Razer Phone Unveiled, First Smartphone with 120 Hz Display

[GreiverBlade]

120hz phones have been around for a while already in Japan. This isn't the first by a long shot.

And it's also missing the headphone jack, so it can get lost.

and also missing a fingerprint scanner .... feature that even 250$ (and slightly under) phones have

given the choice at almost a similar pricing between that one and a Nokia 8 .... i take the later (tho i already own a Nokia 5 that does everything i need quite fine .... including PSP emulation, with rom of games i own from my previous PSP, at a satisfying rate with PPSSPP, or any other games that run smoothly even at 60hz on a SD430 )

 

[Roph]

$250? You can get $60 devices with fingerprint scanners, it's not an expensive tech to include at all. My $150 daily driver has one.

 

[rtwjunkie]

The Razer Phone packs a large 4,000 mAh battery, one of the largest capacities found on smartphones today. This allows gamers to keep playing all day long, while Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ enables rapid charging.

Man, "gamers".....LULZ all day long!!!

The number of marketing people that continue to market to "gamers" is frightening, especially because they have no clue that playing a few simple games on a smartphone does not make one a gamer.

 

[dyonoctis]

Because...Brain washing marketing. Thank Apple for starting this with that with stupid "retina" brand

To be fair back then "retina" did have an edge agaisnt the competition,
but then everyone else started to do 1440p, and now some people are yelling at apple for sticking with 720p/1080p.

But most people don't even know that retina just mean "high DPI screen" and are just using it like it was some kind of voodoo technology that are making apple screen better.

 

[silentbogo]

I can only conjure one potential use of the 120Hz 2K display on the smartphone: Google Cardboard.
It seems like all of the "Rift CV generation" displays have no other uses after we found out that 2K is not enough for rich spoiled VR pioneers =)

Who plays games on phones? Little kids?

... Like you've never seen a 40-something fat lady on subway train playing Fruit ninja or Asphalt in your entire life.
...or a former Mortal Kombat/Tekken aficionado, now in his late 30's early 40's, smashing away DC vs Capcom on his Galaxy Note.

With my occasional expeditions to the human world outside my office I've noticed that more kids are reading eBooks and more adults are playing games on their smart-paddles.
It's weird, but it's real.

It'll be a financial hit for them. Getting into the smartphone market is so very hard.

Not these days. All you need to do is find an OEM and come up with a snappy name. Just off the top of my head I can name 3 local companies that did not exist 2 years ago, who sell rebrands of low-end Umidigi and THL devices.

Hell, even Gigabyte & TP-Link got into smartphone market out of nowhere. Haven't had a chance to do a teardown of TP-Link Neffos, but after fixing a couple of Gigabyte GSmart Guru smartphones I can easily say that it's meant to look expensive, while insides are an utter rubbish (not specs/parts, but the assembly quality).

 

[GreiverBlade]

Man, "gamers".....LULZ all day long!!!

The number of marketing people that continue to market to "gamers" is frightening, especially because they have no clue that playing a few simple games on a smartphone does not make one a gamer.

specially when packing a standard SOC .... that every other flagship use

unlike the Shield/shield tablet/shield TV that were technically designed as "gamer" type, otherwise by Razer definition.... my Nokia 5 is also "gamer" type ...

To be fair back then "retina" did have an edge agaisnt the competition,

Retina .... it's just a marketing calling ... an edge? pfaahahah .... nonsense

But most people don't even know that retina just mean "high DPI screen"

exactly .... and on 4.5" that was easy ... even 546p is "Retina"

$250? You can get $60 devices with fingerprint scanners, it's not an expensive tech to include at all. My $150 daily driver has one.

yep .... but 60$ phone are not the sweetspot and also not the price/feature range where user would actually, use it ....

