If you've been holding out for a deal on the Razer Phone, today might be the day to make the leap. Razer has kicked off a 24-hour flash sale for its mobile gaming monster, dropping its price by $100 to $599 for anyone who buys the phone on May 4.

Oh, and if Best Buy is your store of choice, the Razer Phone is now available from the big box retailer starting today as well. You can pick up the black and green version, as well as the black and silver version, at select Best Buy stores and online now.

The Razer Phone launched in late-2017 as a phone built for gamers, and it has the specs to match. The device is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, 8GB of RAM, a 4,000 mAh battery, and sports 64GB of storage with a microSD card slot for more. The phone's main claim to fame, however, is its 5.72-inch screen, which features a speedy 120Hz refresh rate and a 2560x1440 resolution. Razer has partnered up with various gaming companies as well to optimize games for the Razer Phone.

With a few reservations aside, we came away pretty impressed with the Razer Phone in our review. If you're a mobile gamer in the market for a new phone, you can grab the Razer Phone for $100 off now.

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• See at Best Buy

When Razer first showed me the Razer Phone, one of the questions that popped out of my mouth was "oh, so I guess there's going to be a USB-C Hammerhead now, then?"

Of course there is, and they're available to buy now for all. Not just Razer Phone owners, but they'll be the first target audience.

USB-C still doesn't come in a "one size fits all" formula. Just because these headphones connect to your USB-C phone or laptop, doesn't necessarily mean they'll work. From the perspective of the Razer Phone though, they work very well.

Not perfect, but in most cases, they're a lot better than carrying around a dongle.

What you'll love about the Razer Hammerhead USB-C

In the box with the Razer Phone, or likely any other phone, tablet or laptop you don't have a 3.5mm headphone jack on, you'll get a dongle to connect your headphones. That's good, but it's something that's easily lost. I know I've already misplaced my Razer Phone dongle at least a dozen times.

• 10mm drivers
• USB-C Connector
• Custom-tuned DAC
• Flat cables for tangle-free storage
• Bi-flange ear tips in 3 sizes
• In-line microphone and volume control
• Custom carry case

The USB-C Hammerhead removes the need for the dongle, hooking the headphones directly to the USB-C port on the phone. The DAC is in the headphones, so you just plug in and go. The cable is nice and long, too, so there's no trouble stashing your phone in a pocket.

If you've ever used Razer Hammerheads before you'll be in familiar territory. They're really comfortable, with different sized tips included to get it right for your ears. The earbuds also light up on the outside with a glowing green Razer logo. This is important. And looks awesome.

The flat green cable is tangle-free and there's an inline remote for volume and play/pause control. Despite there being no active noise cancelling, the Hammerhead USB-C creates a nice tight seal in your ears and as such you get a good amount of passive noise isolation. I used these on the train and could barely hear the outside noise.

Sound quality is overall pretty good. They're a little better than the Bluetooth Hammerhead, with clear vocals, decent mids and highs and surprisingly, pleasing levels of bass that don't completely pummel your eardrums into submission. There's plenty of volume, too.

And for folks who travel about a lot and want to keep their headphones safe, Razer includes a small hard case to look after them when they're not in your ears.

What you'll hate about the Razer Hammerhead USB-C

And even though the USB-C Hammerhead is more convenient and just better than carrying a dongle, in this case, the Razer dongle has a THX DAC inside that sounds amazing. With a good pair of headphones attached it blows the USB-C Hammerhead away.

And there's the perennial USB-C Elephant in the room: There's no guarantee which devices these will support. That's not necessarily Razer's fault, but you (sadly) cannot assume any USB-C headphones will work with any USB-C phone, tablet or laptop. The Hammerhead does work with the Google Pixel 2, at least.

This is also a fairly expensive set of headphones at $80.

Bottom line on the Razer Hammerhead USB-C

While the dongle you get with the Razer Phone and a good pair of headphones still sound much better, personally I'm happy to take that trade-off for not having to carry a dongle with my Razer Phone.

The USB-C Hammerhead still sounds great, is well designed and comfortable to wear while offering solid passive noise isolation and plenty of volume.

If you own a Razer Phone, this is a worthwhile investment. Sadly there's no guarantee that if you run a different phone they'll work properly, but if you're in luck, you'll be pretty happy.

See at Razer

The Razer Phone is not a perfect smartphone, but for Razer's first attempt at entering this market, it could have been a lot worse. The 120Hz display and ridiculously good front-facing speakers are the Razer Phone's two highlights, but when you turn the device over, you end up with a pretty bland design. However, in honor of the Spring Festival / Chinese New Year, Razer is launching a limited gold edition of the phone.

