphone jack, but that's a decent compromise. So just playing with the phone for a few minutes, I can immediately tell that the UltraMotion display actually does make a pretty big difference. The idea here is that while it is a high-resolution panel, it also can run it up to that 120 hertz refresh rate.

Basically all phones that you buy today are running at 60 hertz, which has been standard for a long time, but once you step up to 120 hertz, it actually is a lot smoother. So for basic stuff like web browsing or scrolling through menus, you can see that it does look a lot more fluid.

Where you're really gonna see the advantage is in games. For example here in Riptide Renegade, we're running anywhere between 90 to 100 frames per second, and because the display is not only going to be variable refresh rate, but it also can run up to 120 frames, we're seeing all of the performance here.

I've gotta say, it actually does look noticeably smoother than a normal phone. It's maybe not the biggest difference in the world, but you do notice that little bit of extra fluidity.

Any game that has an unlocked frame rate right now will work out of the box on the Razer phone with these settings. So $700 is definitely a lot, but considering the specs and especially considering just how good the screen and speakers are, it might be worth a look if you're interested in gaming, which you know, if you want a Razer phone, you probably are.

Anyway, what do you guys think about the Razer phone? Let me know in the comments below, and I will catch you in the next one.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, this isAustin, and today I'm herewith something just alittle bit different.This is the Razer phone.So as you guys can probably tell,we're here at the RazerHQ where we get to doan exclusive unboxingof the new Razer phonethat was just announced.So the idea here is thatthis is going to be a phonethat is meant for gamers.So not only does it have apretty interesting screen,which we'll discuss in a minute,but it has crazy speakers,and you can also see it iskind of built like a tank, look at that!So if you guys are familiar with Nextbit,Razer purchased them alittle over a year ago,and you can see a lot ofthat DNA in the Razer phone.So it's very sort of squared off,but it also has a nicesort of metal texture,which feels exactlylike the sort of finishthat they have on their laptops.So if you take a look at the phone,you'll see that it doeshave fairly large bezels,although that does house thedual front firing speakers,but what's really impressiveabout this is the display.It has a 5.8 inch 2560 by 1440p panel.What's really interesting is this can runat a full 120 hertz.Before we get too far into it though,let's see what else comes in the box.So we get some paperworkon the Razer phone,we also get the power adapter,so this phone is using USB-C,however what it doesn'thave is a headphone jack.So to be fair, they do includea USB-C headphone adapterin the box, and supposedlyit's going to be pretty goodwith a 24 bit DAC, but the problem is,if you wanna actually play a gameand listen to headphones,you're going to be doingsomething like this.It's not a deal breaker,but for a gaming phone,it's a little bit goofy.However, what is cool is the speakersthat are built into the phone.Hey guys, this is Austin.This is the Google Pixel 2and this is the Pixel 2 XL.That's pretty loud.So yeah, I think it'sactually pretty safe to saythis is probably one of the loudest phonesI've ever heard.I would still like tohave a headphone jack,but that's a decent compromise.So just playing with thephone for a few minutes,I can immediately tell thatthe UltraMotion displayactually does make apretty big difference.So the idea here is that while it isa high resolution panel,it also can run it up tothat 120 hertz refresh rate.Basically all phones that you buy todayare running at 60 hertz,which has been standardfor a long time, but onceyou step up to 120 hertz,it actually is a lot smoother.So for basic stuff like web browsingor scrolling through menus,you can see that it doeslook a lot more fluid.Where you're really gonna seethe advantage is in games.So for example here in Riptide Renegade,we're running anywhere between90 to 100 frames per second,and because the displayis not only going to bevariable refresh rate, but italso can run up to 120 frames,we're seeing all of the performance here.I've gotta say, it actuallydoes look noticeably smootherthan a normal phone.It's maybe not the biggestdifference in the world,but you do notice thatlittle bit of extra fluidity.Any game that has anunlocked frame rate right nowwill work out of thebox on the Razer phonewith these higher refresh rates,but even if it is goingto be locked at 60 hertz,you're still going to get the benefitsof having that variable refresh rate.So for example, if the framerate drops a little bit lower,the screen is going to stay with it,exactly like something like FreeSyncor G-Sync works on the desktop.Inside, the Razer phonehas about as high end specsas you would imagine.So it has a Snapdragon 835 processor,a pretty impressiveeight gigabytes of RAM,as well as 64 gigs ofstorage, and you can expandthat via microSD.And since this is a phonethat's meant for gaming,it does have a pretty sizeable4,000mAh battery,and that's backed up withQualcomm's Quick Charge 4.0+,which should recharge the batteryby about 50% in 30 minutes.As far as cameras go, aroundback you get a pair of12 megapixel shooters, one wide angle,and one telephoto.So somewhat similar to the iPhone,what you're getting here,you can get a pretty decentwide shot, but if youzoom in a little bit,it switches automaticallyto the telephoto.Just considering the world.- Hey Austin, this is Razer.- Boom.Got that Mark L. action.I can't judge the cameratoo much just yet,but it seems to be pretty decent,as long as you have good light like this.Now one thing I will sayis that it would be niceto have a button to switchbetween the wide angleand the telephoto.Right now you zoom in on the camera app,and it automatically switches.So it does have an eightmegapixel front facing camera,but it looks a little bit soft.The Razer phone is availablefor pre-order starting today,and will be shipping onNovember 17th for $700.So this guy's going to ship unlocked,and will work on GSM carrierssuch at AT&T and T-Mobile.Now $700 is definitely a lot,but considering the specs,and especially consideringjust how good the screenand speakers are, it might be worth a lookif you're interested in gaming,which you know, if you want aRazer phone, you probably are.Anyway, what do you guysthink about the Razer phone?Let me know in the comments below,and I will catch you in the next one.