Not these days. All you need to do is find an OEM and come up with a snappy name.

well it's technically a Nexbit Robin 2 ... razer'ified

I can only conjure one potential use of the 120Hz 2K display on the smartphone: Google Cardboard.

actually, seems not bad .... only if it's not a Razer ofc. not that a 5.2" HD 60hz phone does bad, in something more evolved than a cardboard ... they are too expensive where i live ....
i use STEAM VR with a Shinecon VR 2.0 headset (16$.... often sold above 54$ with a rebrand by some etailer/retailer i.e: Amazone or i saw the same brand as the one i have but in V1.0 for almost 70chf at a local store .... ) and the TrinusVR client/server app (i don't remember the price, but it was quite cheap ...)


ok i upgrade my "so-so" for the design to a "totally meh..." since the handset is quite squared instead of rounded .... not really comfortable for "gaming"

 

[Chaitanya]

and also missing a fingerprint scanner .... feature that even 250$ (and slightly under) phones have

given the choice at almost a similar pricing between that one and a Nokia 8 .... i take the later (tho i already own a Nokia 5 that does everything i need quite fine .... including PSP emulation, with rom of games i own from my previous PSP, at a satisfying rate with PPSSPP, or any other games that run smoothly even at 60hz on a SD430 )

https://www.gsmarena.com/razer_phone_hands_on-review-1678p2.php#image5

Not sure what you are smoking but it does have a fingerprint scanner.

 

[efikkan]

The problem with mobile gaming is the lack of proper controls, since we only have touch and gyro, it severely limits the selection of quality mobile games. If mobile gaming is ever going to get more "serious", it would need good precise controls, which is why gaming phones like this are pointless.

Who plays games on phones? Little kids?

Nearly everyone. I've even seen many in their 50s who barely can handle a phone play mobile games. Mobile gaming is the largest both in revenue and users.

 

[GreiverBlade]

https://www.gsmarena.com/razer_phone_hands_on-review-1678p2.php#image5

Not sure what you are smoking but it does have a fingerprint scanner.

at that price .... it better had ...

ohhh original positioning .... ok 3 pro in a sea of cons (the main one would be "being Razer") 4000mAh, original FPscan position (not that much tho .... Sony has the same placement) and 8gb RAM (actually .... even 2gb is enough nowadays for a phone ....)

The problem with mobile gaming is the lack of proper controls, since we only have touch and gyro,

yep ... tho nothing a MOGA mini can't handle (when supported tho .... luckily the main app i use does, PPSSPP)

Nearly everyone. I've even seen many in their 50s who barely can handle a phone play mobile games. Mobile gaming is the largest both in revenue and users.

i think the mean "esport phone" rather than gaming .... after all Clash of clans is a esport title .... [sarcasme]and yeah having a "Razer" phone would be a huge leap forward [/sarcasme]


actually only games specially developed for the Shield series from Nvidia are quite demanding and can be classified as slightly higher than "casual gaming", but that Razer has a fairly standard SD835 that every one else have .... the only "edge" they advance is the hability of selecting refresh rate (which would be 60hz most of the time for any "heavy games" and 90/120hz for streaming and cardboard) and resolution (1440p at max would have the same practical use as the 90/120hz refreshing rate outside casual games )


yep clearly a gaming phone ...
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

• Apple iPhone 8 Plus 85
• Huawei Mate 10 65
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835) 63
• Razer Phone 61
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force 61
• HTC U11 60
• LG V30 60

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

• 
  
  
  • Apple iPhone 8 Plus 59
  • OnePlus 5 56
  • Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 (MIUI 9 Beta) 49
  • Sony Xperia XZ Premium 47
  • Huawei Mate 10 43
  • Samsung Galaxy Note84 2
  • Samsung Galaxy S8+ 40
  • Razer Phone 39

the OnePlus 5/Huawei Mate 10/ HTC U11/LG V30/Moto Z2 Force are far more interesting choices (Samsung/Apple share my "love" for Razer but only for phone instead of all they "manufacture" )

even better

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

• 
  
  
  • Sony Xperia XZ Premium 41
  • OnePlus 5 40
  • Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 (MIUI 9 Beta) 32
  • Samsung Galaxy S8+ 23
  • Samsung Galaxy Note8 23
  • Huawei Mate 10 23
  • Razer Phone 22
  • Motorola Moto Z2 Force 22
  • Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835) 20
  • HTC U11 19
  • LG V30 19
  • Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835) 18

bottom line it's a standard flagship spec that has the issue of being branded Razer and a pricetag that is not so bad (after revision ... it's cheaper, just like the Nokia 8 tho that one is a whole 200$ cheaper than Razer's offering where i am, than a S8/S8+/8S/8S+/X )
tho the "plus" offered by Razer are ... limit gimmicks (60/90/120hz, variable resolution, 8gb ram and Nova Launcher Prime) only the 4000mAh battery is worth something (i'm fine with my meager 3000mAh tho )