As exciting as they may sound at first, this new version of the Razer Phone is mostly unchanged from the original. The Razer logo on the back now features a gold paint job as opposed to gray, but aside from that, everything else about the phone is the same.

Razer is also including a red and gold box that's awfully eye-catching, and it's unfortunate a similar paint job didn't make its way to the Razer Phone itself. Along with this, Razer's also throwing in a few gold stickers with the company's logo if you're into that sort of thing.

On the plus side, the limited gold edition costs the same $699 as the regular version. That's still a pretty penny to spend, but I'm at least thankful Razer didn't increase the price just for the tweaked paint job.

The limited gold edition of the Razer Phone will be sold at retail stores for wireless carrier 3 in Hong Kong, in addition to the Razer Store for both Hong Kong and the United States.

Curious about the Razer Phone? Make sure to read full review for rmore information.

See at Razer

Razer is pushing out a new firmware and patch update for its gaming-focused Razer Phone.

Coming in at 249MB the update brings Netflix HDR, Dolby 5.1 audio playback through a new customized Netflix application for the Razer Phone (which is now baked into the ROM).

Announced at CES 2018 Razer is currently the only phone in the world that supports Netflix HDR, which when combined with the 120Hz display and easily the loudest speakers on the market make for an excellent movie watching experience.

Also, Razer (as promised) is continuing to tweak its camera, which was heavily criticized when initially launched. While the camera hardware is solid, the software and algorithms need work. Today's update builds on an earlier one to keep improving that camera.

Finally, there are the usual Android security fixes, which jumps from October's security patch to January's keeping the phone up to date. The Meltdown and Spectre security vulnerabilities are also patched as those affect ARM processors as well.

Here is the full changelog:

Razer Phone January update

Netflix Enhancements

• Netflix now included with Razer Phone!
• Enabled HDR content playback support.
• Enhanced Dolby 5.1 audio playback support.

Camera improvements

• Fixed an issue where some images would appear yellow.
• Tuning and image quality improvement.
• Crushed bugs and performance improvements.

Security fixes

• January 2018 Android security patches.
• Fix for Meltdown and Spectre vulnerability.

The Razer Phone is still running Android 7.1.1, but Razer is committed to delivering 8.0 this quarter.

Razer Phone review by Windows Central

To update the Razer Phone merely head to Settings > About phone > System update to get started. The process should take about 20 minutes. Owners will also want to get the corresponding Camera app update from the Google Play Store to go with the new firmware.

• See Razer Phone at Amazon
• See at Microsoft

Razer is back at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year with another project – that is, a concept not quite ready for market, but may be yours someday.

"Project Linda" is Microsoft's Continuum concept executed nearly flawlessly. Take the new Razer Phone and drop into a clamshell Razer Blade Stealth body and turn your phone into an almost full-functioning PC. Toss in some ports, built-in storage, a battery that can recharge your phone three times over, a web camera, and a high-quality display, and this is one killer device.

Razer had a prototype of Project Linda at CES. I got to spend some time with it, and the most frustrating aspect was I could not walk off with it today. From dropping the phone in to playing games, or just browsing the web the whole experience was seamless.

Razer did some very clever engineering to make this all happen. There is a button that retracts the USB Type-C connector so that dropping in the phone is super simple. Much like Surface Book, the user just taps the button to engage the Type-C adapter, and the laptop takes over.

When inserted into the clamshell the Razer Phone now acts as a giant trackpad – and it's just awesome.

Since the Razer Phone has the loudest speakers, they get repurposed here as top-firing speakers for Project Linda. The system also has a built-in front-facing camera for Skype calls.

Battery life should go past 10 hours and may even hit 20 on a good day due to the Razer's giant 4,000 mAh battery and the more prominent 54 WHr battery of Project Linda (nearly triple the size of the Razer Phone).

The desktop UI part is all handled by a customized version of Sentio desktop. That means Razer didn't have to re-invent the technology but instead skinned it. It runs all apps on Android including games, messaging, Chrome, and more it making less crippled than similar solutions from other manufacturers.

What is surprising is despite being just a prototype Project Linda exceeded my expectations. The performance for the touchpad and typing was excellent and everything just worked as expected. The display and keyboard, which borrow from the Razer Blade Stealth, are perfect.

