Does The Razer Phone 2 Work With Boost Mobile

"The Razer Phone is a brilliant gaming device, but non a well-rounded smartphone."

Pros

• Astonishing phone for gaming
• Loud forepart stereo speakers
• Great build quality
• 120Hz screen is more than a gimmick
• Included DAC makes wired headphones sound great

Cons

• Photographic camera is only average
• Not h2o resistant
• Expensive

Exercise newcomers need to cater to a niche audience to survive in the smartphone world today? Razer is a gaming company that has dipped its toes in other categories like wearables, but now information technology has introduced its first smartphone: The Razer Telephone. It'southward being promoted to a relatively niche audience — mobile gamers and Android enthusiasts — just information technology manages to await like a normal smartphone.

The question is, does it do anything another high-powered smartphone can't? In our Razer Phone review, nosotros found the camera to be lackluster, but this is a phone that certainly has some standout features.

Minimalist with mesomorphic bezels

Remember the Nextbit Robin? Information technology was an unusual phone that utilized cloud storage in a very "mobile-friendly" style. Razer acquired Nextbit earlier this year, which is why the Razer Phone shares a similar design. Nosotros think you'll either dearest or hate the chunky, blocky style, with its abrupt lines, squared off shoulders, and minimal fuss.

It's made from anodized metal with a soft texture to information technology, and feels so substantial and well put together, nosotros about await the floor to crack in the result of a fall. Subtle it's not, simply the design has grown on u.s.a..

It'due south a large telephone that shuns the xviii:9 attribute ratio and bezel-less tendency for large stereo speakers above and below the v.7-inch, ii,560 ten 1,440 pixel screen. The matte black finish amps up the Razer Phone's monolithic await; the antenna bands blend into the body; and the ability key doubles every bit the fingerprint sensor, Sony Xperia-fashion. There are two volume buttons on the left edge, and they're round in shape.

A massive Razer logo dominates the rear, simply that's all in terms of branding. The limited edition version of the Razer Phone adds a splash of greenish to the logo on the rear.

The Razer Phone really does deliver a superior mobile gameplay experience.

Minimalist and fuss-free information technology may exist, simply it's not pretty. Put it next to almost whatsoever other 2017 flagship phone, and it looks not just giant, but also very 2016 due to the chunky edges around the screen. The torso is slippery, with null to grip at all; and due to its sheer size, just holding on to it is a challenging juggling act.

The fingerprint sensor is frustrating, because information technology blends into the torso without any texture or way to quickly identify it without feeling around. It unlocks the telephone really apace though, and offers a nice vibration when information technology recognizes your print. After a week of use, y'all do begin to acquire the sensor's position.

1 affair is for sure, no-ane volition fault the Razer Telephone for any other. In these days of derivative pattern, that's a large bonus.

The first smartphone with a 120hz refresh rate

The LCD 5.7-inch screen size and resolution aren't what brand the Razer Phone's screen special. Rather, it'due south the first phone with a screen that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. This means it'southward able to show you lot more frames on the screen per 2d. It's specially helpful when gaming, as it makes playing games smoother and more visually impressive.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

In reality, the differences in mean solar day-to-day use between 60Hz — the standard in smartphones — and 120Hz is like spotting the differences between 1080p and 1440p. They're there, but only visible in some situations to the eagle-eyed. You lot can choose your preference of refresh charge per unit (betwixt threescore, 90, or 120Hz) in the Razer Phone'southward settings, and scrolling through your Twitter feed in 60Hz and 120Hz reveals just a pocket-sized change in smoother scrolling.

It'southward the aforementioned when scrolling around the Android operating system. You've got to want to come across differences to spot them, and we couldn't detect many differences between the feel on information technology and a Google Pixel 2.

Compare the Razer Phone's LCD screen to the Google Pixel two or Samsung Galaxy S8's AMOLED panel, and y'all instantly observe colors don't popular in quite the aforementioned fashion, and blackness shades aren't equally deep. Information technology's also non very bright, especially outside. Razer told Digital Trends only an LCD screen could reproduce the 120Hz refresh rate, hence its use. We're happy with the tradeoff, and when used on its own without another phone for comparison, the Razer Phone's screen looks skilful, and you won't be disappointed with its performance for video, viewing pictures, or everyday tasks.

A phone for gaming

Playing games is what the Razer Phone needs to do best. It's the sole reason for the device to be, and because it comes from a gaming company, at that place is a reputation on the line. Even so, every smartphone is capable of playing games, the Razer Phone needs to excel, or at least offer something others do not.

For gaming, the Razer Phone is an unprecedented success.

We've talked about the screen's 120Hz refresh charge per unit already, and it's in gaming where information technology comes alive. Nosotros played Riptide GP2 and Reckless Racing 3 a lot, which can run at 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. The good news is these games look and feel amazing at 120Hz. Slick isn't a descriptive enough give-and-take. It really does change the gameplay experience. Information technology's not more fun, but the game is more playable and yous feel more in command of what'due south happening. That's important, specially if you're already a function of, or desire to be a part of, the growing globe of mobile esports. What must be said is that turning Riptide GP2'due south refresh rate downwards to 60Hz was inappreciably similar wading through syrup. It'south however perfectly playable, just not quite as fluidly.

