It's rare for a newcomer to enter into the race of smartphone giants. Google pulled it off last year, erasing their niche Nexus devices to bring forth the mainstream Pixels. A giant like Google really has no trouble going head to head with the likes of Samsung and Apple.

Maybe it takes a giant to tackle a giant.

Enter: Razer. By no means a newcomer to the tech world, the gaming powerhouse announced its first-ever smartphone after their acquisition of NextBit sparked rumors of an upcoming device. The Razer Phone is poised to take on the likes of the iPhone X and Pixel 2 Xl while promising to deliver an experience Razer is best known for: gaming.

So how does it stack up against its competition? Let's take a look at the device specs and pricing, and you can decide for yourself.

Display

The Razer Phone is slightly smaller than the other two devices. At 5.7" across, it falls just shy of the iPhone X's 5.8" panel and the Pixel 2 XL's 6" monster. A 2560x1440 resolution gives it a pixel density of 515 pixels per inch, settling it right between the iPhone X (458ppi) and the Pixel 2 XL (538ppi).

The display itself is an IGZO IPS LCD screen, which is fancy talk that translates to: it's nice. The iPhone X houses an OLED display made by Samsung while the Pixel 2 XL uses an LG manufactured POLED panel.

And in this case, Razer made a good choice. By opting for an IPS panel, they're able to make a phone with a 120hz refresh rate, the first smartphone to do so. This will translate to super smooth and fluid animations while using it.

Size and Build

The Razer Phone comes in slightly taller than either the iPhone X or the Pixel 2 XL. This is due to the large top and bottom bezels of the phone which house stereo front-facing speakers. It's also slightly heavier than the other two phones, nearly reaching 7 ounces.

An all aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass 3 on the front should provide a decent level of robustness to the phone. The iPhone X uses glass on the front and back with a stainless steel frame while the Pixel 2 XL has an aluminum body and a small glass strip along the top of the back of the device.

Both the Pixel and iPhone offer IP rated water and dust resistance while the Razer Phone does not. This shouldn't worry you if you're trying to use the phone in the rain, but definitely avoid dropping it in water.

Battery

The Razer Phone houses an impressive 4000mAh battery compared to the 3520mAh in the Pixel 2 XL and the 2716mAh unit in the iPhone X. This does not translate directly to battery life or usage times, so keep that in mind when comparing the phones.

Processor

Both the Pixel 2 XL and Razer Phone use the latest chip from Qualcomm: the Snapdragon 835. It's fast, powerful and currently the go-to for flagship Android phones. The Razer Phone couples this with an astonishing 8gb of RAM while the Pixel 2 XL has 4gb.

The iPhone X uses Apple's latest A11 Bionic chip alongside 3gb of RAM and it's been impressive. Also found in the iPhone 8/8+ it's efficient and very powerful, scoring highly on various benchmark tests.

Storage Options

Razer Phone: 64gb onboard, expandable via microSD.

iPhone X: 64gb or 256gb, not expandable.

Pixel 2 XL: 64gb or 128gb, not expandable.

Cameras

The Razer Phone uses a dual camera setup, offering a 12mp f/1.8 main shooter coupled with a 13mp f/2.6 2x zoom camera. They're capable of shooting 4k video at 30fps but are not optically stabilized.

The iPhone X also uses a dual camera system, both 12mp. One is f/1.8 and the other 2x zoom lens is f/2.4. Both are optically stabilized and the phone can shoot 4k video at 60fps.

Google's Pixel 2 XL has one camera on the back. It's a 12.2mp, f/1.8 unit that will shoot up to 4k video at 30fps. It's optically stabilized as well.

On the front, the Razer Phone gives selfie lovers an 8mp f/2.0 camera, the iPhone X offers a 7mp f/2.2 camera and the Pixel 2 XL's is an 8mp f/2.4 camera. All capable of providing quality selfies.

Audio

All three phones offer stereo speakers. Both the Razer Phone and Pixel 2 XL have dual front-facing speakers handling audio output while the iPhone X setup is different, having one front-facing speaker and one bottom firing.

The Razer Phone one-ups its competition by having its speakers THX-certified Dolby Atmos blasters, which should translate to amazing sound quality and performance.

All 3 phones have omitted the headphone jack, so no AUX input here. They all provide an adapter from their connector to standard audio jack.

Anything Else?

Only the iPhone X offers wireless charging which is also Qi compliant meaning any wireless phone charger at your local electronics store should work. Yes, even the Samsung branded ones.

The Razer Phone's fingerprint reader is located on the right side of the device and doubles as the power button. The Pixel 2 XL has its reader on the back of the phone in the middle.

The iPhone X has done away with Apple's TouchID reader/home button combo and is now pushing its FaceID facial recognition software for unlocking the device.

The Razer Phone also won't work well on Verizon or Sprint (or maybe even at all). It has some CDMA support built it, but it lacks certain antenna bands that leave it unsupported. GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile are just fine.

Price

The Razer Phone enters the market at $699.

The iPhone X retails for $999/$1149 depending on storage capacity.

The Pixel 2 XL goes for $849/$949 respectively.

Conclusion

Barring any major failures or flaws, Razer has a very exciting phone on their hands. Entering the market with specs rivaling some of the best phones around at a comparatively low base price, it's poised to be a solid performer.

Real world camera performance and battery life tests are still incoming from various reviewers around the internet, but even if the camera or battery underperform slightly, at $699 it's hard to overlook this phone as a legitimate option outside the Samsungs, Googles, and Apples of the world.