Razer Unveiled a Smartphone / Laptop Hybrid Before Apple

Razer Unveiled a Smartphone/Laptop Hybrid Before Apple Credit: MDroid
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Razer made headlines last fall when it took the wraps off its high-end smartphone flagship — Razer Phone — and officially entered the ever-competitive market. While the device manages to shine amid a sea of high-end Android offerings, it appears the company has much bigger and bolder plans for its hand-held gaming device.

The company, known for its collection of premium accessories and peripherals for Mac and PC, showcased its gadget-in-progress this week at CES 2018. Dubbed ‘Project Linda’, the laptop lookalike device is actually a concept smartphone/laptop hybrid. Like the Motorola Atrix before it, Razer’s device aims to combine the mobile Android experience offered on your Razer Phone with the full functionality of a laptop computer.

“Project Linda combines the best of both worlds, bringing a larger screen and physical keyboard to the Android environment, enhancing the experience for gaming and productivity,” said Razer’s co-founder and CEO, Min-Liang Tan, via the company’s official press release.

Apple Got Razer’ed?

As of now, it’s not clear when we can expect this beauty to hit store shelves; but what’s particularly interesting about Razer’s Project Linda is that the company may have single-handedly beaten Apple to the punch. If you’ll recall, we reported back in March of last year that Apple was awarded the patent on an unmistakably similar-looking, laptop/smartphone hybrid — embodying iPhone plugged into its trackpad-area mounted dock.

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It’s not clear if (or in what way) Razer’s device might be affected by Apple’s patent — although it’s also not clear if Apple is even planning a laptop/smartphone hybrid in the first place.

Details and Specifications

A number of interesting features set Project Linda apart from Motorola’s Atrix, Samsung DeX, and all the other laptop/smartphone mashups before it.

For starters, as opposed to docking your Razer Phone behind or beside the device, the company designed it so that your phone is docked front-and-center at all times — replacing the traditional trackpad with the entirety of your 5.7-inch Razer Phone — dual stereo speakers and all.

The phone’s display acts as a “trackpad,” allowing users to interact with apps on both touchscreen displays. Meanwhile, the Razer Phone’s Snapdragon 835 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, 64 GB of SSD storage, Android OS, and premium multimedia features can power the laptop with the mere push of a button.

Project Linda is constructed of CNC aluminum, boasting a unibody design similar to Apple’s MacBook — though it measures only 15 mm thick and weighs in at just 2.75 pounds (when Razer Phone is attached.)

The built-in display is a gorgeous, 13.3-inch LED-backlit panel featuring Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution, which Razer says is calibrated to a zippy 120 Hz just like Razer Phone and Apple’s latest iPad Pro.

In its current form, Project Linda also boasts internals including a 53.6Whr internal battery, a separate 200 GB SSD, as well as a host of expandability and wireless connectivity options — 3.5mm audio jack, 1 USB Type-A port, 1 USB Type-C port, a 720p webcam, dual-microphones, and more.

Last but most certainly not least, Project Linda — when it ships — will come equipped with the company’s award-winning Razer Chroma backlit keyboard, which users can tweak and customize to their heart’s content.

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