On the occasion of CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Razer unveils in more detail its portable Android console, the Edge 5G. Composed of a fairly classic tablet and a dedicated removable controller, it is a perfect solution for gaming in a mobile situation. But Razer prohibits other uses, including telephony. What is this console worth, which will be offered at 400 dollars in the United States? Answer in this grip.
In October 2022, Razer officially presented the data sheet for its first 5G portable console under Android: the Razer Edge 5G. A product that is intended to compete with Valve’s Steam Deck, Logitech’s G Cloud or Nintendo’s Switch. This console will soon be released in the United States only, no international launch having been scheduled to date. And the price of the console is positioned at 400 dollars in WiFi version and 500 dollars in 5G version.
Razer Edge 5G spec sheet is optimized for gaming
The technical sheet of the console is quite complete. Let’s start with the heart of the system. This is a Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 from Qualcomm, a processor derived from the Snapdragon 888+, while being optimized for gaming use. (((We find 1 very powerful core, three powerful cores and four less greedy cores. The maximum frequency reaches 3GHzas for the Snapdragon 888+ (and 2.84 GHz for the Snapdragon 888).
The Adreno GPU is faster than that of the Snapdragon 888+. It is clocked at 970MHz (against 840 MHz). Its modem, the Snapdragon X65, is also newer, to integrate 5G connectivity to match the ambitions.))) In addition to this 8 GB of RAM in LPDDR5 format. This may seem relatively small when an ROG Phone has between 12 and 18 GB of RAM. But that’s enough here, since all the processes related to telephony, which are usually very greedy, are absent.
The rest of the spec sheet features a widescreen display 6.8-inch Full HD+ AMOLED. Its refresh rate goes up to 144Hz. Below the screen, besides the processor, you have 128 GB of storageexpandable with a microSDXC port accepting cards up to 2 TB, and a battery of 5000mAh. The chassis incorporates two compatible balanced speakers THX Spatial Audio and two microphones. Finally, in the center of the upper edge of the screen (when the console is held horizontally), you will find a selfie sensor of 5 megapixels (video capture up to Full HD at 60 frames per second).
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Add to that the controller that comes with all copies of the console. It’s about a Kishi V2 Pro. It has two analog sticks, a directional cross, four buttons on the right side, two triggers and two buttons on the upper edge and two programmable buttons. On the lower edge, you find another USB Type-C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack port to connect headphones. The Kishi V2 Pro attaches to the tablet part of the console via the side USB type-C port which is also used to power the accessory. There is no battery or Bluetooth connection. Razer explains that this improves in-game latency.
The Razer Edge 5G offers a Nintendo Switch grip
We had the opportunity to preview the Razer Edge 5G and our first impressions are good, but raise a few questions. But before we get to that, let’s take a closer look at the product together. First of all, the console looks like a tablet with a Kishi controller attached. And, in absolute terms, the Razer Edge 5G is “just” that. Both accessories were developed to work together and it works quite well. The grip is very good and is comparable to that of a Switch or a ROG Phone when a Kunai controller is attached to it. The weight is also quite close between all these products.
When you carry the console, you can separate the two parts and place the tablet in your pocket. The borders are not too thick and the weight is not very important, especially for a platform with a screen of almost 7 inches. As for the controller, you can fold it up and store it in a carrying bag. And voila. Razer developed this product to be convenient to take anywhere…like a Switch.
The tablet can be used alone, using game and operating system touch controls. You will then find a fairly classic handling of an Android tablet. As with all other Android consoles (and controllers), physical controls may not be natively supported by games. Some do, like Dead Cells visible on screen in our photos.
The Razer Edge 5G is optimized for cloud gaming and local gaming
On the operating system side, the Razer Edge 5G runs on Android. The version was not specified. When launching the console, you arrive at a very different interface than what you are used to. Razer has indeed added an application launcher above Android in order to facilitate access to games, for an experience that is intended to be closer to the habits and customs of game consoles (in particular the Nintendo Switch).
On this console, you can of course install games from the Play Store. But you can also use apps to connect to streaming game services. On the screen you can see the SteamLinkto connect to your PC and play the games available there, as well as the client for GeForce Now from Nvidia. The console also supports the service of Microsoft cloud gamingto the delight of all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
Razer has removed all telephony components from this platform. The microphones and speakers do not support making an audio call. On the other hand, nothing prevents you from installing a video application like Zoom and making calls with it. It’s not made for, but the most relentless will certainly find a solution. On the other hand, the 5G version of the console is not “associated” with a telephone number: like a GSM Apple Watch or a GSM iPad, you share your data plan with it.
Razer Edge 5G: an Android console for those who don’t have an ROG Phone
The strategy behind the Razer Edge 5G is quite different from that of other consoles on the market, be it the Steam Deack or the Switch or Logitech’s G Cloud. Not really focused on hardcore gamers like the Steam Deck, not really casual like a standard smartphone, nor entirely mainstream like a Switch, the Razer Edge 5G is a bit at the crossroads of all these worlds. Apart from Logitech’s G Cloud, from which Razer borrows the cloud gaming positioning, the Razer Edge 5G seems to us to be quite close to a gaming smartphone like the Asus ROG Phones.
And the comparison is not insignificant: Asus and Razer were the first brands to rush into the smartphone market for gamers, the Taiwanese having been more successful than its American competitor who has not tried the adventure since the Razer Phone 2. However, the advantage of the ROG Phones is to combine mobile gaming and telephony, while the Razer Edge 5G n is only a console without the telephone part. Razer’s strategy therefore seems to be based on the complementarity between its console and a smartphone which would not be particularly good at gaming, but which would provide all the uses forgotten by the Edge 5G, i.e. mainly communication and Photo.