Pricing and availability

Since Project Linda is just a prototype, there is no pricing or release date for it yet. Razer is fishing for feedback to see if there is enough interest to bring it to market. Obviously, there are many considerations like pricing, device support, and feature set that needs to be finalized.

While Project Linda is a brilliant idea, if priced too high it will never go beyond niche despite its broader appeal. The good news is Razer has done the grunt work in engineering Project Linda already, and so far, it's an outstanding creation. Let's hope the company can figure out a way to bring it to market sometime soon.

The journey to making a smartphone for Razer has been years in the making, though it accelerated somewhat in early 2017. The company acquired Nextbit, a startup with a somewhat unique Android phone, the Robin. This was the latest in a string of relevant pickups for Razer, with Ouya and THX having gone before.

The end result was a product Razer fans have been screaming for: The Razer Phone. And while it doesn't run Windows (that ship has long sailed), it's an interesting device to us for a number of reasons. For one, we've got to start looking elsewhere.

Razer is a brand that we're increasingly impressed by. The Blade is arguably the best all-around gaming laptop money can buy, it has more quality gaming peripherals than you can shake a stick at, and it isn't afraid to do something just "because it can."

I've been using a Razer Phone since the launch event on November 1, and in that couple of weeks or so I've got to know it pretty well. It's far from perfect, but it's easy to be impressed by.

About this Razer Phone review

I have been using a Razer Phone provided by the company for review over a period of just over two weeks. It has been connected to the Three network throughout. The phone is currently running the September security patch and has received no OS updates in my time with it so far.

There is an updated build (.852) which has a number of fixes and a reported increase in battery life that has pushed out to retail phones. Our unit is on a different track and hasn't yet received this, but the review will be updated if there are any significant points to note.

For an alternative take be sure to check out the review by our pals over at Android Central.

See at Razer

Video walkthrough

Razer Phone specs

Razer Phone hardware

Nowadays a phone is a phone is a phone. For the most part, all the big names in the space are producing variations on the same theme. Razer, to its credit, didn't jump on any bandwagons, so there's no 18:9 ultra tall display here or curved glass or (thankfully) boasts about DxOMark camera scores.

What we have is a phone that looks pretty much exactly as you'd expect a piece of Razer hardware to. It's a no-fuss design. A simple rectangle with squared off corners, glass on the front, metal everywhere else, all black apart from the silver or green logo. It's also quite large, but not cumbersome. The metal corners are fairly soft in the hand, and the phone is also pretty slim.

Part of the reason for its size and the slab-like appearance comes around the front. At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking Razer went bananas when the phone passed through the bezel department. These are no ordinary bezels; they're all grille with some of the loudest sounding smartphone speakers you'll ever hear nestled behind them. If ever a phone could be too loud, it would be the Razer Phone. Those speakers are also a magnet for every little bit of dust and fluff in your pocket.

That sets the tone for what Razer has done elsewhere on this phone. Just the Razer Blade Pro had all the highest-end hardware inside it just because it could, so too does the Razer Phone. There are things missing that phone nerds may lament: There's no wireless charging because metal, there's no headphone jack, there's no IP rating. If the lack of any of those things keeps you awake at night when looking for a new phone, you'll have to walk away.

But what there is, really is the cutting edge. The Razer Phone is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor with 8GB of RAM. That means it's fast. Really fast. Razer fast. There's 64GB of internal storage with an expansion slot for up to 2TB when someone makes a microSD card that big. It has QuickCharge 4+, and at its launch, it's the only phone in the world to support this. It's got dual-cameras, a fingerprint sensor hidden in the power button. And a ridiculous display.

For its Blade laptops, Razer partners with Sharp to use its IGZO panels and the same thing can be said of the Razer Phone. It's 1440p in resolution, but most impressively of all, supports a blistering fast 120Hz refresh rate. No other Android phone maker can match that right now, and it does make a difference. When you see it, you can't unsee it, even at its 90Hz default setting. Everything dances around on this display, crisp, fast, and very colorful. If you like a vivid display, you'll love this one.

There are things to be aware of with the display, though. The first is that it's way too reflective so on a bright day you'll be seeing more of your own face looking back at you than you will your content. It also really needs to be brighter, and the adaptive brightness setting in software is the first thing you should turn off because it's incredibly aggressive. Indoors or in the shade it looks stunning, but there's a little work to be done for the next phone for sure.

What you may or may not miss the most is the headphone jack. With everything else inside the phone it was a sacrifice Razer was willing to make, but the compromise is the THX-certified USB-C headphone dongle with 24-bit DAC.

