Razer Phone South Africa – Is it going to be available here?

In November 2017 I as excited as I got when the original iPhone was announced in 2007, only more so because it’s 2018. The Razer Phone was a phone from Razer who’s gaming peripherals I’ve always loved. I own a Razer Headset, Razer Naga mouse, and a Razer mousepad. But the Razer Phone was not only a phone by a company that I loved for developing and designing great tech for gamers, the Razer Phone runs as close as you are going to get to stock Android. But Razer Phone South Africa? It just didn’t seem like it was going to happen, until yesterday:

Razer Phone South Africa on the official Razer Facebook page

Yup, pretty soon you might actually have the Razer Phone South Africa! I’m saying this based on the Facebook post that appeared on the official Razer Facebook Page last night. It seems like we will finally be getting the Razer Phone in SA, and from the comments, we can gather that it will be available on all major carriers. There is no mention of a release date for the Razer Phone just yet. Fingers crossed that the release date is sooner rather than later.

Yes, we might only be getting the Razer Phone in South Africa more than 5 months after it’s initial release, but the good news is that you will immediately be able to update the Android 7.1 Nougat to Android 8.1 Oreo since Razer released the update on 16 April 2018.

What makes the Razer Phone so cool?

Where do I start? There are many reasons why I’ve been hoping we would see the Razer Phone in South Africa. But here are a few of the key points that I love about it:

• 120 Hz UltraMotion™ screen. That’s the highest refresh rate on a smartphone to date, and at 120 Hz it clocks in only slightly lower than my 144 Hz PC monitor
• 5.7-inch IGZO LCD 1440 x 2560 screen
• CPU – Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 Mobile Platform
• 8GB RAM
• 64Gig internal storage and space for microSD up to 2TB
• 4000 mAh lithium-ion battery
• Stereo front facing speakers giving the Razer Phone pretty much the best sound any phone has
• OS is as close as you are going to get to clean Android
• Dual 12MP rear cameras and 8MP front facing camera
• USB Type-C

Do we need the Razer Phone South Africa?

I can’t speak for everyone, but my answer is a resounding yes! The screen performance you get from the Razer Phone is pretty much leaps and bounds ahead of other phones available in SA. 5.7 Inches clearly designed for gamers. I don’t really game on my smartphone, mostly because I have a PC and Xbox One for my gaming needs. But who knows, if I have the Razer Phone I might even give PUBG mobile a chance.

The selection of Android devices that we have had in South Africa has been pretty dismal so far. Samsung, Huawei and a host of other Android smartphones commonly available in South Africa aren’t bad phones, but they all have terrible bloatware strapped onto Android. As someone that had a Google Nexus 5X with clean Android, I can tell you that the bloatware on most of these phones is a deal breaker for me. At the moment, I’m using a Redmi 4A that is so far behind what the Razer Phone is, it’s actually like comparing apples and oranges. But the Xiaomi phones have bloatware that I can live with. Ideally, I would want any Android OS to run like it runs on the Google Pixel 2. The Razer Phone does seem to be pretty damn close to what Android is on Google’s flagship phone.

So what’s the catch with the Razer Phone?

It seems pretty probable that we will have the Razer Phone locally. It seems too good to be true, so what’s the catch? Here are some things that might stop you from getting a Razer Phone when it is available in South Africa:

• The price – In the US it retails for $700. That means that by the time the Razer Phone is on South African shores you will likely end up paying upwards of R13 000 – R14 000 for the phone. Not a big deal if you are a contact person. A much bigger deal if you are like me and you like to buy your phone cash. This is pure speculation and no indication of South African price has been given yet.
• The picture quality is not the best – Compared to my other Android Phone love the Google Pixel 2, the Razer Phone simply doesn’t take perform as well with photo or video, as the Pixel 2. Not a deal breaker for me, but might be an issue for other people that use their phones a lot for photography or filming.
• No 3.5mm headset jack – Unfortunately, this is a trend that it seems we are going to have to get used to. As someone who is always listening to music or podcast, this is a big deal. I don’t want those goofy looking wireless headsets and if I do get them I will lose them in a matter of minutes. I lose shit all the time. Luckily the Razer Phone does ship with a THX-certified USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter. Not perfect, but better than being forced to use goofy wireless headphones.

When will we have the Razer Phone in South Africa?

I don’t know, but I will let you know as soon as I know. I haven’t been this moist for a piece of tech in ages and I’m super excited to get myself a Razer Phone. Now we wait until we get the release date for the Razer Phone South Africa!

When do you think the Razer Phone will be available in South Africa? Will you get one? Let me know in the comments.