1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,856
[MUSIC PLAYING]

2
00:00:03,856 --> 00:00:06,760


3
00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:08,880
NICOLE LEE: When the Razer
phone debuted last year,

4
00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,570
gaming phones wasn't
really a category.

5
00:00:11,570 --> 00:00:14,350
Now, however, there appears
to be quite a number of them,

6
00:00:14,350 --> 00:00:17,380
like the ASUS ROG and
Xiamoi's Black Shark Helo.

7
00:00:17,380 --> 00:00:20,120
So Razer, not wanting
to be left behind,

8
00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:21,700
has come up with a successor--

9
00:00:21,700 --> 00:00:23,260
the Razer Phone 2.

10
00:00:23,260 --> 00:00:25,180
The difference here is
that Razer wanted the phone

11
00:00:25,180 --> 00:00:27,790
to be a flagship-level phone.

12
00:00:27,790 --> 00:00:30,370
A handset that gamers would
gladly trade in their Pixels

13
00:00:30,370 --> 00:00:32,259
and Samsung Galaxies for.

14
00:00:32,259 --> 00:00:34,600
And while the Razer Phone 2
certainly has some improvements

15
00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:36,430
over last year's
model, it's still

16
00:00:36,430 --> 00:00:38,140
a tough sell for most people.

17
00:00:38,140 --> 00:00:43,710


18
00:00:43,710 --> 00:00:46,300
In a lot of ways, the Razer
Phone 2 looks and feels very

19
00:00:46,300 --> 00:00:48,310
similar to its predecessor.

20
00:00:48,310 --> 00:00:51,900
It's a big, rectangular
slab with thick bezels.

21
00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:53,410
Razer said that
this design keeps it

22
00:00:53,410 --> 00:00:55,660
in line with the rest of
the company's hardware,

23
00:00:55,660 --> 00:00:57,910
but I can't say I'm a fan.

24
00:00:57,910 --> 00:01:00,700
It's uncomfortable to hold for
long periods of time, which

25
00:01:00,700 --> 00:01:02,500
is kind of an important
factor when you play

26
00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:04,450
a lengthy game like "Fortnite".

27
00:01:04,450 --> 00:01:06,010
It's an even bigger
pain for people

28
00:01:06,010 --> 00:01:08,350
with small hands like
myself, so I find it almost

29
00:01:08,350 --> 00:01:10,520
impossible to hold one-handed.

30
00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,160
Flip the phone over,
and you start to see

31
00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,470
the first signs of improvement.

32
00:01:14,470 --> 00:01:16,720
The Phone 2 has a
glass back, which feels

33
00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,850
more like a premium handset.

34
00:01:18,850 --> 00:01:21,530
There's also a Razer Chroma
logo on the back, which lights

35
00:01:21,530 --> 00:01:23,410
up in a variety of colors.

36
00:01:23,410 --> 00:01:24,850
It has three modes--

37
00:01:24,850 --> 00:01:28,390
static, breathing-- also
known as a pulse mode--

38
00:01:28,390 --> 00:01:30,160
or spectrum, which
will just throw

39
00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:32,260
a bunch of different colors.

40
00:01:32,260 --> 00:01:35,680
Interestingly, it also functions
as a notifications light.

41
00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,800
If you get a Facebook message,
it'll go blue, for example.

42
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,440
And if you're low on
battery, it'll glow red.

43
00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,420
It's a small thing, but
the light-up Chroma logo

44
00:01:43,420 --> 00:01:46,150
goes a long way in making
a cold, chunky phone

45
00:01:46,150 --> 00:01:47,800
feel more personal.

46
00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,370
The display on the Razer Phone
2 is where it really shines.

47
00:01:51,370 --> 00:01:55,090
Even though it still has a
5.72 inch IGZO LED screen,

48
00:01:55,090 --> 00:01:58,800
it boasts a wider color
gamut and extra brightness--

49
00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,350
580 [INAUDIBLE] instead of
380 in last year's model.

50
00:02:02,350 --> 00:02:05,230
That means deeper blacks
and more saturated colors,

51
00:02:05,230 --> 00:02:06,539
and I like that I
can actually use

52
00:02:06,539 --> 00:02:08,139
the phone in bright
daylight without the display

53
00:02:08,139 --> 00:02:10,630
looking washed out.

54
00:02:10,630 --> 00:02:12,430
That said, it's not quite
as bright as competing

55
00:02:12,430 --> 00:02:14,590
Android phones' OLED displays.

