Razer Phone gets Netflix HDR, camera fixes, and Meltdown, Spectre patches

Razer is pushing out a new firmware and patch update for its gaming-focused Razer Phone.

Coming in at 249MB the update brings Netflix HDR, Dolby 5.1 audio playback through a new customized Netflix application for the Razer Phone (which is now baked into the ROM).

Announced at CES 2018 Razer is currently the only phone in the world that supports Netflix HDR, which when combined with the 120Hz display and easily the loudest speakers on the market make for an excellent movie watching experience.

Also, Razer (as promised) is continuing to tweak its camera, which was heavily criticized when initially launched. While the camera hardware is solid, the software and algorithms need work. Today's update builds on an earlier one to keep improving that camera.

Finally, there are the usual Android security fixes, which jumps from October's security patch to January's keeping the phone up to date. The Meltdown and Spectre security vulnerabilities are also patched as those affect ARM processors as well.

Here is the full changelog:

Razer Phone January update

Netflix Enhancements

  • Netflix now included with Razer Phone!
  • Enabled HDR content playback support.
  • Enhanced Dolby 5.1 audio playback support.

Camera improvements

  • Fixed an issue where some images would appear yellow.
  • Tuning and image quality improvement.
  • Crushed bugs and performance improvements.

Security fixes

  • January 2018 Android security patches.
  • Fix for Meltdown and Spectre vulnerability.

The Razer Phone is still running Android 7.1.1, but Razer is committed to delivering 8.0 this quarter.

Razer Phone review by Windows Central

To update the Razer Phone merely head to Settings > About phone > System update to get started. The process should take about 20 minutes. Owners will also want to get the corresponding Camera app update from the Google Play Store to go with the new firmware.

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.