Razer Edge is a 6.8 inch Android gaming tablet with detachable controllers for $400 and up

1. The big thing for me about this is the 6.8″ AMOLED screen – because it’s just slightly smaller than the Steam Deck screen. For a long time people were saying that it was impossible for Steam to put an OLED in the Steam Deck because no one was making one in the right size. I would really like to know who is supplying the screens for this. I haven’t seen that information anywhere.

   1. Well, remember a time when 6-inches was no longer a phone, and above 7-inches meant it was certainly a tablet. Well that was with the 16:9 era. This device has a 20:9 display, so that 6.8-inch is smaller than you think.

      Despite that, it’s certainly not pocketable and it isn’t a phone. Even the 5G version lacks some cellular bands, antenna, and the Caller App.

      With that said, I called it. I said this would be a $500 device, and it seems like that’s true for the Founders Edition, and the even pricier 5G model. The base model goes for $400 which is pretty bad value, since there are phones in that range which are better. Not to mention the $400 Valve SteamDeck.

      Besides, this is a bad product. The removable controller aspect is weird. The speakers are located on the sides so they get blocked by hands or the controller. Lack of phone capability means you can’t ditch your phone. The over-sized dimensions means it’s not pocketable (unlike Retroid Pocket 3). So you have to stow it in your backpack, at which point you may as well buy the VSD and bring that instead.

      1. Sound is piped through the holes on the controller.

      2. In the US, the only current gaming phone option is an unlocked ROG phone on T-Mobile (any phone that is a slab form factor without keys/buttons is not a gaming phone). So I am waiting to see what the Verizon version of this can do (unless something else comes up first).

         1. I would say, there’s really nothing that the latest QC 8g2 can do or play, which can’t be achieved on a “lower” chipset like the QSD 778.

            The ASUS ROG, although a fan favourite of mine, is very large and very heavy. Almost to the point of not fitting into a pocket. And you can’t really play games on it, you need a controller. All the controllers I’ve seen for the ASUS ROG are pretty big, and you would need to carry it with you in a backpack. If you are bringing a backpack, you may as well just grab a Valve SteamDeck instead.

            But if you truly want to go the route of on-the-go, outdoors, “take anywhere”, pocketable gaming… there’s not many options. You have the obsolete new3DS, PS Vita Slim, GPD Win-2, and the Retroid Pocket 3. The best solution I’ve found is to combine the Samsung S10+ with the Razer JungleCat, it’s actually comfy and pocketable, and does what a phone can do and what a gaming console can do.

            1. I don’t particularly like the ASUS ROG either, but you have to be more specific about why you “need” a controller with it. Sounds like a specific use case.

               I have basic gaming needs – just need a couple of buttons and a D-pad. That is easy to do, even on a pocketable phone, but 99% of phones in the US today have a slab form factor. I’ve been waiting for over a year for a second choice.

               For me, gaming is a secondary or tertiary use of my phone when I have some free time during the day, and so I don’t want to need a separate controller for gaming only.

   2. If you ever seen a Galaxy 21 plus has that screen size

2. I wonder if this G3X SoC will make it into a Windows on ARM handheld.

   Then again, I’m not sure MS can convince many game devs to natively target ARM when there hasn’t been much interest in iOS and Android despite the potentially large user base. There are only a few decent non-“mobile”/”go” games.

   1. I’m guessing (actually hoping) MS will have better luck getting game developers to port to ARM than application developers. Gamers seem to have more money to throw around than others.

      If this G3x chip is powerful enough to natively play ported desktop PC games that my Win 2 can play plus cloud gaming but has all the benefits ARM supposedly can offer, then I’m in. Even better if it can play more demanding games.

      Android and iOS has been around for years and native games largely suck (I even paid for Apple Arcade: waste of money). Maybe Windows on ARM gaming has a better chance at taking off. Make sure freemium and kill time while in line type games don’t take hold of the platform as a first step.

      1. I’d be interested in a Surface gaming handheld running Windows on ARM that can double as a PC on occasion. MS probably has closer gaming partners than desktop application ones.

         To me, anything Android for gaming is a no go right off the bat. I already know how crappy that is.

3. While I think it’s silly to have a phone -sized (and phone – looking) device without the ability to make phone calls, it is still a much better value proposition than the Logitech G Cloud. This device absolutely crushes that in every single way. Android gaming shouldn’t be an issue, for whatever that is worth. They will sell a ton of these in the eastern world where mobile gaming is highly valued. Here in the west most people will just opt for a Steam Deck, Switch , or one of the many Chinese Windows handhelds that are available in that price range.

4. So Android. And gaming. Do they really go together much outside of playing old illegally pirated console games with emulators?

   1. In the western world not as much. Maybe COD or PUBG mobile , but most people will just buy a controller attachment for the phone they ow men already. Out Easy , where mobile gaming is super hot, they may sell a ton of these.

