Verdict
The Razer Edge has many good parts and it works well as a thoroughgoing package , yet it really struggle to warrant its existence when there are so many better option on the marketplace .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Gaming handhelds are everywhere at the minute , from brawny ( and costly ) versions running Windows to budget ones focussing on retro plot emulation . The Razer Edge sits somewhere in the middle .
power by Android and comprising of a gaming lozenge and detachable Kishi comptroller , the Edge feels a little like a twist cobbled together from one-time parts to come across the heighten demand for handheld gaming equipment .
But it ’s also a showcase for Qualcomm ’s gambling - focussed chipset and comes pile some high-pitched - end lineament , including an OLED screenland .
There are two versions of the Edge . The one I am look back here is the Wi - Fi model and it ’s available in both the US ( $ 399.99 ) and UK ( £ 449.99 ) . There ’s also aRazer Edge 5Gmodel ( $ 599.99 + datum plan ) , which is only available through Verizon in the US . We have a separate revaluation of the 5 gee model , although they are very similar .
Design and Screen
The Razer Edge is made up of distinct parts : the chief tablet unit of measurement with a 6.8 - column inch display and a detachable , bounce - lade controller . Instead of clipping on like the Joy - Cons on theNintendo Switch , the controller expands and sits around the whole tablet , plugging into the USB - carbon port . It ’s the same expressive style as something like the Backbone – a controller I really care .
The tab itself is introductory , at least in terms of its figure . It mimics an Android earpiece but with a slightly more angular overall look and a over deficiency of cameras on the back . Compared to theSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra , a phone with the same size 6.8 - inch screen , the Razer Edge is larger and lowering .
It also has much thicker bezels around the video display than you ’d find on thebest Android earphone . Razer has , rather queerly , decided to round off out the bezel rather than match the angle of the gadget . Not only does this make the sieve little than it could be , but it gives the overall gimmick a strange look .
One benefit of having the restrainer capable to be completely detach is that the Edge can be used exclusively as a pocket-sized pill .
You could remove the controller and use on - screen controls , or just look on YouTube or Netflix . queerly , some apps – notably Netflix – ca n’t be used in landscape mode until a video starts playing .
Whether you ’re watch a television or playing a secret plan , the screen is great and prop to Razer for not skimping on the venire . It ’s an FHD+ OLED show , with a max 144Hz refresh rate that can be dialled down to 120Hz , 90Hz and 60Hz . Colours toss off with reverberance and the OLED technical school allows for perfect blacks , give more immersion to game place in benighted environments .
Not all is perfect with the display though . By go with a wide-cut 20:9 panel , you ’ll spend much of your time with thick black bars on either side of your plot . This is noticeable everywhere , fromXbox Games Pass , which pushes images out at 16:9 , to retro title . Really the only example when you ’ll get a benefit from the much wider concealment is when playing Android biz .
Controller
Part of the Razer Edge package is the Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller – this turns the tab into a handheld gaming machine . This control is the same version that is sold individually and if you so wish , you could attach it to another Android sound and use it there too .
The Kishi V2 Pro fits snuggly around the tablet , clicking into the USB - C port wine and feel uncompromising and secure . To make up for the loss of the USB - cytosine port on the tablet , there ’s an extra one on the bottom of the controller so you could charge and play at the same clock time .
There are passel of buttons and controls dotted around . The A , B , Y and tenner buttons are a shade small for my liking , but the analog D - Pad is very tactile and clicky and the joint are antiphonal . There are also L1 , L2 , R1 and R2 buttons , plus mappable M1 and M2 clitoris that are ready to hand when using PS Remote Play . musical accompaniment for rumble is include too if it ’s support natively within a secret plan , which is a feature often miss off these control .
It ’s a well - work up and mostly sturdy controller , but it is a piffling plasticky and , at time , a snatch creaky when flying movement is require . The hold have a decent amount of grippy texture on them and it is comfortable to hold for extended gambling sessions .
business leader is displume right away from the Razer Edge tablet so you do n’t need to charge the Kishi controller separately .
Performance
This is the Wi - Fi only variation of the Razer Edge , which is presently the only exemplar available in regions outside of the USA . The 5 G version , which is uncommitted through Verizon in the States , has a slight extra read/write memory ( 8 GB as opposed to 6 GB here ) and of course the benefit of being able-bodied to play wherever you have a cellular connection . For a equipment like this , I feel 5 M is a must and not launching that version further afield is a mistake .