56
00:02:14,590 --> 00:02:16,700
I'm not too fussed
about that, though,

57
00:02:16,700 --> 00:02:20,500
because what it lacks in vibrant
it makes up for in performance.

58
00:02:20,500 --> 00:02:22,810
Like the original Razer
phone, the Razer Phone 2 has

59
00:02:22,810 --> 00:02:25,810
a 120Hz screen refresh rate.

60
00:02:25,810 --> 00:02:27,970
This results in
buttery-smooth interactions

61
00:02:27,970 --> 00:02:30,820
when scrolling through menus,
flipping through Instagram,

62
00:02:30,820 --> 00:02:34,190
and, of course, playing games.

63
00:02:34,190 --> 00:02:36,340
Another feature that the
Razer phone inherited

64
00:02:36,340 --> 00:02:40,010
from the original is Dolby
Atmos-enabled speakers,

65
00:02:40,010 --> 00:02:42,430
which is a good thing
because these are definitely

66
00:02:42,430 --> 00:02:44,050
one of the best
built-in speakers

67
00:02:44,050 --> 00:02:45,678
we've ever heard from a phone.

68
00:02:45,678 --> 00:02:47,112
- All right, gang.

69
00:02:47,112 --> 00:02:48,070
Move on out.

70
00:02:48,070 --> 00:02:49,360
NICOLE LEE: The
sound is not just

71
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,900
loud, but also surprisingly
crisp and balanced.

72
00:02:52,900 --> 00:02:54,460
No, you won't get
deep bass here,

73
00:02:54,460 --> 00:02:56,547
but for playing games and
watching movies on Netflix,

74
00:02:56,547 --> 00:02:57,347
it's great.

75
00:02:57,347 --> 00:03:00,756
[MUSIC PLAYING]

76
00:03:00,756 --> 00:03:03,678


77
00:03:03,678 --> 00:03:05,139
[BEEPING]

78
00:03:05,139 --> 00:03:06,600
- Almost there.

79
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,700
NICOLE LEE: I also appreciated
the spacial surround

80
00:03:08,700 --> 00:03:10,460
sound feature, which
is usable for hearing

81
00:03:10,460 --> 00:03:14,540
enemies creep up behind you
in games like "Fortnite".

82
00:03:14,540 --> 00:03:17,180
Speaking of which, this is
a gaming phone, so let's

83
00:03:17,180 --> 00:03:18,980
talk about gameplay experience.

84
00:03:18,980 --> 00:03:21,170
It's especially good in
graphically intensive games

85
00:03:21,170 --> 00:03:23,390
like "Vainglory" or
"Fortnite", both of which

86
00:03:23,390 --> 00:03:26,030
I spent way too
many hours playing.

87
00:03:26,030 --> 00:03:27,740
With "Fortnite" in
particular, I really

88
00:03:27,740 --> 00:03:30,500
appreciated the visual
detail and smooth performance

89
00:03:30,500 --> 00:03:33,680
as even the tiniest bit
of lag could mean death.

90
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,400
Plus, the Razer Phone 2 also
comes with a game boosting mode

91
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,510
that optimizes the phone
settings based on the game

92
00:03:38,510 --> 00:03:39,980
that you're playing.

93
00:03:39,980 --> 00:03:41,740
So you could play
something like "Vainglory",

94
00:03:41,740 --> 00:03:44,100
you might want all of
the settings maxed out.

95
00:03:44,100 --> 00:03:45,680
But if you play
something less intensive,

96
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:47,690
like "Pokemon Go"
for example, you

97
00:03:47,690 --> 00:03:50,540
can dial it back down to a power
saver mode to conserve battery.

98
00:03:50,540 --> 00:03:56,620


99
00:03:56,620 --> 00:03:59,090
Not everything is
so rosy, though.

100
00:03:59,090 --> 00:04:01,460
For one, the phone
can run a little hot.

101
00:04:01,460 --> 00:04:04,190
Yes, the Razer Phone 2 comes
with a vapor-chamber cooling

102
00:04:04,190 --> 00:04:06,650
tech that the company
inherited from its laptops,

103
00:04:06,650 --> 00:04:08,390
but play a game
for a good 20 or 30

104
00:04:08,390 --> 00:04:10,460
minutes, which is a bare
minimum when it comes

105
00:04:10,460 --> 00:04:12,250
to some of these
titles, and the phone

106
00:04:12,250 --> 00:04:14,480
still gets uncomfortably warm.

