Details of Razer's first Smartphone leaked ahead of official launch

UK carrier 3G UK accidentally leaked the details of Razer's upcoming gaming-focused smartphone/phablet. (Source: Android Police)

Nearly all details of Razer's upcoming smartphone have been leaked a day before the official launch by a UK mobile provider. The massive phone will feature a 120Hz IGZO display, Snapdragon 835 SoC, 8 GB of RAM, and a 4000 mAh battery.

Douglas Black, Published 10/31/2017

When we first reported on Razer's acquisition of the Nextbit Robin team at the start of 2017, the possibility of a Razer-designed smartphone seemed quite far off. Rumors of Razer's impending smartphone have recently intensified, fueled by CEO Min-Liang Tan's teasing of the phone via social media over the past month. Now, we have received a nearly comprehensive leak of the device thanks to an over-eager mobile carrier 3G UK publishing details of the "Razer Phone 64GB Black" one day before its official launch.

Screenshots of 3G UK's website (see right) reveal a great deal about the phone (or phablet, given its enormous dimensions): The headlining feature is its 5.72-inch IGZO display with 120Hz refresh rate and "Wide Colour Gamut". If this display is similar to existing phones with 120Hz screens from Japanese OEM Sharp, it may sport a sort of adaptive refresh-sync technology to eliminate tearing and provide smoother motion. For mobile gamers, this will certainly provide an enhanced experience and may be the key selling point of the Razer Phone. The Dolby ATMOS and dual front-facing speakers will also be a welcome feature for media consumption, though hopefully you'll be using headphones when you game on your commute rather than annoying everyone around you.

The other specs, known from leaked earlier benchmarks, are what you'd expect for a 2017 flagship smartphone — Snapdragon 835, a copious 8 GB of RAM, and decent cameras. Something that is nice to see is a 4000 mAh battery, which must not be overlooked since the device is aimed at heavy users of mobile games. One key detail missing from the leak is the price, but we can assume that it will probably be sold at a premium, given Razer's history of pricing.

While Razer is well-established in the PC gaming market, it will be interesting to see how the company does with its foray into "hardcore smartphone gaming" — a market segment that some would argue doesn't really exist beyond microtransaction-laden self-playing software. The official unveiling is expected tomorrow on November 1st.