Not every Android game supports culling refresh rates. If your favourite game isn't a fast-paced action game or racer, you may not notice the deviation even if it does. If yous're wondering how to tell, that's where Razer's Game Booster app helps. You tin can make permanent tweaks to a game's settings including changing the refresh rate, or even the resolution. Game Booster keeps a list of all the installed titles, and you can change profiles to save battery, or max out the settings for ultimate performance. It's exactly the kind of tweaking hardcore Android and gaming fans love. Information technology too has an option to silence notifications while playing, but it lacks a quick style to outset a gameplay livestream, or link to similar social services.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Razer has struck partnerships with developers to produce games specifically enhanced for the Razer Telephone. The ones nosotros know about include Tencent's pre-installed MMORPG Arena of Valor, and Cmune's forthcoming survival shooter called Ultra Chase; but that's non expected until side by side year. All the usual games available through Google Play piece of work, simply in that location'south definitely a lack of dedicated games fabricated to exploit the Razer Telephone's talents at launch. If you lot buy it now, you'll exist gambling that more Razer-only games will come, or need to be satisfied with regular Android games.

A Snapdragon 835 chip with 8GB of RAM means games play well on the Razer Phone, just like you'd expect. The benchmarks are good also:

• AnTuTu 3D: 172,524
• Geekbench 4: Single-core i,917; Multi-core six,609
• 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 3,597

The 3DMark benchmark is very telling. It'southward designed to bear witness gaming prowess, and the issue is style across the Galaxy S8's 2,052 score, and above the LG V30, and the OnePlus 5. All three phones use the same processor.

Just is gaming on the phone a better experience than on other high-performance Android phones? We were skeptical at kickoff, so to find out we played Reckless Racing three on the V30, the OnePlus v, and the Razer Phone. Again, all 3 take the same processor, and two share 8GB of RAM. The Razer Phone was by far the best. Crucially, it made us want to play more because it looked meliorate, sounded improve, and actually appeared to brand united states better players. It's not hype. The Razer Telephone really does deliver a superior mobile gameplay experience.

A phone for movies

A software update has increased the Razer Telephone's appeal for movie and entertainment watchers, especially those who subscribe to Netflix. Razer has enabled Dolby 5.one sound for the Netflix app, but far more than appealing is HDR back up. HDR on the Razer Phone is stunning. We watched Chasing Coral, a documentary shot for Netflix in HDR, and were truly blown away by how it looks.

The motion picture-watching feel (and gaming) is improved by the stereo front end facing speakers. Two contempo software updates have tweaked the audio performance for the better. They've e'er been loud — each speaker has its own amplifier — and completely free of distortion, merely now they're even amend sounding than earlier. The stereo separation is excellent, and the soundscape is packed with detail. Remember, we're talking about speakers on a smartphone here, not a pair of headphones. They're really that practiced. The drawback is the speakers aren't smashing with bass, which is distinctly lacking.

At that place's no 3.5mm headphone socket on the Razer Phone, merely Razer puts a dongle in the box, complete with an inline THX-certified Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC), ready for your own headphones. It sounds first-class, but we're disappointed there's no support for Bluetooth AptX Hard disk drive for the times you desire to go wireless.

Simple software, and two-day battery

A four,000mAh battery gives the Razer Phone enough energy to make it through two days of regular use, with some quick gameplay alongside everyday tasks. Hit the gaming hard, and apply Game Booster to max out the processor, and this figure volition tumble. It'll vary depending on your game, but we didn't get a full mean solar day with heavy use. The skillful news is the phone has Qualcomm's Quick Charge four.0+ onboard — the outset phone to practice so — and it zipped to most 80 percent charge in a little over an hr for us. You have to use the included charger and cable to become this, and for some reason our early model had a slight fizz to information technology, which could be heard in a silent bedroom.

The Razer Telephone disappointingly runs Android 7.1.ane Nougat instead of the latest Oreo. The visitor said an update to Oreo volition likely come up early on 2018, merely considering Google released the Android version in August, the Razer Phone should come with information technology. A software update in Jan added the Janaury 2018 Android security patch.

Still, the software experience is splendid. Uniquely, the Razer Phone comes installed with Nova Launcher Prime over the top, instead of a Razer-designed user interface. It's dead close to stock Android, with a slide upwardly app drawer, a standard settings card, and outside of a few games and Razer's ain apps, no bloatware. Information technology's fast, reliable, and nosotros didn't experience whatever problems. Nova Launcher Prime number is a popular Android launcher app that has been on the Google Play Store for quite some time. It allows you to customize the home screen of your phone to accommodate your preference, and it'southward a not bad option on the Razer Telephone as it'south a popular launcher in the Android enthusiast community.