I have two simple things to say about this. Firstly, the sound is phenomenal. With a good pair of headphones, this is a serious music player for serious music fans. The second is, it's a dongle, and I already misplaced it with no sign of being able to order a replacement. This is unfortunate because without the dongle you get no THX DAC.

It may be easy to get hung up on what is missing from the Razer Phone, especially if things like walking in the rain or charging wirelessly are items you put towards the top of your phone buying list of requirements. You can't have wireless charging on a metal phone and you can't have water or dust resistance on a phone with gigantic speaker grilles on the front. Cold hard facts.

But refocusing on everything else, you have a phone that hangs with the big boys. We weren't expecting a half-assed approach from Razer, frankly, and it delivered. A few niggles aside this is a remarkable piece of hardware.

Razer Phone software

When Razer makes a laptop, it has Microsoft doing the operating system. It's kind of the same with Android, but Google doesn't do all of the work, so Razer boffins need to get involved. For the most part, the software is near-stock Android, albeit at this point 7.1 Nougat, not 8.0 Oreo.

There's a good reason for this, and an update will be coming in Q1 2018, but simply put the first-party stuff underneath like UltraMotion means that near-stock or not, there's a lot of coding to be done to make sure it all works properly. Personally, I'm happier Razer played safe and went with what they know would work, rather than race to say they're one of the first to have the new version and make a mess of it.

If the Razer Phone is to be your first experience of Android, at least it isn't heavily customized as you'd find from the likes of LG or Samsung. The launcher is the popular Nova Launcher Prime with a few custom Razer green accents dotted around, and the pre-installed theme store lets you get creative with how you want the rest of the phone to look. There's even a Razer Toaster theme which is pretty funny. It also looks great with the Microsoft Launcher applied.

Rather than bog down in the Androidy-ness of it all (It's an Android phone, go figure), I'm more interested in what Razer has done to the experience beyond a few colorful accents and themes.

Primarily, that is Game Booster, an app on the phone not unlike Razer Cortex on your PC. It allows you to customize your performance either to get the most from the phone, save as much battery life as possible and make sure your games run at their best.

On a game by game basis, you're able to customize the clock speed, frame rate, and resolution, and Game Booster will automatically kick in when you launch that title. Razer has been working with game developers to optimize for the Razer Phone, its 120Hz display, and the UltraMotion sync. However, Razer is preferential towards UltraMotion, providing a slick experience over just ramping up the frame rate.

Games like gear.club and Titanfall Assault are already available, with a new Final Fantasy mobile game and Shadowgun Legends two names still to come. Minecraft, too, it seems is a game that supports Razer's high refresh rate. Arena of Valor was trumpeted at the launch event, though Tencent is apparently holding off a public release of its super-optimized version.

Game Booster sounds like a pain, but since you're only really interested in setting it up for your games, it doesn't take long, and it's nothing more than a slider on your part. Move it around until it meets the settings you want, and you're done.

The Razer Phone is obviously targeted at gamers, and though some may scoff, serious mobile gaming continues to rise. Titles like Vain Glory already have healthy competitive scenes, and its games like this that should be best on Razer Phone. The gaming experience is important, and Razer delivers. The combination of the sheer power of the phone, the UltraMotion sync, the optimization work and the high refresh rate display produce a mobile gaming experience like no other. It's smooth, fast as hell, looks fantastic on that IGZO display and invites you to really enjoy playing.

Where Razer will be tested besides OS updates is on the monthly Android security patches. The best of the bunch are now on the November patch while the Razer Phone is languishing on the September release. These are important, and so we'll be keeping a close watch on how up to date Razer stays.

It's also worth pointing out on my own unit there are some issues that remain outstanding as the phone is selling to consumers. It's still running an uncertified build, and I can't use Android Pay because the phone thinks its either rooted or has had the bootloader unlocked. The bootloader can be unlocked, by the way, if you're into tinkering, but mine is not. These issues may be linked together, but I'm sat waiting for an update that will hopefully make it all better.

Razer Phone battery life and camera

These two are grouped together as a tale of the good and a tale of the less so. And honestly there's not a lot to say about the battery life beyond: It's excellent.

The 4000mAh battery in the Razer Phone is certainly towards the larger end of what's out there right now, and it's more than good enough for a day of use. In most cases, I've been getting to a day and a half with between 5 and 6 hours of screen-on time. And that includes days where there's a couple of hours gaming and watching Mixer streams.

