Netflix is everywhere these days. It’s built into TVs, set-top boxes, game consoles, and it probably won’t be long before there’s a toaster that comes with the streaming service pre-installed. If you’re a Netflix addict who does a good amount of viewing on a smartphone, it looks like Razer’s “smartphone for gamers” is going to be the very first to offer both HDR10 and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 support. Yes, now your smartphone can give you a better viewing experience than you probably get in your own living room. Welcome to the future.
Razer made the announcement today as part of its CES news lineup, and is quick to point out that the Razer Phone is the very first smartphone to score Dolby 5.1 certification which it says is the most common layout in home cinema.
“We engineered the Razer Phone to handle HDR video and sound like no other phone on the market,” Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO, said in a press release. “We are incredibly excited to deliver Netflix entertainment on a smartphone like never before, enabling us to take full measure of the Razer Phone’s HDR10-enabled display and dual-firing, front-facing Dolby-optimized speakers and THX-certified headphone connectivity.”
Razer has been pushing the Razer Phone as both the top choice for mobile gamers as well as the ultimate portable entertainment gadget. In my hands-on time with the device, its top-tier specs delivered a very solid experience, and the 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate really made things feel incredibly smooth.
Razer touted its debut smartphone’s audio clout early on, so it’s not surprising to see that it managed to achieve industry-first Dolby 5.1 support for Netflix. Getting iPhone and Samsung devotees to jump ship in favor of a newcomer will always be a challenge, but it seems like Razer is doing everything in its power to entice them.