Mediocre camera

The Razer Phone's camera is mediocre at best. If the Razer Phone was $200, and so we'd laissez passer this off as a money-saving trade-off, just the Razer Phone is $700, which makes information technology unforgivable. There are ii 12-megapixel lenses, merely there are no features y'all'd expect like Portrait Mode even so. The only options are an HDR fashion, a filigree mode, and video. That's information technology. It'southward like traveling back in time to when cameras had 1-megapixel, and nosotros were pathetically grateful it was in that location at all.

Times have changed, and nosotros purchase phones based on the camera performance. Over the past year, all major flagship phones have launched with amazing cameras. It'south almost a given. The photos the Razer Telephone takes are average — even the Xiaomi Mi A1, a $235 telephone, packs more features, and the photos it takes are superior.

You won't buy the Razer Phone for its camera.

Razer knows it needs work, and delivered a software update right at the end of 2017 with some improvements. Before the update, HDR mode took several seconds to process the image after hit the shutter icon. Now, after the update, it's faster but withal not instant. At least now, there'south less gamble of any movement producing an out of focus photograph. The HDR mode is ambitious, and actually boosts the contrast, colors, and shadows. Non everyone will love the final consequence, but information technology does produce more visually interesting pictures than when HDR is turned off.

The aperture is f/1.seven, which should be good in low-calorie-free, but our first shots were grainy and the camera had difficulty focusing on a subject. Focus improved with the update, but the images are still low quality, and the HDR mode is very ho-hum. We also plant bugs where some low-calorie-free pictures weren't captured properly, resulting in lost photos.

You wouldn't know it, but the second lens is a telephoto lens that lets you optically zoom in up to 2x like the iPhone 8 Plus. Despite proverb it has added a button in the Dec software update, Razer makes no way of knowing this — there's no 2x icon in the photographic camera app that rapidly jumps to the telephoto lens. Instead, you have to pinch out with two fingers. An indicator has been added to show how much zoom you lot're using, and borer the plus or minus symbol jumps ahead by a notch; simply there is no obvious cut-off between hybrid and digital zoom, and no quick manner to activate it outside pinching the screen.

Overall, the photographic camera has got better with the update, but this is an incremental improvement, and isn't leaps and premises beyond how information technology was earlier. Razer says it'south non done with the camera, and it will exist improved with Portrait Mode and other special features in a futurity update. It has started to evangelize on this promise, but the contest is and so stiff in smartphone cameras, it cannot compare at the moment. We don't recollect that's adequate in a $700 phone yous can buy now.

Toll, warranty, and availability

The Razer Phone costs $700 in the U.Due south. and is now available to buy from Razer. In the U.Grand., it costs 700 British pounds. It'south as well sold through the Three network on a variety of different contracts.

The telephone has a limited warranty for a year, and Razer will repair the device or supplant parts, provided it falls in the scope of what's covered. The bombardment, software, and accidental impairment are not covered, for instance.

Our Have

The Razer Phone is a brilliant mobile gaming device, just not a brilliant smartphone all-rounder. It's non skilful news in a yr when so many astonishing smartphones are yours to buy for around the same cost.

Are there whatsoever amend alternatives?

The gaming experience on the Razer Phone beats other devices hands downwardly, every bit does the audio performance from those massive front speakers. If gaming is the reason you're buying the telephone — and if you're looking at the Razer Phone, it should be — and then it occupies that niche all by itself for now.

If you lot're looking for a well-rounded phone, then its contest is much stiffer. Based on toll, the Razer Phone is competing with some of the major smartphone releases of 2017. The Milky way S8 tin can be purchased for less, while the LG V30 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro may toll a little more than; simply the sum of their parts are considerably better than the Razer Phone. The Google Pixel 2 40 is $150 more than, but has a superior photographic camera, a better design, and it gets fast Android updates. The OnePlus 5T is $200 less, has a more attractive design, and the camera is more capable too.

How long will it terminal?

It's built similar a tank, so you'll need some heavy artillery to damage the trunk. Sadly, unlike most flagship smartphones it's not water resistant. The latest processor and plenty of RAM means it will be powerful plenty to last several years. The pattern looks old now, and will likely expect even more than anile in 2018, and Razer has no runway record with delivering timely Android software updates. Nosotros'll have to see how before long it can deliver Android 8.0 Oreo.

Should y'all buy it?

No. It's really with regret we say this, because when you simply count gaming, the Razer Phone is an unprecedented success. However, we don't play games constantly on our phones. Nosotros have photos, need the phone to have a visible screen in bright sunlight, and fit in our pockets. The Razer Phone is chunky, the photographic camera's unfinished, and the screen is a bit as well dim. Similar the Essential Telephone, it seems the Razer Phone is out a couple of months earlier it's actually set up. We look forrad to camera improvements, which will assist increase its appeal; but at the moment the Razer Phone is indeed a niche device with niche entreatment.

Update: We've included our thoughts on a contempo camera software update, plus added in the recharge time for the battery.

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Does The Razer Phone 2 Work With Boost Mobile,

Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/razer-phone-review/

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