Then there's the fact that
the Razer Phone feels a little light on actual games.
Not exact matches
Shutter speeds
feel slow, and if you opt to enable HDR (which brightens dark areas in photos and improves low - light shots) there's a couple of seconds delay after you hit the capture button while the
Razer Phone processes all the information.
At 8 mm thick and with no rounded edges the
Razer Phone does
feel a little chunky, and it's less comfortable to hold in portrait orientation.
Gamers with a keen eye will likely appreciate the improved frame rate offered by the
Razer Phone, but for the more casual user gaming on this device doesn't really
feel much different to gaming on any other top - end smartphone.
The rear cameras on the
Razer Phone aren't bad, but considering the excellent snappers on similarly priced rivals it
feels like a real weak point here.
Once installed, the
Razer Phone's screen is mirrored on the laptop display and you can play games, browse Chrome, or do whatever else you
feel like.
Razer has shown that a
phone can indeed turn into an all - purpose machine by way of a special dock that looks,
feels, and works like a laptop.
Razer also wants the
Razer Phone to
feel right at home with the company's other hardware offerings — and it does.
As such, it makes a whole lot of sense that a Xiaomi gaming smartphone might look and
feel a whole lot like the first
Razer Phone.
Using the
Razer Phone as a touchscreen can take some getting used to — especially as this editor is the type that turns off tap to click — but it
feels every bit smooth as any glass - lined trackpad we've used on all the best laptops.
The
Razer Phone docks into Project Linda where a trackpad would traditionally be and is cushioned by
felt.
Sure it didn't
feel as sleek as something like the Galaxy S9 but it also didn't seem any thicker than something like the
Razer Phone.
Clearly inspired by the crowdfunded Nextbit Robin, which many Android enthusiasts
feel was killed off too early, the
Razer Phone may not have the world's thinnest screen bezels, nonetheless looking charming in an understated, straightforward, blocky way.
Honestly, the
Razer Phone sounds better than most laptops, which
feels weird to type.
I game a lot on Android
phones and I rarely
feel compelled to tinker with settings; most games just work, so I'm not sure how big of a problem
Razer thinks it's solving with its
phone.
Razer also uses a custom overlay to integrate Nova Launcher with the look and
feel of the entire
phone.
That means the
Razer Phone can support higher framerates throughout the interface and while playing games, making the whole thing
feel smoother than most other devices.
We'll have to see how performance holds up in the long term — I saw a few dropped frames on the prototype I handled — but
Razer might have just built the smoothest
feeling phone I've ever used.
For day - to - day operating system stuff, the
Razer Phone comes with Nova Prime installed as the default launcher - that's the pay - for version, which comes for free - so the device looks and
feels much like standard Android (which is the case, as it's built on Nougat v7.1.1).
To appeal to gamers, we can't help
feeling that the offering needs to extend beyond offering an Android
phone with powerful hardware as whatever
Razer produced would be matched by big players like Samsung.