There are no worries with the battery whatsoever.

But then you get to the camera. The hardware sounds pretty solid on paper, a pair of 12MP sensors (no OIS), one wide angle, one telephoto and a "seamless zoom" between the two. There is no magic button that goes from wide to zoom. The idea is that it acts like a regular camera. So when you zoom in the phone intelligently switches between the two.

I first saw the Razer Phone three weeks before the launch event, and it was clear it was going to be a race to get it finished for launch. The sad truth is that the camera right now isn't up to scratch for a phone which costs $700. Personally, I don't think it's nearly as bad as Alex Dobie over on Android Central who called it "calamitous," but then it's also possible he has a faulty unit.

From my perspective, the camera is currently adequate, and nothing more. My own standards aren't nearly as high as many people's (all I take photos of is my kids). But with my reviewer's head on there are things which need to be fixed very quickly. The good news is Razer has multiple camera updates in the pipeline. The bad news is that none have so far arrived.

One of the biggest points of concern is the stock camera app. This alone doesn't give you a good feeling because it's completely devoid of any features whatsoever beyond an HDR toggle, a timer and an exposure slider. There are no manual controls, no creative tools, not even a panorama mode built in. The good is that the Razer Phone fully supports the latest camera APIs from Google, so if you can get hold of a camera app from the Play Store with manual controls, it's automatically a much better experience, even if it means you can't go into the telephoto lens.

But there's more to the camera than just the app. Focusing has been mostly snappy enough for me, but at times it can be erratic. The seamless zoom isn't very seamless at all; it's jerky, slow to react and ultimately ends up in zooming in too far almost every time. Picture quality isn't awful in well-lit situations, though images are definitely on the soft side. When the light disappears, it's pretty bad, though, with noisy, grainy images mostly what you'll be getting.

It's sad because it feels rushed and clearly unfinished. That's not the Razer we're accustomed to, and while I'm pretty comfortable the camera experience will get better, the phone is now on sale, and it hasn't changed since the launch event. For folks who prioritize a good camera, you can't recommend the Razer Phone right now. Because honestly, we're yet to see how good it can be.

Razer Phone review bottom line

So, Razer's first smartphone. A phone for gamers, not a gaming phone. Is it a winner? Mostly, yes. As a first attempt, there is no doubt that the Razer Phone is a mightily impressive piece of equipment. It ticks every box when it comes to high-end phone specs, and Razer should be commended for trying something different.

This isn't a "me too" phone, following the Samsung/LG/Apple trail. Razer had a vision for what it wanted to put inside a smartphone that would appeal to its fans. To gamers. And on that front, you can't deny they hit it out of the park.

Sure, the display is too reflective and not bright enough outdoors, but when you can see it well, what a display it is. It's vivid and sharp, but much like a PC monitor, it's the high refresh rate that is the difference maker. It's hard to put into words, but when you see a phone that can render its UI at 120 FPS, going back to even half, this is like someone is scratching at your eyes. The performance to go with it, be that gaming or everyday use, is exemplary.

The Razer Phone is a beast.

Pros:

• Excellent build quality.
• Impressive display with 120Hz refresh rate and UltraMotion sync for gaming.
• Great battery life.
• Near stock Android.
• Superb speakers.

Cons:

• Mediocre camera.
• Display is too reflective and could be a little brighter.
• Giant speaker grilles are magnet for fluff.

But, it's a beast with a big flaw and that would be the camera. I'm OK not marking it down for having no wireless charging or an IP rating because neither of those two features are possible given the design of the phone. But you can't ignore the camera.

It's not my biggest concern buying a phone, and even here, the refresh rate of the display and the overall performance outweighs it for me, but that's not going to fly for everyone. Many people will put a good camera at the top of the list and right now I can't say it's good at all.

But taking that aside, the rest of the phone is a job well done. If you're like me, you'll miss the headphone jack, but the quality of the audio through that THX dongle is a worthwhile trade-off. Just don't lose it.

For a first attempt though, Razer did a great job here. The hardware is superb, the software is fast and bloat free and compared to other flagships, $700 isn't a bad price either. Razer fans will love it. People looking for something a little different will love it too. I've no desire to put this phone down anytime soon, and I am confident Razer will deliver the fixes where needed. It's also the start of a journey, and for a company like Razer, who knows where this is going to lead.

