So, Razer made a Phone Case

In case you are not familiar or have not heard of this product, the Razer Arctech is a series of Phone Cases made by Razer. There are two variants and they are the Razer Arctech Slim and the Razer Arctech Pro. They are currently available for Razer Phone 2, and the latest iPhones (iPhone Xr, iPhone X / Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max).

So What?

What’s the big deal? It’s just a phone case. This is true if we confine the discussion to just talking about a normal person’s everyday usage of a phone because as long as they look aesthetically pleasing and feel sturdy enough to offer some protection then it doesn’t matter which phone case we use.

A Gamer’s Dilemma

If you are a hardcore mobile gamer who always grinds with the most graphically intensive games on your device then there’s more for you to consider, especially the heat problem after long hours of gaming. One of the biggest headaches I’ve always faced is sourcing for a phone case that would give me these two things; Protecting the rear from scratches and accidental dropping and allowing air circulation to prevent my phone from cooking itself to death.

But here’s the problem – most of the cases that offer good protection to the rear are cases that fully cover the phone’s behind, and this design prevents the heat generated by the phone from escaping, effectively cooking the phone.

On the opposite spectrum, an open rear design phone cases that rely on the elevated fringe of the frame to provide protection from falls is too risky. In my experience, such frames only work if you drop the phone on a perfectly flat surface. If the phone lands on a pebble or an object that will be the day that you realized you have fucked up.

Enter Razer Arctech

In their attempt to address the problems faced by most mobile gamers, Razer’s Research and Development came out with an idea that promises to solve the two problems together. The Razer Arctech, featuring what Razer calls Thermaphene – a heat transfer material that collects the heat from the surface of your phone and transfers it away (like a small venting system literally).

How it works – The surface of the phone case touching the phone is made of soft microfiber lining that protects the phone from scratches. Beneath the microfiber surface is a layer of Thermaphene material, it collects the heat produced by the phone and transfers it away through a series of vent holes designed to increase the airflow to dissipate the heat collected by the Thermaphene.

During testing, we went on for 2-hours straight duking out some titles from the Apple Arcade’s library (Apple Arcade is giving out one-month free trials, by the way) and though the phone did warm-up a little, it was negligible. Although the phone was still generating the same amount of heat as it did before, it’s obviously retaining much less of them now.

The Razer Arctech series comes in two types, the Razer Arctech Slim, and the Razer Arctech Pro. Here’s the difference;

• The Razer Arctech Slim comes with the Thermaphene heat transfer technology but its frame offers minimal protection. The front edge of the case will offer no protection to your screen. You’d need a proper screen protector if you want to go for the Slim. This case’s bottom and side button areas are also exposed and although this offers little protection to these areas, the Audio quality when watching a movie is loud and clear thanks to the open bottom design.
• The Razer Arctech Pro comes with the Thermaphene heat transfer technology AND offers better protection for your phone. The front edges of the phone are better protected and the Pro case is certified for up to 10ft/3M drop protection. This case’s side and bottom are fully covered and this provides better overall protection to the phone’s body. The bottom of the case covers where the phone’s speaker resides but is vented with holes to prevent the sound from being ‘muffled’.

If your iPhone has wireless charging capabilities, you can use it with both Razer Arctechs with no problem.

Design

Design-wise the Razer Arctech looks simple and slick. The rubbery feel of the surface of the phone case makes it easy to handle and less likely to slip when you pick the phone of out your pocket.

They come in 3 colours, Black, Quartz, and Mercury (White). As tempting as the Quartz and Mercury look, their light shades provide little cover over any stain and dirt, you really need to actively keep them clean every now and then. Black is the most relaxed one in maintenance.

What I Liked about the Arctech

• I like the design of the case, simple and slick, not too fancy. I’m never a fan of fancy phone cases
• The Thermaphene technology looks like a solid solution to addressing the heat problems so far. Though I do wonder if the Thermaphene also has an expiration date like thermal pastes do.
• Lightweight. It’s really light and sturdy at the same time. Easy to put on.

What I Disliked about the Arctech

• Only available for Razer Phone 2 and iPhones. I really hope they’d make one for the Samsung series and other phones.
• The price is quite scary, to be honest. Despite its seemingly groundbreaking technology, many would still see it as nothing more than a Phone Case. For a Phone Case to be priced at USD 30 (RM 165) for the Slim and USD 40 (RM 209) for the Pro is expensive in my opinion.

Verdict

The Razer Arctech seems like a good phone case that has all the grounds covered. For the first time, there is a phone case that takes heat dissipation seriously. The market has too many nonsense quality “Breathable” phone cases out there that are actually just plastic cases riddled with holes, with no actual heat transferring involved. If you regularly play games on your iPhone and are willing to spend that money on a phone case, Arctech should be a good companion for a long time.

Wanna win yourself a free Razer Arctech Phone Case?

Hey there, if you really want the Razer Arctech we have some good news for you. We are giving away 3 Razer Arctech Phone cases for free! Just head on to our Facebook Page here to learn how you can participate.