Gaming smartphone Razer Phone 2 arrives in Korea

Singaporean gaming device developer Razer introduced the Razer Phone 2, a gaming smartphone, in South Korea on Friday, with aims to entice mobile gamers in one of the world’s biggest markets for video gaming and esports.

The Razer Phone 2 will officially begin sales next Tuesday, exclusively via local distributor All Life Technology and CJ Hello, a minor mobile carrier and cable TV operator in Korea. 

The new gaming smartphone is officially priced at 990,000 won ($884), but with state-regulated telecom subsidies and CJ Hello’s payment plans, the device can be purchased for 599,000 won.

The Razer Phone 2 is a premium smartphone optimized for mobile gaming. It boasts a 5.7-inch LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Atmos speakers and a 4,000mAh battery that enables around 10 hours of game play on a full charge.

It is also equipped with the Qualcomm 845 Snapdragon processor and vapor chamber cooling system that keeps the phone from overheating. The phone also features Razer’s flagship “chroma” lighting effects and a built-in game portal app, Razer Cortex.

The new mobile device is an upgraded version of the Razer Phone 1 launched last year in the US, Europe and China, offering a 30 percent specifications improvement from the previous model, Razer said.

The Razer Phone 2’s biggest selling point is the 120Hz screen that can handle data-heavy games without lags, offering a smooth gaming experience, said Irene Ng, Vice President of Razer’s mobile business for the Asia-Pacific in a press conference held in Seoul, Friday.

“In terms of smoothness, you can see a clear difference with other phones with 60-90Hz (displays),” Ng said, explaining that Razer is the only company in the world to commercialize a smartphone with a 120Hz screen.

To bring the most optimal gaming experience to users, Razer has also teamed with the producers of hit mobile games such as “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” “Rival Crimson x Chaos,” “Marvel Future Fight,” “Guns of Boom,” and “RuneScape.”

Considering the formidable success of the Razer Phone 1 in the US, Europe and China last year, Razer believes the second-edition phone will bring double-digit growth in sales worldwide.

“We believe we’ve got a very promising phone for consumers here,” Ng said.

Formed in 2005, Razer is a Singaporean gaming hardware company which develops gaming laptops, tablets and PC peripherals such as mice, audio devices, keyboards and game pads. The firm stepped into the gaming smartphone segment last year with the launch of the Razer 1.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)