See at Razer

Designed to complement the Razer Phone, the new Razer Hammerhead USB-C is a new take on Razer's Hammerhead buds, but, as the name would suggest, designed with a USB-C connector. Given the Razer Phone lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of going all-in on USB-C, that's good news for anyone picking up the new smartphone. Of course, they'll work with any old phone with USB-C you have laying around as well.

In terms of build, the Hammerhead USB-C packs all of the same specs as its Hammerhead siblings. The audio is powered by 10mm dynamic drivers, which Razer claims are larger than most similarly priced earbuds. That larger size should help to produce deeper bass tones and clear highs. As you might expect, the Hammerhead USB-C buds also pack an in-line remote and come with a custom carrying case.

As for raw specs, here's a look at what makes the Hammerhead USB-C tick:

• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20kHz
• Impedance: 32 ± 15% Ω
• Sensitivity: 102 ± 3 dB @ 1 kHz
• Max input power: 10 mW
• Drivers: 10 mm with Neodymium magnets
• Cable length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft.
• Approximate weight: 0.06 lbs (28.0 g)

Razer's Hammerhead USB-C earbuds are available and shipping now directly from Razer for $79.99. For more, check out our in-depth review of the Hammerhead Bluetooth variant.

See at Razer

The Razer Phone, the gaming company's first step into the smartphone arena, is now on sale. The phone for gamers, as Razer calls it, is available to order now directly from Razer for $699.99.

Borne out of Razer's acquisition of smartphone startup Nextbit, the Razer Phone is meant to carry Razer's gaming gravitas into the mobile world. The highlight of that effort is the device's 5.72-inch 2560 x 1440 display, which boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and a wide color gamut. 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.

In terms of specs, the Razer Phone is powered by a Snapdragon 835, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ is here, allowing the 4,000 mAh battery to be charged up in a flash. Two stereo speakers are mounted on the front, each with a discrete amplifier powered by Dolby Atmos. The Razer Phone lacks a headphone jack, but it does include a USB Type-C dongle that packs a THX-certified DAC for an extra boost to sound quality.

Rounding things out is a dual 12MP camera setup around back, an 8MP shooter up front, and a fingerprint scanner on the side power button. In terms of games, Razer has included a "game booster" that it says will help you squeeze out every drop of performance while gaming. The company has also teamed up with developers behind games like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Editions and World of Tanks Blitz to ensure they are optimized for the device.

If you're eager to snag a Razer Phone, you can pick one up now directly from Razer. And if you're on the fence, be sure to give our hands-on a look.

See at Razer

Why Windows Central went all-in on Razer Phone with Android

Recently, Windows Central did extensive coverage of the new Razer Phone, which is powered by Android and built for gamers. Razer invited us – and other non-Android sites – to be prebriefed on the phone, which is why we had so much detailed and an in-depth, hands-on coverage.

The big Razer Phone article is our No. 2 story for the last 30 hours despite the fact that we have run nearly 100 articles between Wednesday and now. That should tell you something about interest in this device and our decision to cover it.

Nonetheless, there was some vocal pushback from our core audience. Are we going to start covering every Android phone now? Why is this article even here? How dare you … people come here for Windows news, not Android phones!

As the executive editor, I feel it's only appropriate to address these concerns even if they are in the minority (many in the YouTube comments understood the decision). As I consider myself a Windows phone fan, I understand the disagreement with our choice. It's only fair I address these concerns.

Will we cover every Android phone?

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: Our focus is Microsoft, Windows, and the larger ecosystem that connects it all. That extends to iOS and Android, as Microsoft has a lot of software that runs on those phones that is of interest to our readers.

With the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, iOS and Android both work with the Continue on PC feature found in the Microsoft Edge browser and Microsoft Launcher for Android.

That makes those phones fair game for our audience who, at this point, are overwhelmingly likely to own one of those devices over a Windows phone.

Despite that, we do not have the time, resources, nor desire to cover all, most or even many Android phones. We will, however, do articles where we think there is interest and cover high-profile devices where warranted.

And, yes, I will be reviewing the Razer Phone. No, we are not paid by, sponsored, or receive any compensation from Razer. We're just fans.

Why Razer Phone?

There are a few reasons why we decided to cover the Razer Phone announcement so extensively. Here it goes:

1. Microsoft is selling the Razer Phone through its online and physical stores. We go where Microsoft goes.
2. Razer is one of the most popular makers of Windows PC gaming hardware. We have and will continue to review all its products because it is a well-known brand to our core audience.
3. We cover gaming for PC, Xbox, and where we can, mobile. Mobile gaming is increasingly one of the fastest growing areas and – with Microsoft's Mixer broadcasting service on Android – eSports is on the rise too including for mobile.
4. The Razer Phone is nearly a pure Android experience with an unlockable bootloader. That makes it appealing to those who – like us – want to load it up with Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Launcher, Cortana, Outlook, Xbox app, Authenticator, and Microsoft Office, and set many of those as defaults.