 

[silentbogo]

i use STEAM VR with a Shinecon VR 2.0 headset (16$.... often sold above 54$ with a rebrand by some etailer/retailer i.e: Amazone or i saw the same brand as the one i have but in V1.0 for almost 70chf at a local store .... ) and the TrinusVR client/server app (i don't remember the price, but it was quite cheap ...)

I did use Trinus(free version) in combination with Moonlight (reverse-engineered NVidia Gamestream for Shield client) on my HTC One. I was only limited to 720p, but comparing to Rift DK1 the experience was actually better. Especially in older non-VR games like Fallout 3 or F.E.A.R. 3. I'm not really sensitive to input lag, so with 450+ppi density and 20ms average delay over WiFi my experience was still pleasant. Even made it as far as making my own wired 1080p headpiece with original DK1 gyro.
Now I'm just waiting for cheap 4K panels(sub-$100 with MIPI-DSI interface board), and I'll make another[better] one.

 

[efikkan]

actually only games specially developed for the Shield series from Nvidia are quite demanding and can be classified as slightly higher than "casual gaming", but that Razer has a fairly standard SD835 that every one else have .... the only "edge" they advance is the hability of selecting refresh rate (which would be 60hz most of the time for any "heavy games" and 90/120hz for streaming and cardboard) and resolution (1440p at max would have the same practical use as the 90/120hz refreshing rate outside casual games )

I don't think drawing the line at "casual gaming" would be fair here; pretty much all games from Nintendo would fall into that category, yet many of them would never work on a device without proper controls. I classify games such as MarioKart, StarFox, etc. as "casual" games, games you can sit down with friends and play without dedication. Without proper controls we can't have good racing games, platform games, shooters, etc. on Android.

The Shield devices don't lack the power. I own a Shield Tablet myself(one of three tablets in my household), it has excellent specs and offered great value. But the problem is that the only use for the power of it's GPU is gaming, and barely any simple touch games need this. The mobile games which does utilize it, also needs proper controls. Which means you need a gamepad to play them, and a stand on a table to hold the tablet, which kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile device. A shield tablet with some controls like a PSP would be fantastic. I would prefer if Google set a "standard" for Android Gaming devices, because then we would see real gaming devices and more than a handful "exclusive" games for the Shield.

 

[silentbogo]

The Shield devices don't lack the power. I own a Shield Tablet myself(one of three tablets in my household), it has excellent specs and offered great value. But the problem is that the only use for the power of it's GPU is gaming, and barely any simple touch games need this. The mobile games which does utilize it, also needs proper controls. Which means you need a gamepad to play them, and a stand on a table to hold the tablet, which kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile device. A shield tablet with some controls like a PSP would be fantastic. I would prefer if Google set a "standard" for Android Gaming devices, because then we would see real gaming devices and more than a handful "exclusive" games for the Shield.

That's the biggest issue of mobile gaming -- lack of good content. The hardware can do a lot already.
Even if we forget about touch controls, you can do a lot with just a gyro. I used to love playing racing games on my iPad Retina (4th gen). It was a lifesaver, when I had some downtime during my last PC upgrade.


Then, since we started talking about competitive gaming, there are tons of examples too.
Heartstone and other card games are quite competitive. The auditory for such games is limited, but so it always was... Since 80s probably, when there were actual cards and players would gather at the table.
Fighting games with proper swipe controls are a pleasure to play. I won't be surprised if the next Tekken will be a multiplayer-only mobile title, since everyone else has already migrated to this medium (MKX, Capcom vs [insert your universe here] etc.).

