The second version of the phone Razer It hit stores to correct some of the mistakes the first generation made. Better camera, screen settings and larger battery, the manufacturer has managed to refine its work with an excellent terminal. However, does he Razer Phone 2 convince users who do not have a gamer profile?
Razer Phone 2 at the best price
Now that it has been on the market for a few months, Razer has decided to launch a promotion to increase interest in its phone. And the truth is that the new label changes the landscape completely, since even this analysis slightly changes the final impression thanks to the new price. To be exact, the device has gone from costing 849,99 euros to offering a label of no less than 549,00 Euros, a price that seems spectacular for everything it offers.
In addition, the offer comes accompanied by the arrival of Android 9 Pie as an updated version of the operating system, a version that we have been testing for a few weeks in its beta version, and that has improved many aspects of the terminal, in addition to offering, of course, the new features offered by the new version of Android itself.
Android 9 Pie manages, for example, to improve battery performance thanks to Android's new energy management system, something that we have been able to experience quite clearly when sharing the Internet from the phone itself. After several hours performing wireless hotspot functions, the Razer Phone 2 remained at 70% battery, which was quite surprising to us.
Buy Razer Phone 2 for 599,00 euros in the official storeAlthough most of the improvements introduced by Android 9 Pie are not particularly visible beyond the gestures and the new home button, the simple fact of having the latest updated version of the operating system is already a compelling reason to appreciate the effort of the brand. This is a quality that many take into account, since having the phone up to date in terms of software is something that provides peace of mind in terms of security.
Of gamers for gamers
One of the main drawbacks of the original Razer Phone is that it was intended for a very specific niche of users. If anyone is looking for a gaming phone, the Razer Phone was an excellent choice, but with this new version, there is no doubt that it is the best gaming phone. But the approach applied by the manufacturer for this function is such that the device continues to weigh its gamer profile against a more versatile one that allows other types of users to fall in love.
On the one hand, we have its size. The speakers and the IGZO display with spectacular elements that we would like to find in other devices, however, having these components has a price to pay. Stereo speakers with technology Dolby Atmos they will force you directly to get rid of the bluetooth speaker you have at home, but you will have to deal with some fairly large top and bottom margins.
The IGZO screen continues to impress with its 120 Hz refresh rate, and also, the manufacturer has managed to improve one of the negative aspects present in the first generation, which was none other than its brightness. Now, with 600 nits, using the phone outdoors will not be a problem, but we will continue to have a quite remarkable screen frame that has little to do with the trend that we find in the market today.
To give you an idea of ​​the sacrifice involved in using these components, the display bezels and speaker height add up to a total of 1,5 centimeters thick on each side of the top and bottom bezel. That is to say, this phone has a height of 3 centimeters on a surface that is not a screen, crazy considering the phones that can be purchased today.
There is no other. The phone is big, not because of its screen, but because of its overall body. It's not especially comfortable to use with one hand, and to top it off, the design hasn't been improved on the first version, as it's thicker, taller, and wider (even if it's tenths of a millimeter). And note that this does not mean that it is poorly built, on the contrary. The terminal has an excellent finish, where the glass and the metal chassis blend seamlessly. One of the culprits for making it thicker is its Chroma lighting system, an unmistakable hallmark of the brand that in this Razer Phone 2 comes in the form of an illuminated logo that we can customize from the software. It is very striking and will give a very interesting personalization touch. In addition, another culprit for the thickness is the system of wireless fast charging that they have integrated, hence the back of the device will now be made of glass.
An improved camera that delivers
The phone again bets on a pair of rear cameras with which to offer two focal lengths to apply blur effects in portrait mode. The results are acceptable, but they are not the best we are going to find. The software constantly tells us that we have to move back and forth on the subject when applying this effect, and it doesn't seem to be very accurate. If we compare the results with those of a Pixel 3, the differences are quite notable, but at least we notice that the manufacturer has worked to improve what was offered by the previous generation.
Something that has surprised us is the arrival of the 4K recording format at 60 images per second. This is a mode that has been incorporated into the Android 9 Pie update, so if you are interested in recording at that resolution with complete ease, now you will be able to do so.
A price that attracts attention
Razer has decided to apply a significant discount to the official price of its terminal to leave it at a more than interesting 549,00 euros, a price with which you will receive high-quality hardware with some peculiarities that make it quite special. Starting today, March 1, the Razer Phone 2 will have a price of 549,99 euros, offering Android 9 Pie, a processor Snapdragon 845, 8GB of RAM and key elements like the IGZO screen and stereo speakers.
View offer on AmazonIf you want to know all its characteristics we indicate them below.
- Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 (2.80 GHz) with Adreno 630 graphics
- Memory: 8GB (LPDDR4X)
- Storage: 64GB UFS
- Slots: SIM + micro SD (up to 1TB)
- Display: 5,72-inch IGZO LCD 1.440 x 2.560 pixels with 120Hz UltraMotion technology, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Rear cameras: 12MP AF f1.75 Wide with optical stabilizer + 12MP AF f2.6 Tele Dual PDAF
- Video: Up to 4K at 60 images per second
- Front camera: 8MP FF f2.0
- Sound: Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos technology
- Battery: 4.000 mAh with Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0+ and Fast Wireless Charging
- Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band (MIMO), 2×2 Antenna, Bluetooth 5.0
- Water resistant: IP67
- Size: 158,5 x 78,99 x 8,5 mm
- OS: Android 9 Pie
Is it worth buying this Razer Phone 2?
If you spend a lot of time playing games and using social networks, this Razer Phone 2 is an excellent terminal that you can now buy at a great price. However, if the aesthetic plan weighs heavily on your decision, you may find other phones with similar features (not with this screen) that will convince you more. Taking into account that we are facing a second generation of a manufacturer specialized in hardware for gamers, there is no doubt that we are facing an excellent terminal that has been able to find a second chance thanks to the promotional price it is currently enjoying. Otherwise, it would be quite difficult to stand out in such a difficult market.
As far as a third version is concerned, slightly sacrificing the speakers may help improve the aesthetic profile of the device, since good headphones will be able to cover the audio section (even more so considering that we are talking about a personal device, and not a screen that several people will be consuming at the same time). In this way we would be able to reduce the size and the frames. Lastly, a more polished camera would come in handy. The manufacturer has improved the specifications on paper (even including 4K/60fps video), but in practice, photos aren't too amazing.