Razer has introduced its first smartphone.

The 12-year-old company, which sells laptops and products for gamers and says it is "for gamers, by gamers", now makes mobile devices. Having acquired Nextbit, the company that made the Robin phone, in 2016, it's not surprising to see Razer announce the Razer Phone, which, honestly, just looks like a Nextbit Robin in disguise. But it's more than that. It's, of course, a phone ideal for gamers.

Here's what you need to know about Razer Phone.

Razer Phone: Design

  • Anodised soft-touch metal body (matte black only)
  • Fingerprint scanner embedded within power key (right-side facing)
  • 158.5 x 77.7 x 8mm; 197g

The Razer Phone is a big ol' lump of a phone, thanks to its 5.7-inch 16:9 ratio screen, square shoulders, huge bezels (which houses a dual front-facing speaker array that's Dolby Atmos-certified), and a 4,000mAh battery. It also features a soft-touch metal body, which you can only get in matte black, and it has a fingerprint sensor, which is oddly placed in the right-side power key.

There's no headphone jack - an odd omission, considering this is supposedly gamer-friendly device. But inside the Razer Phone box, there is a THX-certified audio dongle that lets you hook up headphones for 24-bit sound. Other noticeable design elements include an embossed laser transferred Razer logo to the rear, and a thicker frame, something that Razer claimed allows for better heat dissipation.

Razer Phone: Hardware

  • 5.7-inch (WQHD) 2560 x 1440p LCD panel with 120Hz
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform, 8GB RAM as standard
  • Heat pipe and thermal layers for heat sync

The Razer Phone's screen doesn't have a trendy 18:9 ratio, but it's 16:9 form it does bring with it a 120Hz refresh rate panel, courtesy of Sharp's IGZO technology, which nets you a higher refresh rate, at up to 120 frames per second - double that of current smartphones. That means smoother visuals that gamers crave. However, note that it's "adjustable frame rates" that max out at 120Hz.

With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform and 8GB RAM as standard, the Razer Phone is just as powerful as some of the top-end flagships out there. Not only that, Razer claimed it offers “best-in-class” thermal performance, due to an integrated heat pipe and thermal layers for heat sync. Although we've tested the device, we can't yet judge how hot the device will get or how that might impact battery life.

Speaking of battery life, the Razer Phone has a 4,000mAh cell inside, which helps it compete with Mate 10 Pro. And with USB-C Qualcomm QuickCharge, it can top up pretty quickly - all good things to hear for battery-guzzling mobile gamers. Other bits worth mentioning: the Razer Phone comes with 64GB storage and microSD expansion (with adoptable storage). It also only has single SIM.

Razer Phone: Cameras

  • Two 12-megapixel sensors: one wide-angle f/1.75, one standard at f/2.6
  • Cameras work together as one to offer lossless “smooth zoom”

Like many high-end smartphones, the Razer Phone has a dual lens system on the rear that sandwiches two 12-megapixel sensors: a wide-angle f/1.75 optic and a standard lens with f/2.6 optic. You can't select between each lens manually. They are used together to offer a smooth zoom feature, so when you pinch-to-zoom from the wide-angle, it can pull on the longer focal length lens for real data.

Unfortunately, there's no optical image stabilisation offered.

Razer Phone: Software

  • Game Booster app for adjusting gaming preferences
  • Android Nougat 7.1.1 with Nova launcher

Razer’s software adjustments include a Game Booster app that works like a secondary settings menu so you can prioritise system resources for games, choose a resolution, and more. Otherwise, the software is basically stock Android Nougat 7.1.1 with Google Assistant and the premium version of the Nova Launcher preloaded. So, yeah, no Android 8 Oreo at launch; it's coming after, though.

Razer Phone: Price

In the UK, Razer Phone is exclusive to Three, with a £699 asking price. It's priced at $700 in the US and €750 in Europe.

Razer Phone: Release date

It will go on sale in the UK from 14 November 2017.