 

[dyonoctis]

Retina .... it's just a marketing calling ... an edge? pfaahahah .... nonsense

It was an edge in the sense that in 2010 the Iphone 4 did have both the highest resolution (960x640) and dpi because of their smaller 3.5" screen against the galaxy S 4" 800x480.
Yhea it wasn't a "revolution" and it had more to do with the work of actual screen maker like sharp, samsung or LG, but back then it was the screen with the highest dpi.

But then the fanboys started to go wild, and retina became a much bigger deal than what it really is.

Sony tried a real gaming smartphone once, with the xperia play, but apparently it wasn't too hot.
And apparently some people don't like the idea of paying the price of a DS/3DS price, for a smartphone game. Square enix realeased several version of final fantasy that were the same as the one that were on nintendo handled console, and they often had the " too expansive" comment on them.
So right now mobile game dev are more interested in games that people would play while waiting for/in the transport than full game since it's apparently what's hot. Nevermind "the wolf among us", candy crush is the real money maker.

 

[efikkan]

That's the biggest issue of mobile gaming -- lack of good content. The hardware can do a lot already.
Even if we forget about touch controls, you can do a lot with just a gyro. I used to love playing racing games on my iPad Retina (4th gen). It was a lifesaver, when I had some downtime during my last PC upgrade.

Gyro and touch are the largest limitations of games, and wouldn't be suitable for platform games, racing games, 2D shooters, and is even sub optimal for third person games. Gaming devices need something like a joystick/d-pad plus two buttons, that would make nearly any game concept suitable. Many such games on mobile use on-screen "buttons" today, but we all know that doesn't really work.

But of course, >95% of all games on Android are complete "shovelware". It's really hard to find the good ones among all the crappy ones.

 

[eidairaman1]

Entering into an already saturated market is not a good move...

 

[Tomorrow]

Gyro and touch are the largest limitations of games, and wouldn't be suitable for platform games, racing games, 2D shooters, and is even sub optimal for third person games. Gaming devices need something like a joystick/d-pad plus two buttons, that would make nearly any game concept suitable. Many such games on mobile use on-screen "buttons" today, but we all know that doesn't really work.

But of course, >95% of all games on Android are complete "shovelware". It's really hard to find the good ones among all the crappy ones.

https://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/game-control-mount-gcm10/

Entering into an already saturated market is not a good move...

...Unless you have unique feature set and specific target audience.

 

[GreiverBlade]

...Unless you have unique feature set and specific target audience.

which they have not .... since all the flagship around (including cheaper handset) have the same features globally... and the specific target audience can get the same with the actual flagship gen from any brand

https://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/game-control-mount-gcm10/

actually i prefer getting a Moga Pocket rather than that, unless i had a PS4 controller ready at hand (and i doubt it would be compatible with a Xbox one S controller ) .... tho i think that "adapter" itself would cost more than any Moga controller

aye confirmed .... 39.90chf at my usual etailer .... that's 15chf more than my Moga Pocket alone

 

[Tomorrow]

which they have not .... since all the flagship around (including cheaper handset) have the same features globally... and the specific target audience can get the same with the actual flagship gen from any brand

Yeah because the market is saturated by 120Hz 8GB RAM phones...

 

[eidairaman1]

specially when packing a standard SOC .... that every other flagship use

My SM-G900T is a "Gamer"
unlike the Shield/shield tablet/shield TV that were technically designed as "gamer" type, otherwise by Razer definition.... my Nokia 5 is also "gamer" type ...


Retina .... it's just a marketing calling ... an edge? pfaahahah .... nonsense


exactly .... and on 4.5" that was easy ... even 546p is "Retina"


yep .... but 60$ phone are not the sweetspot and also not the price/feature range where user would actually, use it ....


well it's technically a Nexbit Robin 2 ... razer'ified


actually, seems not bad .... only if it's not a Razer ofc. not that a 5.2" HD 60hz phone does bad, in something more evolved than a cardboard ... they are too expensive where i live ....
i use STEAM VR with a Shinecon VR 2.0 headset (16$.... often sold above 54$ with a rebrand by some etailer/retailer i.e: Amazone or i saw the same brand as the one i have but in V1.0 for almost 70chf at a local store .... ) and the TrinusVR client/server app (i don't remember the price, but it was quite cheap ...)


ok i upgrade my "so-so" for the design to a "totally meh..." since the handset is quite squared instead of rounded .... not really comfortable for "gaming"

 

[wolar]

And as usual, Razer is not being honest in their marketing. Sharp has had a phone with a 120Hz IGZO screen since last year http://www.sharpmobile.com.tw/products/p1/
120Hz makes no real visible difference though, I can tell you that much.
Sadly Sharp's software is crap, which makes that phone suck, but that's a different matter.

