Razer Phone 2 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

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Razer is best known for its gaming peripherals, so it was something of a surprise when it launched its first Android handset back in 2017.

Here in Australia we had to wait until mid-2018 for the Razer Phone to launch, but its successor, the Razer Phone 2 launches here essentially concurrently with its overseas launch.

Razer has made some significant improvements the second time around, but in such a fiercely contested space as the premium phone market in 2018, it's very much a phone for a niche of users.

Design

• Blocky design.
• Chroma logo.
• IGZO LCD display.
• No headphone jack.
• Side-mounted fingerprint reader.

• Read more on the Razer Phone 2 design

  It's fair to say that the Razer Phone 2 doesn't look like any of its competition. Yes, it's only really a visual tweak in most respects from the original Razer Phone, but both share some very obvious DNA with Razer's other products, especially its laptop lines.

  The Razer Phone 2 design is basically a Razer laptop, massively shrunk. That means it has a clean, but somewhat brutalist design ethos, with a clean black finish and imposing top and bottom speakers. Compared to most of 2018's flagship phones, it's rather boxy and sharp in the hand, and it certainly feels imposing. At 158.5x78.99x8.5mm, this isn't a phone for those with small hands.

  Unlike most of 2018's flagships, and indeed, a number of the mid-range and even budget handsets of 2018, Razer has stuck with a 16:9 aspect ratio for the Razer Phone 2's 5.72-inch 2,560x1,440 pixel screen. It's also not using OLED, but instead an IGZO LCD display.

  If you're thinking that IGZO sounds like what happens when a wizard sneezes, worry not. It's a proprietary LCD technology that uses indium gallium zinc oxide (hence the acronym) semiconductors to produce displays that typically have higher pixel density and lower power usage characteristics than traditional LCD displays. While OLED is still generally seen as the gold standard, IGZO is very good within the LCD space, especially for smaller mobile displays.

  Razer has also upped the brightness from the original Razer Phone to allow for better outdoor visibility, but the presence of those speakers does mean that this is a notably boxed-in display phone.

  At the sides you'll only just notice the volume buttons on the left, while the right-hand side houses the power button, which also serves as the Razer Phone 2's fingerprint reader. It's on the slender side, in the style that Sony used to use for some of its Xperia handsets and it's very flat. The same is very nearly true of the volume buttons.

  

  It's when you turn the Razer Phone 2 fully around that you see its Razer heritage, thanks to the rather obvious Razer logo on the back. On the original Razer Phone this was just a logo, but Razer has added a touch of its Chroma magic to the Razer Phone 2 so that – you guessed it, Razer fans – it can light up in a variety of colours of your choice, or even cycle through every colour it's capable of.

  Is this a stupid inclusion on a smartphone?

  Probably, but Razer's well and truly proven that there's a market of folks that love their Chroma logo design on all kinds of technology products, so ultimately it almost seems logical that it would be part of their phone strategy. If you're not keen, you can entirely disable it and save a little power along the way.

Camera

• Dual lens is OK, not great.
• Too easy to accidentally take burst shots on the side.

• Read more on the Razer Phone 2 camera and see camera samples

  The Razer Phone 2 sports dual 12MP rear camera sensors, with 25mm wide-angle f/1.8 lens paired up with a 2x telephoto f/2.6 lens. That's a decent mix of sensors, but up against 2018's very best premium smartphones, it can't help but feel merely adequate, rather than exceptional.

  That's an observation borne out by using the Razer Phone 2 for everyday photographic tasks. It's certainly capable, as you'd expect a flagship camera to be, but there's little that really stands out, whether you're talking low-light performance, selfies or video capture.

  The square and flat nature of the Razer Phone 2 should make it ideal for laying flat when taking landscape mode shots, but you've got to make sure you place it on the right-hand fingerprint sensor side. Place it on the left-hand side and you'll all too quickly take hundreds of wasted shots, simply because the flat volume controls are sitting there.

  2018 has been a year of exceptional camera phones and stacking the Razer Phone 2 up against heavyweight contenders like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Note9 or iPhone XS, the Razer Phone 2 doesn't quite compare.

  Still, the cameras you get in premium phones are quite capable and the Razer Phone 2 can deliver some quality shots as long as you're not too demanding. If camera quality is a key consideration for you in a phone, you'd want to look elsewhere to make the most out of your smartphone buying dollar.

  Razer Phone 2 Sample Photos

  

  

  

  

  

  

Performance

• Adjustable clock speeds and refresh rates.
• Low onboard storage.
• Speakers are a real standout.
• Notably warm under heavy load.

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• Read more on the Razer Phone 2 performance

  The Razer Phone 2 runs on 2018's standard recipe for a premium Android smartphone. That means it's yet another phone running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 CPU.