      1. Geez, two typos. * own already and *out East. Dang auto correct

      2. Out Easy , where mobile gaming is super hot, they may sell a ton of these.

         Wouldn’t they just use their existing smartphones over a dedicated device.

   2. Maybe this G3X Gen 1 SoC will prompt developing some better games that don’t have “mobile”, “go”, etc. (ie. gimped games) attached to it.

      Then again, I doubt this SoC even has comparable perf as Apple’s chips and I’m not sure about its graphics perf either. That Samsung SoC with AMD GPU seemed promising but looks like it somewhat flopped.

      1. Likely not as even Nvidia failed to boost developer interest in porting games to mobile. They paid for some cool ports, but they were mostly exclusive to their devices and have all been largely abandoned by their devs now. That said, there ARE devs who port full sized PC and Console games to mobile these days. Monster Hunter Stories was a 3DS game but received a superior port on mobile. Square Enix has been releasing their older games on mobile for years, but have lately been releasing more recent minor games like Trials of Mana remake, Dragon Quest Builders, and SaGa Scarlet Grace (and I guess The Last Remnant Remastered). I can see them eventually opting to release some of the latest minor games like Triangle Strategy, Harvestella, and The Diofield Chronicles in the future if it’s financially viable to do so.

         And then there’s Feral Interactive, who have been porting games like the Total War series, GRID Autosport, Alien Isolation, the XCOM series, and Company of Heroes, among other titles. They might be the one to watch if you want to keep seeing ports to mobile.

   3. Maybe MS should partner with other ARM vendors (seems like the Qualcomm partnership has been a dud so far) and somehow get game devs to target both x86 and ARM Windows simultaneously.

      Still a big stretch given the current state of Windows on ARM, I guess but mobile OS gaming (both Android and iOS) still hasn’t taken off outside of very few hits or just those “mobile” games or pirating via emulators.

      For now, I’ll continue to buy x86 based gaming handhelds.

5. Anybody have any clue which mainline Snapdragon chip this G3X whatever is equal to? If its current flagship level or better then this is a really good deal at $400. Someone’s definitely subsidizing this, similar to the Steam Deck.

   1. It’s basically a slightly overclocked 8G1 with double the TDP but also a battery hog that needs active cooling. It’s possibly the fastest Android device for gaming as of now, and $400 does sound a pretty good deal for that, but for not much more you can get a proper Ryzen based handheld that’s infinitely more versatile and powerful.

      1. Oh definitely. I have a 512GB Steam Deck already, but I still very much do like the value proposition here.

         1. It’s a lousy value proposition.
            From what I estimate, the specifications for the device is roughly:
            TSMC 6nm, 2x Cortex X1, 2x Cortex A78, 4x Cortex A55, and latest Adreno iGPU (if I had to guess)

            slightly more powerful than the QC 8g1+ but slower than the QC 8CXg3, which in-turn is slower than the Apple M1, Intel i7-1265u, and AMD r7-6800u.

            Don’t get me wrong, it’s much better than that Logitech Handheld Console, and as cool as it may seem, it will probably age like the Nvidia Shield Handheld.

            1. I still believe it is good value for the market it’s aiming for. It’s cheaper than every flagship phone using Qualcomm’s current latest best phone chip while still having great specs in every other category. It also has active cooling, so unlike most mobile devices it’ll be able sustain its best performance for longer.
               For a small TABLET it’s a decent price if you account for the fact that it’s being sold by Razer as being a part of a bundle with the controller.
               Also, where are you seeing the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 being slower than the 8cx gen 3? Also afaik there are no published specs for the G3Xg1, so what are you basing your assumptions on? If it’s presumably based on the S8+G1, then that would be a totally different core configuration to what you listed.

6. Okay, and why couldn’t they just make it a Razer Phone III? Seriously. It’s 85% of the way there. It’s a phone-ish sized screen with a phone-ish aspect ratio running a phone OS with cellular connectivity. Just how hard would it be to let it make phone calls?
   Well, maybe they stopped at 85% because going beyond that that would mean both caring about cameras (which is increasingly difficult to be considered “good” at) and trying to introduce another android device into a market that treats you like you’re not even a human being if you don’t have iMessage.

7. How is 6.8″ considered a tablet now when most phone are almost that size?

   1. Well I mean, back in the day even a 4″ device was considered a tablet (for example, the Nokia N810). It’s a tablet as they didn’t design it to be a phone.

      1. Yep, there have been some small Android devices without phone functionality. Archos made a 2.8″ tablet at one point. Android OS for web browsing and media playback apps–but no phone functionality. I have fond memories of the 4.3″ tablet in that same lineup. That one actually took MicroSDXC cards. It was a great replacement for the 500GB Archos 5, which in turn was my iPod Classic replacement.

         I also loved the Amazon Fire 6 and wish Amazon would make a new one with the 8 Plus hardware. A 6″ screen with a 16:10 form factor is very different than a 6.8″ phone (or this Razer) with a 20:9 aspect ratio.

   2. Because it’s not a phone.

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