The Razer design is also very Nextbit (the phone maker Razer bought), just in black rather than ugly mint green and with a few tweaks here and there...

Well they are using a sharp screen for their phone.

 

[Vayra86]

This is going to drain battery like nobody's business too

High res and high refresh - for the 'VR' experience. On a phone. Pointless. You can't even see the PPI difference beyond 1080p really, unless you really look hard for it.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Yeah because the market is saturated by 120Hz 8GB RAM phones...

120hz is a gimmick and 8gb is not really useful .... given the performances of any 2-3-4-6gb phones compared to the Razer Phone ....

as i wrote : 120hz 1440p will not be used quite often (90hz too) but lower res and 60hz ... yep .... pretty much more (after all they've put the option to select 60hz-90hz-120hz and resolution up to 1440p, meaning you can probably select 1080p and 720p judging by the slider, for that reason .... but even in 1080p ... it will probably be not higher than 60fps in demanding games)

the Razer phone is most of the time middle of the charts or even bottom .... and barely reach 61fps in 1080p OGL3.0 application (39 @1440p) the 120hz is a gimmick
8gb? naaahhhh, tho at last they didn't use these gimmicks to up the price ... it's still a middle price between "adequately priced" and "over priced"

conclusion? the Razer Phone is a "average" flagship, if you except the marketing argument it does everything correctly but nothing outstanding compared to the current flagship gen (which are from early 2017 while that one is from late 2017 ) one step ahead ... right .

from the review:
"After all the UI navigation and the games we tried were super smooth"
probably a placebo effect .... not for the UI tho .... maybe it can achieve 120fps when you swipe thru drawer'n home pages

MY N5 is smooth .... oh wait .... 720p 60hz 5.2" (well that the ideal for a Snappy 6XX not the feeble 430 it has .... but still doing fine) the 835 should be for 1080p 60hz, 1440p 120hz is like 4k 144hz on a single GTX 1070 and that Adreno 540 isn't cut for it (unless 2d ofc .... )

This is going to drain battery like nobody's business too

High res and high refresh - for the 'VR' experience. On a phone. Pointless. You can't even see the PPI difference beyond 1080p really, unless you really look hard for it.

well that's why it has a 4000mAh battery while the other have from 3000 to 3520mAh, that's a walloping 480mAh more than the highest 60hz flagship you're good for 2hrs more, wait... rather 1hrs more (double refresh)

 

[dyonoctis]

This is going to drain battery like nobody's business too

High res and high refresh - for the 'VR' experience. On a phone. Pointless. You can't even see the PPI difference beyond 1080p really, unless you really look hard for it.

I've heard that the pixels become visible in vr with 1080p. Even with 1440p it seems to be the case, but it's slightly better.
There is a whole thread on reddit were people are discussing what type of panel got the most bearable sub pixel configuration. The general consensus seems to be that phones are not yet ready for a fully crisp VR experience.

 

[Vayra86]

I've heard that the pixels become visible in vr with 1080p. Even with 1440p it seems to be the case, but it's slightly better.
There is a whole thread on reddit were people are discussing what type of panel got the most bearable sub pixel configuration. The general consensus seems to be that phones are not yet ready for a fully crisp VR experience.

Yeah but still, VR on a phone, of course its not ready

 

[lexluthermiester]

Don't know how many of you have had hands on with this phone, but it's bad ass. They were demoing it down at Best Buy and it's impressive. The screen is outstanding, the speakers are loud and clear and the 4G is seriously quick. The battery "seems" like it has good life, but I wasn't able to play with it long enough to know for sure. Haven't been this impressed in a long time! My only complaint is solved with an adapter cable that allows for a headset and charging at the same time. I've been looking for a new phone and this one has my attention!