  Razer has paired that with a hefty 8GB of RAM, but curiously only 64GB of onboard storage. You can boost that with microSD, but given the Razer Phone 2's pitch towards gamers specifically, it's odd that Razer has gone so low for onboard storage. Many Android games won't play nicely with external storage, after all.

  The use of what amounts to a standard recipe means that the Razer Phone 2 doesn't really stand out in benchmark terms, although it equally doesn't embarrass itself either. Here's how it compares using Geekbench 4's CPU benchmark:

  3D performance is likewise entirely acceptable without being a noticeable standout feature. Razer likes to pack the latest and greatest GPUs into its laptop products, but it's rather more constrained when it comes to the mobile space.

  While its benchmark scores don't sell it, if you're a gamer there's a further dimension to the Razer Phone 2 experience. Razer's own Cortex application allows you to fine-tune the phone's performance on a per-game basis.

  If you're after the fastest and smoothest Fortnite match, go full Spinal Tap on it and crank it up to 11 to boost the Razer Phone 2's performance.

  Want more power to play a very simple game? You can dial down both the CPU frequency and the screen refresh rate to keep it simple. Alternatively, if you're after the fastest and smoothest Fortnite match, go full Spinal Tap on it and crank it up to 11 to boost the Razer Phone 2's performance.

  It's selective clock speed on a phone in other words, which feels like a very Razer-esque concept, and for the most part it works well once you've found the best settings for each individual application.

  

  I did find some games improved with higher clock speeds and refresh rates, but others acted like old DOS games, in that they ran too fast to be controllable. There have been plenty of phones with "game mode" type software, but none that I can think of that allows you to tweak with quite the precision of the Razer Phone 2.

  The same 120Hz mode that makes some games shine is also excellent for direct video viewing. The IGZO panel on the Razer Phone 2 isn't quite up to the very best colour balanced OLED panels we've seen on other phones, but that smooth refresh rate does make a difference if you're viewing content side-by-side, especially if it's HDR-ready.

  The Razer Phone 2 features prominent top and bottom speakers and that gives it plenty of audio output muscle. This makes both gaming and streaming video a true joy and a possibility for shared video watching.

  If you're the type of inconsiderate sod who blasts their music on public transport, then please don't buy the Razer Phone 2, because none of the rest of us will be able to get away from it. There's no onboard headphone port, but Razer does bundle a decent USB-C 3.5mm adaptor in the box for your regular headphones.

  Razer also sent me a pair of its Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC headphones to test with the Razer Phone 2, and not surprisingly, those worked quite well too.

  Razer has made some fuss about the vapour chamber cooling at the back of the Razer Phone 2 and it's a much-needed part of the equation. I'm not certain if it's the cooling kicking in too slowly or a reality of its solid design, but the Razer Phone 2 gets noticeably warm when in continuous use in a way that I don't feel with other handsets. Not painfully hot or anything like that, but definitely warmer than other devices under the same load.

Battery life

• Good battery life.
• Wireless charging capable.

• Read more on the Razer Phone 2 battery life

  The Razer Phone 2 features a 4,000mAh battery, which puts it in the upper tier of current premium phones, although not quite at the top.

  There's undeniably going to be a little more variability in the Razer Phone 2's battery life as you use it, though, thanks to the ease with which you can change the core frequency of the Snapdragon 845 on board, and to a lesser extent depending on how much you like that Razer Chroma logo on the rear.

  I tested with the Chroma logo disabled and standard clock speeds, and in Geekbench 4's battery test, the Razer Phone 2 compared well:

  While my review period was a little brief, in day-to-day testing the Razer Phone 2 handled the daily workload well. Mobile games are always a solid drain on battery life, though, so if you are a heavy gamer, even with that 4,000mAh battery onboard, investing in a standalone battery pack might be wise.

  One new feature in the Razer Phone 2 that wasn't present on the original phone is wireless charging, thanks to that all-glass back. Again, it's hard not to think of Razer simply catching up here, because it's all but expected that a flagship premium phone should have wireless charging in 2018.

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Verdict

• A good gaming phone, but there are plenty of those.
• Obvious appeal to the Razer fans.

• Read our full Razer Phone 2 verdict

  Razer's clear mission with the Razer Phone 2 was to produce an excellent gaming and entertainment phone and it's hard to argue that it hasn't hit that mark. If you love Razer as a brand and like the style, it should definitely be in your thinking as a handset.

  That being said, it's far from alone in the premium phone space and many of its competitors offer very similar features along with better camera capability. The Razer Phone 2 is a very fine device, but outside of the excellent speaker array, it ultimately struggles to really stand out.

Pricing and availability

• Price: RRP $1,249
• Where to buy: eBay | Amazon

Specifications

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