Best daily deals

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

A Razer Phone 3 prototype may have surfaced in a Chinese online market

Razer hasn't had a phone on the market since 2018's Razer Phone 2, but that isn't silencing talk about a third model.
By
July 13, 2020
razer phone 3 prototype taobao
Razer Phone 3 prototype discovered in Taobao
TL;DR
  • What appears to be a Razer Phone 3 prototype has appeared in the Taobao marketplace.
  • It includes a new camera array and screen, but a familiar design.
  • Don’t count on this becoming a finished product.

Razer hasn’t had a phone on the market since 2018’s Razer Phone 2, but that isn’t silencing talk about a third model.

XDA reports that a merchant on China’s Taobao marketplace briefly listed (and has since pulled) what looked like a Razer Phone 3 prototype. While the specs of the device are a mystery, the photos suggested it would have thinner top and bottom bezels as well as three rear cameras instead of its predecessor’s two.

The handset otherwise shares Razer’s familiar design language, including its blocky design and the conspicuous company logo on the back.

We’ve asked Razer if it can comment on the discovery.

Razer would enter a fiercely competitive space with a third-generation phone, and there's no certainty it would stand out.

There’s no guarantee the phone you see here will become a shipping product. Prototypes that land in online marketplaces may not reflect hardware, and they may even represent cancelled products that will never reach stores. Razer chief Min-Liang Tan previously hinted that a new phone might not come until 5G was viable, but he also didn’t commit to releasing a third device.

A lot may have to change for a Razer Phone 3 to fare well in the market. While the second phone’s fast 120Hz display was relatively novel at the time, it’s now relatively commonplace. Phones like the Galaxy S20 series have speedy refresh rates as a matter of course, and you can even find 144Hz displays if you look closely. Dual, triple, and even quad camera setups are easy to find as well.

Simply put, Razer would enter a fiercely competitive space with a third-generation phone, and there’s no certainty it would stand out — not that there’s much pressure to return. Razer’s business primarily revolves around gaming accessories and computers, and it won’t lose much if it either takes its time or bows out of the mobile market completely.

Next: The best phones for gaming: ASUS, OnePlus, Samsung, and more