- This is a different sort of Razer Phone 2 review
because for the past month I've been using it as a standard
everyday smartphone more so than a gaming platform.
I've read a few books, made a lot of voice calls,
ad I've watched decades old television shows in glorious SD
and I've played a video game or two from about the same era.
In other words, I've used the Razer Phone 2 as a non-gamer
and with one predictable exception, it has delivered.
(upbeat music)
Just to get this out of the way, yes, I have used the phone
for its main purpose and yes,
it is an exceptional gaming device.
I don't always notice the smoothness of the 120 hertz
display in a game, but in the everyday swipes and taps of
navigating Android, oh yes, this glides along as silkily
as its predecessor.
What I notice a lot more while gaming, is audio.
I did get to try the Hammerhead ANC earbuds with this phone
but the noise canceling isn't that great on these.
Probably my favorite thing about them is they light up
but that's kind of beside the point.
If you use earbuds, you're missing out on these massive
speakers and it's not just that they're big but they're
positioned properly.
See when I'm playing Alto's Odyssey on a OnePlus 6T,
my palm frequently blocks the single bottom firing speaker
and that's not a problem for these front firing blasters
on the Razer Phone 2 and they're good
for much more than games.
I can't overstate how great the sound is on this thing.
When I have it with me on the road and I wanna rock out in
my hotel room, I don't need to use a Bluetooth speaker
or headphones.
It's pretty impressive that Razer managed this kind of sound
while also making the speakers waterproof.
You don't get something for nothing though,
the cheese graders on those speakers
are just as good at sucking up
skin bits as on the first Razer Phone and if you're
listening to a lot of podcasts,
certain voices make the speakers rattle at full volume.
As to be expected when you pack in over a hundred decibels
into a phone, I find that keeping the volume set below
75 percent, solves for it.
I do wish calls were louder on the speakerphone though.
Other companies like Samsung use a custom dialer that gives
you a toggle for more volume but because Razer does very
little customization of the software,
there's no such option here.
That's a small price to pay for having such a clean Android
experience though.
The only big changes beyond Nova Launcher are the Cortex
app, that lets you customize how much power you want the
phone to put into rendering each game, and the Chroma app,
which controls the surprisingly addictive light-up Razer
logo on the back.
Now, if you've got battery anxiety, watch out,
you'll sacrifice about three percent per hour
if you keep the logo lit all the time.
The phone's battery is brawny buy to buy, and if you leave
it in the default settings with the screen at 90 hertz and
conservative use of Chroma, you can expect many milliamps
left at the end of the day.
I never baby this thing and I seldom worry about going dead
before midnight.
When I do need to top up, the inbox wall plug does what
a quick charge 4 adapter should, it gets the phone from
empty to 50% in 30 minutes exactly.
Thanks to the new glass back, wireless charging is also a
thing and thanks to Chroma on the Razer charger,
that thing is a lot of fun.
It has Bluetooth so you can control the colors and
brightness through the Chroma app now,
it came in a recent update,
it's not a reason to drop a 100 bucks on this thing,
but the way the phone is built might be.
See the charging coil is located way down low on this phone
so using another charger is a crapshoot at best.
Given those compromises, it's an open question as to whether
the switch to a glass back was worth it,
but if you wanna protect that glass back,
lets talk about today's sponsor, dbrand.
You know the drill, vinyl skins in almost any color
or texture sold for a reasonable price
and it really suits the phone nicely.
I've had a dbrand skin on here since I got my review unit.
Hit the link in the description for more.
Now as I said in my first impressions video, I was happy to
find that the Razer Phone 2's screen is much brighter than
its dim predecessor but this is why extended testing
is important.
The moment I took is outside for a sunny day of playing
Ingress Prime, I knew I still wanted more nits.
Given how much brighter the direct competition is,
that's the Asus ROG phone next to it here,
this is still an area where Razer can and should improve.
The biggest shortcoming of the first Razer Phone though
was its camera, and that well,
that's the lowest point of this phone too.
Now Razer does deserve credit for upgrading the hardware
with optical stabilization on the back and a selfie camera
capable of 60 frames per second video.
But that front footage is still stuck at 30 fps
pending a software update as I make this video.
And speaking of software, this still happens pretty
regularly, not sure what's going on here.
In terms of the photos themselves, well,
I'll put it to you this way,
I was shooting side by side with the much cheaper
OnePlus 6T during my review process and on the whole,
the OnePlus has it beat.
Listen, that's not to say I always prefer OnePlus's photos.
In fact, the Razer's tendency to go darker,
sometimes serves it well.
Notice how the 6T blows out the highlights on the white
siding in these photos, while the Razer preserves it better.
But try shooting your appetizer under dim lighting on
Restaurant Week, you're gonna want a camera that can
pull those details from the shadows.
That gulf gets wider when you factor in
OnePlus's Night Mode,
which Razer doesn't have and the picture doesn't get any
better when you consider that Google's Pixel 3,
priced exactly the same as the Razer Phone 2,
has the best fire and forget camera in a phone,
in my opinion.
But in truth, comparing this thing to a Pixel,
really misses the point.
Where the Pixel 3 is trying to be the Android phone for
everyone, Razer built its Razer Phone 2 for Razer fans.
It's almost like Razer's where Apple was years ago,
selling a curated mix of features and aesthetic
to a very loyal and very specific fan base.
If that's you,
or you're just lookin' for something different,
this phone gives you a lot for the money.
If that's not you, you'll likely find it harder to look past
that mediocre camera or the older version of Android,
particularly given how fierce the competition has gotten.
The Razer Phone 2 is on sale now, both unlocked and at AT&T.
Razer fans and oblivious others alike, I wanna hear your
thoughts on this phone and I want you to share those
thoughts in the first annual MrMobile Awards,
hit up the link in the description to vote for this phone
or anything else on the ballot
in the Viewers' Choice section,
and you'll also be entered for a chance to win a big prize.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile my friends.