Every once in a while, companies like Razer surprise you. For starters, I don’t think anyone expected them to pump out an Android smartphone a couple of years ago. Then a few months ago, the company announced a series of smartphone cases for the Razer Phone 2 and the iPhone. Razer claims that the Arctech series of cases cool your phone with its thermaphene layer which improves performance and battery life. Our Razer Arctech Pro review takes a look at the more rugged of the two for the Razer Phone 2. Read on to see just how it performs!
Specifications
The Razer Arctech Pro case for the Razer Phone 2 has the following features and specifications:
- Thermaphene performance layer collects and transfers heat away from the device
- Exterior perforations increase airflow to dissipate heat
- Certified 10ft/3m Drop Protection
- Wireless charging compatible for greater convenience, designed to work seamlessly with Qi-certified chargers
- Unhindered Network Connection
- Soft microfiber lining gently protects the phone from scratches
What’s in the box
- Razer Arctech Pro smartphone case
Design
The Razer Arctech Pro smartphone case for the Razer Phone 2 is a cross between a slim case and a super rugged case. The outer shell of the case is black, with perforated holes on the bottom half of the back. The upper half of the back has a round cutout for the Razer logo and a smaller cutout lined with Razer green for the rear camera array.
The left side of the case has two button covers for the volume buttons. The right side, on the other hand, has a cutout for the power button/fingerprint scanner. The bottom has a nice sized cutout for the USB Type-C charging port and the top has a cutout for the 3.5mm audio jack.
The inside of the case is lined with a soft microfiber lining, again in Razer green. The lining features a dot motif with Razer’s “For Gamers. By Gamers.™” tagline on the bottom.
The front of the case extends a bit past the surface of the phone and wraps around over the front of your phone. This provides added seal and grip of the case on the phone. It also has an ample lip for placing your phone face down on a hard surface.
The case fits very snug and nice with appropriately sized cutouts for your various ports and phone features. While our review sample for the Razer Phone 2 came in black, the case is also available in white and pink for the iPhone.
Installation
Installation is just as easy as most other phone cases. Simply slide the left edge of your Razer Phone 2 into the case then snap the right edge of the case onto the phone.
Removing the case isn’t all that hard either and the easiest is to push down on the upper or lower left corner of the front of the case and your phone will easily pop out.
Performance
As you can see in the diagram below provided by Razer, the case is made up of three layers. The microfiber lining on the inside is indeed soft and shouldn’t scratch the back of your phone.
The next layer is where the “magic” happens. The purpose of this “thermaphene performance layer” is to collect and transfer heat away from your smartphone. Finally, the outer layer with the perforations increases airflow to assist in dissipating that heat.
So, does these heat dissipation layers work? According to Razer, the new Razer Arctech cases underwent independent testing against similar cases. Through a 2-hour test cycle, they maintained a 6°C (10.8°F) lower temperature than the competition when measured with an external infrared device.
As we don’t have an infrared device in our possession, I downloaded CPU-Z which does monitor CPU temperature if the phone supports it. Thankfully, the Razer Phone 2 does report the CPU temperature to CPU-Z. While not an exact science, I launched CPU-Z and took note of the cpu0-silver-usr through cpu3-silver-usr and the cup0-gold-usr through cpu3-gold-usr temperatures. I then launched a game, played for about 10 or 15 minutes then quickly switched over to CPU-Z and took note of the temperature. I did this with both the case on and off to get the difference in temperature.
After playing Riptide GP 2, the temperature of the phone registered an average of 43.8°C as reported by CPU-Z without the case on. With the case on, the reported temperature was a few degrees cooler at around 40.6 °C. I then fired up Call of Duty: Mobile and after an intense 30-minute session, CPU-Z reported an average temperature of 46.2°C. I put the case on and after another half-hour session, CPU-Z was reporting a temperature of around 41.3°C.
While my findings didn’t quite match up with the average 6°C difference Razer found, my tests were eyeballed as opposed to using an external infrared device. The case does indeed appear to cool the phone down a little bit which can indeed have an impact on battery life.
Protection
As far as protection is concerned, the Arctech Pro case offers up Certified 10ft/3m Drop Protection. The Slim case, on the other hand, does not. The Arctech Pro does indeed feel rugged and thick enough. I’d trust it would protect your device should you accidentally drop it from Razer’s certified drop protection heights or lower.
Price/Value
The Razer Arctech Pro has an MSRP of US$39.99, which when compared to other cases isn’t that bad. It is more expensive than some but lines up price-wise with some of the more rugged cases out there. The Razer Arctech is only $29.99 and has the same features aside from the 10ft/3m drop protection.
Wrap-up
If you’re looking for a slick-looking case with the added bonus of keeping your phone slightly cooler, the Razer Arctech series is for you. Unfortunately, it’s only made for the Razer Phone 2, as well as the iPhone Xs, Xs Max, Xr, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. This is one case that I do wish I could get for my Pixel 4 XL…
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Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