107
00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,730
Another disappointment
is the phone's camera.

108
00:04:16,730 --> 00:04:20,240
Again, Razer made a big deal
that the top megapixel shooter

109
00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,880
on the Phone 2 is a lot
better than the original

110
00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,055
with a whole new
app that has HDR,

111
00:04:25,055 --> 00:04:27,320
[INAUDIBLE] and beauty shots.

112
00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,350
While it's still only
a touch improved,

113
00:04:29,350 --> 00:04:30,620
it doesn't compare
at all to something

114
00:04:30,620 --> 00:04:33,410
like the iPhone or the Pixel 3.

115
00:04:33,410 --> 00:04:36,050
Photos look flat and washed
out, and low-light photos can

116
00:04:36,050 --> 00:04:37,760
get terribly noisy and blurry.

117
00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,730


118
00:04:40,730 --> 00:04:43,800
The Razer Phone 2 comes with a
4000 milliampere hour battery,

119
00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:45,300
which I found decent
enough to last

120
00:04:45,300 --> 00:04:47,170
me a whole day of regular use.

121
00:04:47,170 --> 00:04:48,970
We're talking emails,
Slack, and playing

122
00:04:48,970 --> 00:04:50,755
the occasional YouTube video.

123
00:04:50,755 --> 00:04:53,730
But once you throw in a couple
hours of gaming into the mix,

124
00:04:53,730 --> 00:04:56,490
battery life drops
by about half.

125
00:04:56,490 --> 00:04:58,920
Playing "Vainglory" at max
settings for about 30 minutes,

126
00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,820
for example, you could easily
see battery life drop by 10%.

127
00:05:02,820 --> 00:05:06,520
Fortunately, the Phone 2
comes of Quick Charge 4.0,

128
00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,130
so you can easily turn
off the phone from zero

129
00:05:08,130 --> 00:05:10,814
to 50% in just 30 minutes.

130
00:05:10,814 --> 00:05:12,780
This way you can quickly charge
the phone when you get back

131
00:05:12,780 --> 00:05:15,150
from a long day at work,
and have it ready to play

132
00:05:15,150 --> 00:05:16,590
right after you've had dinner.

133
00:05:16,590 --> 00:05:19,140
In the end, the Razer Phone
2 is a phone made for a niche

134
00:05:19,140 --> 00:05:20,800
category of people--

135
00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,100
hardcore mobile gamers.

136
00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:25,560
If you belong in that category,
the Phone 2 might very well

137
00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:27,220
be a great phone for you.

138
00:05:27,220 --> 00:05:29,520
It has nearly identical
specs to the ASUS ology

139
00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,070
as well as the Xiaomi
Black Shark Helo.

140
00:05:32,070 --> 00:05:33,900
That said, the Razer
Phone 2 and the ASUS ROG

141
00:05:33,900 --> 00:05:36,990
are the only ones
available in the US.

142
00:05:36,990 --> 00:05:39,720
Compared to the ROG, the
Razer Phone 2 is cheaper.

143
00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:41,640
It's available at
a lower price--

144
00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:42,970
$800 versus $900.

145
00:05:42,970 --> 00:05:46,770
It has a microSD card and
it's also water resistant.

146
00:05:46,770 --> 00:05:48,450
At the moment of this
recording, we're still not

147
00:05:48,450 --> 00:05:50,730
sure how they compare in
terms of camera quality,

148
00:05:50,730 --> 00:05:52,960
performance, and other factors.

149
00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,290
So if you're in the market for
a gaming phone of this caliber,

150
00:05:55,290 --> 00:05:57,930
I would say wait to see
how they both compare.

151
00:05:57,930 --> 00:05:59,450
As for the rest of
us, I would say just

152
00:05:59,450 --> 00:06:01,890
simply pass on the Phone 2.

153
00:06:01,890 --> 00:06:04,630
Casual gamers and non-gamers
need not apply here.

154
00:06:04,630 --> 00:06:07,710
The not-so-great camera
and chunky form factor

155
00:06:07,710 --> 00:06:09,210
puts the phone too
squarely in the realm

156
00:06:09,210 --> 00:06:11,100
of gamers who
prioritize gameplay

157
00:06:11,100 --> 00:06:13,320
over these other features.

158
00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,270
[MUSIC PLAYING]

159
00:06:17,270 --> 00:06:32,128