Razer Project Linda: Fantastic and Intriguing, but There's Still Something Missing

Razer Project Linda An Intriguing Concept That Lacks Perfection

Not content with its gorgeous gaming laptops and even the gaming-axial Razer Phone, Razer has surprised everyone with a new prototype called Project Linda. In example you lot missed out on Razer'south CES 2018 announcements, it's a dock that turns the Razer Telephone into a total-fledged Android-powered laptop!

Personally, I wasn't taken aback when I first heard about Project Linda, and that'due south mainly because the concept has been tried out past many tech giants fourth dimension and time over again.

Yous must have heard about a Kickstarter project called Superbook. Information technology'south a universal laptop shell that transforms your Android phone into a laptop. But Razer'due south take on this idea is a picayune different and kind of cool – if I am existence completely honest!

A Refreshing Have

Almost transformation docks we've seen till date ask you to plug your phone into a divide dock, but Projection Linda integrates Razer's telephone correct into the laptop shell itself, which definitely makes a great first impression.At present, instead of letting the phone sit down idle, Project Linda uses it as the touchpad. Not sure about you, just the idea of having a 120Hz 5.7-inch display equally a touchpad sounds like an awful lot of fun to me.

So yes, there'southward a lot to love about it. But I can't help but retrieve that its shortcomings are also every bit glaring. Razer notwithstanding has plenty to atomic number 26 out before this prototype becomes a consumer-set product.

Just 2 Ports

Firstly, with just ii USB ports (i Type-A and one Type-C) and a 3.5 mm jack, there'southward not a lot of peripherals yous can connect to Project Linda. One would have liked to see an Ethernet jack for better connectivity, or an HDMI/ Display Port to add further external displays. The Qualcomm 835-powered E'er-On PCs come up with Stylus support, so that could also take been an interesting addition to Project Linda, which likewise features the aforementioned SoC.

No Speakers

For instance, the laptop doesn't have any congenital-in speaker. Yes, Razer Phone's speakers are loud and crisp to fill your room, just it would've been overnice to take dedicated audio drivers on the laptop shell itself, or some sort of DAC-based output for richer sound.

Storage and Security

Projection Linda does have internal storage, only yous won't be too impressed with how it has been implemented. The shell has 200GB of onboard storage, but it mounts similar an SD card on Android, i.e., on your Razer telephone.

Information technology'south not particularly bad, but information technology certainly isn't the safest implementation, especially if y'all happen to go out the laptop vanquish unattended for long periods at home, office or school. It's a recipe for disaster if you happen to lose the dock with all your information in it.

Final words

Yes, we understand it's not meant to exist a complete PC, but Razer'due south Project Linda does cross the line between telephone and PC, so it's not unusual to ask these questions. Afterwards all, it's not going to be piece of cake convincing people to crush out money for a laptop shell, that only works with one phone.

And lastly, let's talk about Razer's track tape with prototypes. Remember Projection Valerie, Razer's Triple Display laptop? Well, it was showcased at CES 2017, and we are yet to see an update on that. Granted, information technology's magnitudes more difficult to cram loftier-end screen hardware than making a laptop trounce. So, let's hope that Razer volition actually dedicate some resource and turn this prototype into a consumer-set production, because we can't wait to get our easily on it.