Razer the gaming pioneer announced its first smartphone in 2017 known as the Razer Phone. The device, on the basis of its specification was a powerhouse and was meant for gaming. Last year, during CES 2017, Razer had introduced a 3 display gaming laptop which was code-named the 'Project Valerie' and this year's CES witnessed another concept known as the 'Project Linda'. The Project Valerie laptop never became available commercially and probably the Project Linda may also follow the same.
At the first glance one may notice it to be like any other regular laptop however its much more. The main highlight is that the laptop will be powered by the Razer Phone or in other words, the processing power will be provided by the Phone. The Laptop will therefore be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SOC coupled with 8 GB of RAM. The internal storage will be combined consisting 64 GB of the device along with an additional 200 GB storage of the Laptop. For the laptop to work, the Razer phone needs to be placed in the slot. Once placed and powered, a mechanism consisting of an automated motorized connector will connect the USB type-C port and once connected, the phone's screen will be projected to the display.
The physical aspect of the laptop consists of a 13.3 inch display with QHD resolution (2K), slot for the phone, a physical keyboard, USB type-C port, type-A port and 3.5mm audio jack. The body is made up of aluminum and the keyboard is backlit with multiple color options and has aesthetics similar to the other laptops from Razer. The display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz that is also available on the Razer phone which was the main highlight thereby providing the user a seamless experience in gaming and media consumption. The phone's screen can be used as a touchpad or else can be used as another mini-screen. For audio output Razer has decided to make use of the phone's speaker itself since the speakers are quite loud and are THX certified which is a one off for any smartphone.
Speaking of software, as the Razer Phone provides all the processing power, the laptop will run Android. During the end of 2017 and at the start of 2018 we did see some Windows 10 and Chrome OS (Chromebook) laptops powered by Qualcomm SOCs however here the Qualcomm run Laptop will boast the Android system. Once docked into, the laptop itself contains a power pack which will charge the Razer Phone ensuring that you don't loose out on power easily.
The keyboard consists of some additional keys like home, back, recent tasks, search, etc. which will enable controlling the entire smartphone via hardware keys. Apart from that if you don't prefer using the phone's display as track-pad, connecting a wired or wireless mouse will solve the issue thanks to the USB type-A port and Bluetooth connectivity. The Project Linda laptop also consists of a webcam and a microphone for video conferencing which prevents the usage of the phone's camera due to the awkward position when docked. Also, when docked, the phone's fingerprint sensor embedded on the power button will be accessible via the cut out which will ensure secure usage and log in.
Overall, the Razer's Project Linda has been implemented to make use of the smartphone's processing power for utility. The best usage example includes editing documents, presentations, excel sheets, browsing, gaming, image editing, media consumption, etc. Various other brands like Microsoft and Samsung have also made use of this method (Microsoft's Dock and Samsung DeX) to make most out of the devices and the Project Linda seems to be inspired from their implementation in some or the other way. Although, the chances of commercial availability at present seems slim yet there are rumors that with the next Razer Phone, the Project Linda might take off thereby providing a more powerful hardware with the Snapdragon 845 SOC along with software improvements.
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At the first glance one may notice it to be like any other regular laptop however its much more. The main highlight is that the laptop will be powered by the Razer Phone or in other words, the processing power will be provided by the Phone. The Laptop will therefore be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SOC coupled with 8 GB of RAM. The internal storage will be combined consisting 64 GB of the device along with an additional 200 GB storage of the Laptop. For the laptop to work, the Razer phone needs to be placed in the slot. Once placed and powered, a mechanism consisting of an automated motorized connector will connect the USB type-C port and once connected, the phone's screen will be projected to the display.
The physical aspect of the laptop consists of a 13.3 inch display with QHD resolution (2K), slot for the phone, a physical keyboard, USB type-C port, type-A port and 3.5mm audio jack. The body is made up of aluminum and the keyboard is backlit with multiple color options and has aesthetics similar to the other laptops from Razer. The display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz that is also available on the Razer phone which was the main highlight thereby providing the user a seamless experience in gaming and media consumption. The phone's screen can be used as a touchpad or else can be used as another mini-screen. For audio output Razer has decided to make use of the phone's speaker itself since the speakers are quite loud and are THX certified which is a one off for any smartphone.
Speaking of software, as the Razer Phone provides all the processing power, the laptop will run Android. During the end of 2017 and at the start of 2018 we did see some Windows 10 and Chrome OS (Chromebook) laptops powered by Qualcomm SOCs however here the Qualcomm run Laptop will boast the Android system. Once docked into, the laptop itself contains a power pack which will charge the Razer Phone ensuring that you don't loose out on power easily.
The keyboard consists of some additional keys like home, back, recent tasks, search, etc. which will enable controlling the entire smartphone via hardware keys. Apart from that if you don't prefer using the phone's display as track-pad, connecting a wired or wireless mouse will solve the issue thanks to the USB type-A port and Bluetooth connectivity. The Project Linda laptop also consists of a webcam and a microphone for video conferencing which prevents the usage of the phone's camera due to the awkward position when docked. Also, when docked, the phone's fingerprint sensor embedded on the power button will be accessible via the cut out which will ensure secure usage and log in.
Overall, the Razer's Project Linda has been implemented to make use of the smartphone's processing power for utility. The best usage example includes editing documents, presentations, excel sheets, browsing, gaming, image editing, media consumption, etc. Various other brands like Microsoft and Samsung have also made use of this method (Microsoft's Dock and Samsung DeX) to make most out of the devices and the Project Linda seems to be inspired from their implementation in some or the other way. Although, the chances of commercial availability at present seems slim yet there are rumors that with the next Razer Phone, the Project Linda might take off thereby providing a more powerful hardware with the Snapdragon 845 SOC along with software improvements.
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