We don't publish articles every day asking if every story will be of interest to all readers. And the vocal one percent is just that – the one percent. While I will always engage with our core audience in comments and listen to their concerns, advice, and learn from them, that doesn't mean our site direction is going to be dictated by them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba_PQhmlwWY/?taken-by=ricker666

Despite what people have assumed, our site is very healthy for traffic, revenue, and growth. Anyone can look up our traffic on Alexa or Quantcast. We're doing so well because three years ago we shifted away from Windows phone to all Microsoft and Windows products. We now have 14 writers, and we'll continue to expand and thrive. This move was not one of desperation but of our ability to cover even more.

Windows phone users need alternatives

I respect and understand those who wish to remain on Windows 10 Mobile and stick to their Lumia 950, HP Elite x3, or Alcatel Idols 4S. There is nothing wrong with that. We will continue to cover those phones, the OS, and any relevant news, such as the HP Elite x3 now on Verizon.

However, many Windows phone users are looking to switch to another platform. As Windows 10 Mobile owners we are in a unique position to share our experiences with alternative hardware and OSes.

Many of the editors and writers here agreed that the Razer Phone was appealing to them. For those looking to jump to Android, Razer Phone could be on your short list. With Windows 10 Mobile on maintenance mode indefinitely, we owe it to our readers to not only follow where they are going but help guide them there – after all, we are in the same position and looking for new smartphones ourselves.

And for those focusing on our site name and suggesting we should change it, I'll let you in on a secret: Site names don't mean anything. It's the quality and consistency of the content that matters.

Windows Central loves technology

Finally, we are all here because of our interest in technology. It surrounds us, is part of our everyday lives, and 2017 is one of the most exciting years ever for tech lovers. From mixed reality to PCs that run on ARM processors, 4K gaming on a console, Microsoft software nearly everywhere, and yes, powerful smartphones, it's a great time to be in this business.

Picking sides between Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon may be fun in comments, but in the real-world, most people are not nearly as partisan. Each company has its good and bad sides. We're here to help you understand it and get the most from it. If that means covering an Android phone from a favorite gaming PC company that Microsoft is selling, that is where we'll go too.

And if all that bothers you, I'm not offended. Feel free to skip over articles that are of no interest; it's perfectly fine. It's just a phone, after all.

Razer is a brand loved the world over by PC and console gamers and now it can call itself a phone manufacturer. After the January 2017 acquisition of Nextbit it was only a matter of time, and now after much teasing the covers have been pulled off the Razer Phone.

It's quite the thing, too. Top-end hardware, a minimalist software experience (Android, natch) and a partnership with Microsoft in the U.S. to distribute the phone through its retail channels.

So, you're interested, and we don't blame you at all. Here are five quick hits on what you need to know about the Razer Phone.

1. It's not a gaming phone; it's a phone for gamers

The Razer Phone is a phone for gamers, not a gaming phone. You might consider this one and the same, but there's an important distinction to make.

Razer has made other products before that are "for gamers" without being gaming products, namely the Nabu wearables. The company's philosophy with the Razer Phone was to make a great device that will excite their core fanbase: Gamers.

In this case that means packing the Razer Phone with top of the line hardware like a Snapdragon 835 processor and 8GB of RAM, as well as technology not often seen in a smartphone like a 120Hz display with variable refresh rate and UltraMotion sync. Razer has brought gaming technology to its smartphone, this isn't some half-hearted "gaming phone" somebody stuffed into a controller.

Were it a gaming phone, it would likely be awful. Remember the Nokia N-Gage?

2. UltraMotion sync is a game changer

If you're a PC gamer you'll be familiar with Freesync and G-Sync. UltraMotion is like that, but developed by Razer and applied to a phone since the GPU isn't from AMD or NVIDIA at this size.

But what is it? The display on the Razer Phone has a native 120Hz refresh rate, but also supports a variable refresh rate (VRR). Just like the desktop sync technologies, UltraMotion syncs the GPU and the refresh rate of the display, with the phone's GPU telling the display which frames to draw.

The end result is high frame rate, tear-free, and silky smooth gameplay. But on a smartphone.

