Even though most mobile companies got rid of the free 2-year upgrade the system has trained me that this is about the time I need to get a new phone. I was on a Samsung S8+ and really didn't have too many issues with that phone. For my next phone, I knew it had to be gaming-friendly and while the S10+ was looking good there was only one phone boasting not only a 120h refresh rate but a 120h touch refresh rate. Not only that but the price had gone down to $500 and it was all there for me to give it a try. (I see a few months later it has dropped even further)
It's Not the Prettiest
Aesthetically this phone is not one of the top contenders. It's big, its bulky, its heavier than most other phones on the market. The natural case had a nice color as I got the reflective black and I went with the thin case, which doesn't add the look but also doesn't take away either. The RGB light on the back is pretty great though. Unnecessary but so is all of the other RGB stuff I own. One of the really well thought out feature of the phone was the movement of the volume buttons. They are located in the middle of the phone across from a power button that also doubles as a finger scanner. These buttons stay out of the way of your grip, which is just a quality of life feature I enjoy. Best of all there isn't a Bixby button to accidentally hit.The speakers are ok. I think it sounds a little a tinny if maxed out but it still has a pretty good quality for a phone. Not to mention there are two speakers so without headphones you are able to get directional sound. A huge plus. This is still hampered because there are still some audio files that will give a loud static sound, not sure what causes this but it doesn't happen often, just enough to be notable. I am irked that there isn't a headphone jack. The phone isn't thin, I hate having to keep track of a dongle, and I like to use Fender monitors for my headphones. Hard to get that level of audio from blue tooth headphones.
The camera app is where the phone lags behind. Especially coming over from Samsung, the lack of customization is obvious. The pictures aren't bad, they are fine for an amateur like me, its just the lack of options that sets it back. Portrait mode also was crashing for a period of time. The color saturation issues I have read about seem to have been fixed. If you are huge into pictures, this might be the make or break.
This is a panorama I took at a baseball game so you can see what I am talking about.
How it Handles Games
Now to the gaming. In my opinion, mobile gaming now has a game of catch up to do. Now that there is a phone that can handle better graphics and more responsive gameplay, the games need to step up to it. Playing games like Blades, while not the best game, just felt so much better on this phone. The game lags and skips a lot less, the picture is clear, and the touch screen controls are far more responsive. While the screen outputs at 120hz the screen takes input at a similar rate. This really helped with Clash Royal as I feel like I have to spam the screen less to get the card, leading to faster reaction times one my drops. Interestingly enough hampers ball throws in Pokemon Go, but thanks to the Razer Cortex app, you can control this for every app. This means the phone can be tailored to the demand of every game and it can be lowered or increased based on battery need and performance. This, as someone who loves to game, is going to be really hard to go back from.I have not had an issue with battery life. I know it was rated low but the only time I have seen the battery sapped is after a long session with a graphically heavy game. When I am just using it for its day-to-day functions it lasts all the way through and even the next morning if battery saver is on. The default charger it came with is kind of garbage though. The chord isn't long at all and the USB-C is too lose and was not charging the phone. An aftermarket chord is a must.
This phone can be your next phone and at the falling price tag you are getting your money's worth. While this phone doesn't feel as refined as its competitors it starts to stand out in all the aspects important to their target demographic. I have enjoyed owning it to the point that if a Razer Phone 3 were to come out, I am most likely going to grab it. It does a good job as acting as my day to day phone and, as far as the phones I have owned, does a better job with games. Obviously, gaming is a bit important for me.
TL;DR:
The Razer Phone 2 is a good phone for its price and is well suited for those who are more game-oriented.
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