Razer has been rumored to release its own smartphone ever since it acquired Nextbit earlier this year. Now, it looks like the company is finally ready unveil its new mobile device next month.
Razer’s Twitter account posted a teaser photo and a link to a new webpage asking fans to watch out for its “biggest unveiling.” The link that Razer shared on Twitter brings users to a new webpage where they can sign up to receive new updates about the company’s new device. Razer’s tweet and new webpage are both teasing a product launch on Nov. 1.
The new Razer Zone webpage and the photo shared on Twitter shows a man holding up a mobile device of some kind. Judging from the picture alone, it seems to be the size of a large smartphone or a small tablet. The webpage also has an interesting URL which includes the words watch, listen and play. Razer is mostly known for its gaming accessories. The word “play” obviously refers to gaming on this new mobile device. “Watch” and “listen” seems to be hinting at watching video content and listening to music.
It’s now being speculated that Razer’s new mobile device will actually be a smartphone. What exactly it will look like remains a mystery, but a photo from last week did suggest what its form factor will be. Razer’s current head of mobile and founder of Nextbit Tom Moss posted a picture alongside Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan on his Twitter page last Wednesday. Many quickly noticed that Tan has a smartphone-like device peeking out of his front pocket that appears to have the Razer logo emblazoned on its back. It was speculated by Android Authority that Tan was intentionally teasing the new Razer smartphone
“I can say that we are coming up with a mobile device specifically geared towards gamers and entertainment,” Tan said last month. “We are hoping to have it come by the end of the year, so that’s something we’re working on.”
Razer is planning to go public through an IPO sometime later this year. The response the company will receive when it announces its Razer smartphone will be very important, since this might also determine the success of its planned IPO.
“We would love to have that war chest to allow us to invest in R&D. We are known to have disrupted many industries,” Tan said. “Having that war chest from the IPO would allow us to do all that and much more. And that’s what we want to continue doing: to make cool products.”
Aside from Nextbit, Razer has also acquired THX and console maker Ouya. It’s very likely that the company will use all the resources that it has acquired over the past year and put most if not all of it inside this new mobile device. 9To5Google speculates that the Razer smartphone might even have customizable LED lighting of some sort since that has always been a staple on its other gaming products. Another possibility here is that the new Razer smartphone might be capable of integrating with other devices so that users can take advantage of its full gaming performance.
Razer’s rumored smartphone for gamers is expected to be announced on Nov. 1.