Razer Edge – Hidden gem for gamers?

The Razer Edge is a tiny tablet with a display measuring 6.8 inches diagonally. It can also be transformed into a fully fledged gaming handheld with the included Kishi V2 Pro controller. The tablet simply snaps into the controller and is connected latency-free over USB. The Kishi V2 Pro is equipped with built-in vibration motors, a USB port and an audio jack.

The Edge can be had for roughly €350 (RRP: €500) in Europe and US$300 (RRP: US$400) in the US. It features the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1, which is a powerful gaming SoC based on the Snapdragon 888+. The processor is flanked by 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The latter can be expanded using a microSD card. The AMOLED display is bright enough for indoor use and offers refresh rates of up to 144Hz, though the system doesn’t support adaptive refresh rate. The battery is large enough at 5,000 mAh. Razer has given the device a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, which in theory allows for high transfer rates. The Edge is also capable of outputting video over a wired connection. This opens up a range of potential applications, for instance as a media streaming or cloud gaming client for your television or large monitor at home. The package is topped off by speedy Wi-Fi 6E to ensure the streaming experience is as smooth and stable as possible – provided that your home network is modern enough.

That said, those who want to use the tablet as a streaming device for Netflix and other similar services are going to be faced with the lack of DRM certification and thus limited to SD playback. Furthermore, microSD cards can’t be formatted as internal storage on the device, and cards formatted in exFAT are not supported. The fan inside the Razer Edge can also get pretty loud and often exhibits a pulse-like behaviour. It is also not enough to keep the SoC running at full performance for a prolonged period. Things likewise don’t look good in terms of update support.

The Razer Edge is a superb device for gaming, but using it for the majority of everyday tasks is often accompanied by minor limitations or pitfalls. Nonetheless, those who are looking for an affordable gaming handheld are still going to have a good time with the Edge.