No specifics just yet, but project details align nicely

Jul 21, 2017 09:56 GMT  ·  By

Razer is the latest name that’s said to be considering a smartphone, with the company reportedly planning a new device that would be specifically aimed at gamers.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that Razer would mostly rely on Nextbit, the smartphone startup that it purchased earlier this year and which is considered to be extremely valuable for this project given its know-how.

The device would be particularly aimed at consumers, and the aforementioned source says Razer is targeting “hardcore games,” as the company is trying to expand in the mobile industry without abandoning its pedigree that made it famous in the PC market.

Details are not available for the time being, but it’s believed the device would be powered by Android, most likely a heavily modified version for better performance.

Decision to be made later this year

According to the same source, the project should get the go-ahead only after the company launches its first public offering sometime in October, with Razer looking for up to $5 billion valuation. Depending on the results of the IPO, Razer would then reconsider the project and decide whether it brings it to the market or not.

What’s important to note, however, is that the report suggests that the smartphone approach is not set in stone just yet, and Razer could very well create a gaming device in the form of a tablet. The smartphone, however, is the priority, especially given Nextbit’s know-how that could help in this regard.

And of course, a gaming smartphone from Razer is very likely to catch the attention of other Android smartphone manufacturers, such as Samsung, which could invest more in this direction for their future models.

The Galaxy S8 flagship already comes with features tailored for a substantially improved gaming experience, so Razer’s arrival in the market would only convince more companies to speed up their efforts in this regard.