The rest of the glasses between the 5 G model and the Wi - Fi are the same , include the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset , Wi - Fi 6Esupport and a microSD menu expansion slot . This chip can be compared to the Snapdragon 888 + from 2021 , just with a few overclocked elements . It is comprise of 8 - heart and soul – 4x sleeve Cortex A55 , 3x A78 and a single X1 . Along with the Adreno 660 GPU . Since the release of the Razer Edge , Qualcomm has launched a trio of new play - focused G chip , which will likely be appearing in succeeding handsets .
functioning is good , and similar to a number of high - end sound from previous 2021 and other 2022 . Android games can be labor to their limit , with maxed - out graphics when available . Check out the charts below to see how the Razer Edge liken against a selection of alike devices .
However , I cogitate most people will belike employ this as a biz streaming gadget , and having powerful internals for this is less important . Of of course , which games you could stream will count on which subscriptions , services or hardware you have access to . you’re able to , for instance , stream games directly from a PS5 console table with the Remote bid app and this works very really well – although the console will call for to be turned .
Services like Xbox Game Pass work really well and permit you to play Xbox games streamed directly from the swarm . I tried this with Forza Horizon 5 and everything from the first-class OLED concealment to the good ascendance worked together nicely . How the plot play will depend entirely on your internet connection , though and if you have slow dwelling net your experience will be far worse .
My big military issue is that you’re able to do all this on other devices . The phone in your pocket can most likely stream game via Remote Play or Game Pass , just seize a controller and off you go . If you ’ve got a tablet you could use that by pairing a PS5 , Xbox or any other controller and there ’s arguably much bigger rival to those on the mart for a young handheld – portable gaming personal computer like theSteam Deck , Asus ROG Allyand the Ayaneo 2S.
The Steam Deck in its most affordable pretense is £ 100/$100 cheaper than the Razer Edge and apart from being smaller , I ca n’t really highlight any reason why someone would buy this over that .
Battery Life
There are a lot of similarities between the battery you ’d get on a tumid Android phone and the Razer Edge . This is n’t an survival champion – you ’ll get far prospicient of a single charge with theLogitech G Cloud – but it still endure enough time to have extended gaming school term , whether you ’re playing title natively on the gadget or via cyclosis .
There ’s a charging cable in the loge , although a plug is n’t provided . Using a 30w plug , I obtain a 50 % kick in 50 minutes and a full charge in 80 minutes .
Software
The Razer Edge runs on Android making it easy to fill with various apps and game from the Google Play Store , and further afield . Interestingly , it ’s very much the phone version of Android even though the screen , and the way I typically hold the twist with the controllers attached , feels like it would be more at home with a pad of paper version .
Apps , like Netflix , do n’t appreciate being opened in landscape way and a lot of apps feel overly stretched – even Google ’s own YouTube .
Razer has bestow a few tweaks and extras to the software system . The Nexus home screenland combines multiple games and streaming service together in a sleek interface that feels much more born to navigate with the controllers bond .
This app also let you alter case-by-case scope , like remapping the control for sure game , changing the intensiveness of the haptic reception and cyclosis to YouTube and Facebook .
Android is a fresh option as there ’s living for a broad kitchen range of inspection and repair . Android games , of course , plus the vast array of aper and game cyclosis services useable on Google Play . You ’ll find apps for Remote Play ( PS5 ) , Game Pass , Nvidia ’s GeForce Now and Steam Link , plus plenty more .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
This is a well - power Android equipment with wide bread and butter for game streaming and aboriginal Android gaming . If that ’s what you want , and you do n’t have a capable smartphone already in your pouch , this is a worthwhile resolution .
The excessively wide filmdom is great on a telephone set , less so on a gimmick focussing on cyclosis and playing 16:9 game .
Final Thoughts
The Razer Edge is a hard gimmick to recommend , even if it ’s well - made with a great screen and decent performance . As our US commentator , Chris Smith said in his review article of the 5 G version , this is n’t really worth buying unless “ you ’re dictated to segregate your gambling life story from your smartphone life story ” .
If I was looking for a twist for game streaming , I would either want one with 5 G or one with a 16:9 aspect ratio display . TheLogitech G Cloudis far from sodding , but I much prefer its more traditional screen sizing .
You could also just stick the Kishi V2 Pro controller on your current earphone and stream games that way . Evenmid - grasp phonescan comfortably play the huge majority of Android statute title , and you do n’t need much powerfulness to stream .
If the Razer Edge was a little cheaper and had a 16:9 display it would be a smarter choice .
Trusted Score
How we test
We tested the Razer Edge by playing a variety of different game , while also using benchmark psychometric test to determine performance . We also valuate the barrage living by playing games .
FAQs
There is a 5 gravitational constant version available through Verizon in the US .
Test Data
Full Specs
