Got the gorgeous new Razer Phone 2 in your hands? We’ve compiled a list of settings you’ll want to change or update to get the absolute best experience from your new smartphone.
Before we get started, you may want to check out our Razer Phone 2 review for our impressions or see how it compares to the gaming-focused Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Change Chroma settings
When you look at the Razer Phone 2, the first thing you’re likely to notice is the beautiful backlight logo. The feature is called Chroma, and it allows you to customize the logo color, like you would on a Razer keyboard. While Chroma is definitely a conversation starter, it can quickly drain your battery.
We suggest changing the Chroma settings to turn the logo on only when you’re using the phone or have a new notification. To change your Chroma settings go to Settings > Chroma. Toggle the Notifications slider and tap the Medium battery consumption icon.
Turn on 120Hz refresh rate
One of the most exciting features you’ll find on the Razer Phone 2 is its 120Hz display. When the feature is turned on you’ll immediately notice an improvement in the display when gaming, as well as when you’re scrolling through your social media feeds. By default, Razer has the display refresh rate set to 60Hz to preserve battery life.
We feel like the slightly reduced battery life is a small trade-off for the buttery smooth performance you’ll see when the 120Hz refresh rate is enabled. To switch to the 120Hz refresh rate, just go to Settings > display and tap on Refresh rate. Select the radio box next to 120Hz.
Turn on Tap to wake
The Razer Phone 2 has its fingerprint sensor on the side of the phone, so it can be a challenge to wake your screen when your phone is sitting on a table. Since you probably don’t want to pick up your phone each time you need to wake the screen, you should update a setting that allows you to enable the screen by tapping on it.
To turn on the tap to wake gesture just press Settings > Display. Tap the Advanced drop-down menu and toggle on the Tap to Wake slider.
Add battery percentage to the status bar
The Razer Phone 2 has a massive 4,000mAh battery that should easily get you through a day, and then some. But it’s still nice to be able to easily glance at your remaining battery life.
By default, battery percentage information is not listed in the status bar, but it takes just seconds to tweak the settings to show this information. To add battery percentage information to the status bar go to Settings > Battery and toggle on the slider next to Battery percentage.
Set up Game Booster
Since the Razer Phone 2 is a gaming phone, you have to expect it’s going to have awesome software to improve your gaming experience. Game Booster allows you to maximize your Razer Phone 2’s performance while minimizing distractions.
Setting up Game Booster is quick and painless. Simply go to Settings > Game Booster. You’ll see three different modes available: We recommend you select the Custom mode. Tap the + icon under the Games section and tap on the apps or games for which you’d like to maximize the Razer Phone 2’s performance. You can also toggle on the Do Not Disturb slider in Game Booster to turn off notifications when using one of the selected apps.
Schedule Do Not Disturb mode
While many people use Do Not Disturb mode to temporarily block notifications and other interruptions during meetings and important events, the Razer Phone 2 also allows you to create a schedule to enable the feature automatically. Scheduling Do Not Disturb gives you an opportunity to have time away from your phone in the evenings and at other times when you want to unplug.
Setting up Do Not Disturb mode on the Razer Phone 2 is fairly easy since there are predefined rules you can enable. Simply go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb preferences. You can customize the automatic rules simply by tapping on them and selecting days and times you’d like to associate with the rule. Once you’ve made your changes, make sure you toggle the slider next to Off at the top of the screen to enable the rule. If you wish to make your own custom rule, just select Add more and select Event rule or Time rule.
Turn on double-tap to sleep
The fingerprint sensor on the Razer Phone 2 can be difficult to reach unless you’re holding the phone. This can make it difficult to quickly put the lock screen to sleep when a notification appears.
Luckily, there’s a gesture that can be enabled in the settings that allows you to put the lock screen to sleep by double-tapping it. Turn the feature on by going to Settings > Display and tapping on the Advanced drop-down menu. Toggle on the Double-tap to sleep slider.
Customize the app drawer
Instead of creating a heavily customized skin for its smartphones, Razer did something a little different. The company added Nova Launcher to its phones, which is a very popular Android launcher that offers loads of customization options. While you can customize just about any feature imaginable with Nova Launcher, we think it’s a good idea to start with changing the app drawer on the phone.
To customize the app drawer tap on the Nova Settings icon, select Apps & widget drawers, and press App drawer style. You’ll see three different options. Select Horizontal if you like swiping left or right to see the various app windows. Choose Vertical if you prefer scrolling through all your apps on one window. There’s also a List option if you prefer to see a list with minimized app icons and names.
Remove Google Now from the home screen
Google Now uses your search history, location, and personal preferences to provide information that may be of interest. You can easily access Google Now simply by swiping right while on the home screen.
Google Now can quickly be removed, providing a more minimalist home screen. If you want to remove the Google Now page, tap the Nova Settings icon and press Integrations. Toggle off the slider next to Google Now Page.
Enable Night Light
The 5.7-inch display on the Razer Phone 2 provides plenty of real estate for gaming or streaming your favorite program. If you’re using your phone at night or in bed, however, you may find yourself tossing and turning throughout the night. If you want to get a better night’s sleep, you may want to minimize the amount of blue light your smartphone screen emits. The Razer Phone 2 has a feature called Night Light that can help.
Night Light is a blue light filter that can be scheduled at specific times. To set up night light, go to Settings > Display > Night Light. Select Schedule and pick the appropriate option. Turns on at custom time allows you to create a custom Night Light schedule, while Turns on from sunset to sunrise uses time zone information on your phone to turn on the feature.
Change back camera resolution to 4K
Want to get awesome 4K video on your new Razer Phone 2? Well unless you change a setting in your camera, you may have an unpleasant surprise the first time you watch a video recorded on your phone. By default the Razer Phone 2 records video in 1080p, but you can make a quick change to switch to 4K.
To change your rear-facing camera to 4K, tap on the Camera icon. Select the gear icon and tap on Back camera video resolution. Select the 4K radio box.