3. No headphone jack and a killer DAC

If you like music and you want a Razer Phone then get ready for that dongle lifestyle. In all seriousness, the elimination of the headphone jack wasn't taken lightly, but it was a necessary evil given the rest of the hardware inside the phone.

The good news is that Razer includes a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box. Oh, and it has a 24-bit THX certified DAC inside it. Oh yes.

The speakers on the front are good. Really good for a phone. But the audio through the adapter and a good set of headphones is pretty special. Slap on some lossless audio and lose yourself in the music.

4. It will get Android Oreo

Perhaps less of a contentious issue for some than it might be among the Android enthusiast crowd, but the Razer Phone launches on Android 7.1 Nougat. Otherwise known as old-hat.

OK, it isn't really, but there will be those vocal about a company launching a phone in November 2017 on the previous version of Android. The Razer Phone has been in development for less than a year, and even though it's mostly plain old Android (you actually get Nova Launcher Prime on the Razer Phone, too), it's not as simple as just putting an update on it.

There's first-party stuff underneath, namely UltraMotion, that requires work. Razer will be updating to Android 8.0 Oreo and it's shooting for the early part of 2018. But for now you'll be waiting.

5. Green for launch

Razer's logo on the back is the only visible branding anywhere on what's otherwise a sleek, sophisticated looking smartphone. On most of the models sold the logo will be silver.

But if you're quick, for pre-orders only, you can get one with Razer's trademark green logo. So be quick! You'll be getting the Razer Phone on November 14 and it'll cost you $699.

There's a lot more to learn about the Razer Phone, but it leaves a really solid first impression. We're liking it a lot, but be sure to give us your own first impressions in the comments below.

See at RazerZone

The idea of a smartphone built just for gamers is not a new one (recall my throwback video featuring the Nokia NGage from 2003). For PC-gaming goliath Razer, updating that idea for 2017 means blending bold design – like a special 120Hz screen and loud speakers – with uncharacteristic restraint (there's no manufacturer software skin aside from Nova Launcher) and a spec sheet that more than makes up for the lack of Chroma LEDs. Looks aside, a "Nextbit Robin 2" this is not.

But to hear Razer tell it, this isn't a phone for hardcore gaming. The company isn't launching a special catalog of titles or even the long-rumored PC-to-phone streaming service. Rather than being a gaming phone, this a "phone for gamers" … and that distinction is an important one to keep in mind if you're considering pre-ordering one of these.

Confused? Not for long. Join me for the MrMobile first look at the Razer Phone; check out Android Central and Windows Central's take on the same; and be sure you're subscribed to theMrMobile on YouTube so you don't miss the full Razer Phone review when it drops!

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On stage at its London event today, Razer took the wraps off of its first smartphone. Simply called the Razer Phone, the Android device brings Razer's gaming gravitas to the mobile world.

The fact that Razer was working on a smartphone hasn't exactly been a secret. Following its acquisition of Nextbit, makers of the unique Robin smartphone, in early 2017, Razer hasn't been shy about teasing its plans to expand from its bread and butter of gaming peripherals and laptops to the smartphone market. What remained a mystery, until now anyway, was how it would differentiate the Razer Phone from the competition.

As you might expect, Razer is gearing the Razer Phone toward mobile gamers with some pretty beefy specs. One of the more intriguing inclusions is a 5.72-inch 2560 x 1440 display with an absurdly fast 120Hz refresh rate and a wide color gamut. Razer is also talking up the phone's audio prowess, with dual front-facing speakers, THX certification, and Dolby Atmos support. Internally, you'll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.

Razer says its smartphone is the first to ship with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, which will allow the 4,000 mAh battery to charge from zero to 85 percent in an hour. Around back, the Razer Phone sports dual 12MP cameras, which will allow for some cool depth of field effects. Razer promises more features, like slo-mo and portrait mode, will arrive in future updates. All of this is packed into a matte black exterior that screams of the Nextbit Robin design language, albeit with Razer's iconic logo on the rear.

As for games, Razer has included what it calls Game Booster, which it says will let you manually optimize gameplay for performance or battery life. Razer also says it is planning gaming partnerships that will result in games that are optimized to run well on the Razer Phone.

The Razer Phone will be available starting November 17 for $699 / €749.99 / £699.99 in North America and Europe. Preorders are open now at Razer's online store, and the phone will be sold at Microsoft Stores as well.

See at Razer

Related

• Everything you need to know about the Razer Phone
• Razer Phone tech specs