Razer Phone Vs. Samsung Galaxy S9: Full Specs Comparison

Talk about the future of the mobile industry. Smartphones nowadays are making a huge innovation, from the display to camera. Razer Phone is packed full of power and potential. But, will it overthrow the Samsung Galaxy S9? Which phone will stand out and change the game?

• Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Samsung Note 8 vs OnePlus 5
• Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Huawei Mate 10 Comparison- Camera, Battery Test

Specs

Design

In a world of curvy and bezel-less smartphones, Razer goes against it. The bold aesthetic design of this phone is definitely not for everyone. Samsung Galaxy S9 undeniably has a gorgeous design rocking the infinity display. It is quite similar to its predecessor except for the fingerprint scanner and a larger display.

Although Razer is not prone to fingerprints, it is quite slippery because of its sheer size and brushed aluminum chassis. While the Galaxy S9, despite its sleek design, the material makes the fingerprints more visible. Well, it won’t matter that much since you can use a phone case anyway.

Another good thing about the s9 is that it is water resistant while Razer is not. I don’t think we always need a smartphone that can be soaked in water so it’s not a big of a deal for me. 

The Razer phone uses a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner on the side which is actually comfortable while S9 redesigned the fingerprint scanner below the camera. Thank you, Samsung.

No headphone jack for Razer; Razer’s CEO explained that by removing the headphone jack they were able to increase the battery size. But no need to worry about it because every phone comes with a dongle so we can connect our headphones.

Both use type-c charging port. Wireless charging is becoming a thing nowadays and yes, Galaxy S9 supports this feature, unlike the Razer phone.

Display

Razer’s screen is made for indoors though it’s IGZO IPS LCD, its average brightness is quite disappointing considering that it is an expensive phone. While Galaxy S9 has a Super AMOLED display which has a great readability outdoors and wide viewing angles.

Camera

Camera is the main focus of the Samsung’s flagship with both handsets offering a dual aperture main camera. It switches from its default f/2.4 for brighter conditions to f/1.5 to low light. It also has an enhanced noise reduction as well as 960fps super slow-motion. While Razer Phone comes with telephoto f/2.4 lens and a f/1.7 for a wide angle.

With Galaxy S9 and Razer phone in our pockets, we took some shots to see the quality of the camera.

Selfies with Galaxy S9 are vibrant but softer feel opposed to Razer Phone. The sky with Galaxy S9 seems to lack detail because of the brightness of the shot while Razer’s not. Orange color looks far more natural than S9’s. But on this part, Galaxy S9 looks more appealing despite its downside.

With both handsets’ rear cam, Razer’s contrast levels are noticeable with Galaxy S9 on the side. It appears that Galaxy S9’s shot looks brighter but still manages to be detailed same with Razer but focused on the shaper colors.

Outdoor shots of both phones are detailed and sharp. Hues vary in contrast levels with Galaxy S9 that has a brighter feel on its shots opposed to Razer Phone.

On this part, the red tones of the plant look brighter on the Galaxy S9 while Razer Phone has a darker feel. Both handsets delivered great and clear photos. Which side are you?

On a lowlight situation, it is obvious that S9’s side delivered detailed and clearer shot. The shadows on the Razer are darker than the S9, thanks to f/1.5 aperture. But in terms of the feel of the photo, though S9 undeniably won this part, Razer’s eerie feel makes it look good despite its downsides.

Lastly, in this shot, it is obvious who won which smartphone has the better camera. Razer is noticeably inferior with Galaxy S9 struggling with clarity when the light is emitted. While the Galaxy S9 has a clearer output. Both seem to lack detail but that’s forgivable.

Galaxy S9 photos are sharp and vibrant especially on brighter conditions resulting in an impressive detailed photo. S9’s ‘reimagined’ camera has a multi-frame noise-reduction image processing feature, it may not sound important but taking photos especially at night creates grainy photos and we don’t want that.

If you consider camera quality on a phone, this might not be for you. Hopefully, Razer will make improvements to its future software update.

Chipset/Processor/ROM 

The Razer is powered by Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 with 8GB of RAM that runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat while S9 has Exynos 9810 Octa-core powered nu Qualcomm SDM835 Snapdragon 835 with 4GB of RAM that runs on latest Android 8.0 Oreo

Battery

Galaxy S9 has a battery capacity of 3000 mAh but it looks like Razer is pushing boundaries with 4000 mAh on its phone. Both are non-removable.

Audio

Razer Phone and Galaxy S9 are tuned with Dolby Atmos. Both are loud and clear but I’ll go with Razer on this part. Its front-facing stereo speakers with dual amplifiers create crisp and louder sound than any other Android phones.

Price and availability

Razer phone is available in local and online stores for ₱37,500 while Samsung Galaxy S9 starts from ₱38,990 and will be released this March.

All in all, both handsets are fantastic. However, each phone has their own pros and cons. One can be great with battery life and the other can be great with the camera. You just got to know which will benefit you the most.