Razer teases Project Linda hybrid that combines smartphone and laptop

Over at CES 2018, Razer teased a concept of a hybrid smartphone/laptop device. Project Linda consists of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 based 5.7" Android smartphone that can be docked into a 13.3" laptop. The smartphone goes into where the touchpad usually resides, giving you access to a larger screen and a keyboard.

The laptop features a CNC aluminium unibody chassis and has a thickness of 15mm. It provides 200GB of storage capacity, has a keyboard with RGB LED illumination, a Quad HD touchscreen, a 720p webcam, dual-array microphone, and a 53.6Wh battery that can recharge the smartphone. The phone is the heart and brains of the whole concept so there isn't a whole lot extra you can do with this laptop. While it's a neat concept, I'm not sure whether there's a target audience for this.

Razer™, the leading lifestyle brand for gamers, today revealed “Project Linda,” a 13.3-inch laptop design powered by the Android-based Razer Phone. The smartphone and laptop hybrid concept harkens a new era for mobile personal computing, blending the familiar Android environment with the ease-of-use of a laptop.

As one of the few companies in the world to straddle user interfaces, laptops and smartphones, Project Linda is a groundbreaking concept that blurs the lines between the smartphone and the laptop.

Razer’s Project Linda laptop seamlessly docks the Razer Phone inside its chassis where a touchpad would normally reside, and connects with the press of a button. The phone’s Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 mobile platform and 8 GB of RAM deliver responsive performance, instantly transforming Project Linda into an Android laptop. The Razer Phone 5.7-inch display can be used as a touchpad, or as a second screen for access to apps, tools, and more.

“Android power users and laptop enthusiasts share a need for performance in a mobile form factor, which we provide with our award-winning Razer Phone and Razer laptops,” says Razer co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan. “Project Linda combines the best of both worlds, bringing a larger screen and physical keyboard to the Android environment, enhancing the experience for gaming and productivity.”

A full-size, built-in keyboard adds to the capabilities of Project Linda, providing enhanced productivity and differentiated gaming experiences. Users benefit from a responsive and comfortable typing experience, customized for the Android environment with dedicated keys for navigation, search and app selection. The Razer Chroma™ backlighting is ideal for low-light situations and can also be personalized with millions of color options. A user may complete the laptop input experience by using the docked phone as a touchpad, or a mouse may be connected for precision control in games and apps.

Designed for mobility, the unibody CNC aluminum chassis of Razer Project Linda is just 0.59-inch (15 mm) thin and weighs under three pounds (1.25 kg) including the docked phone. Its 13.3-inch Quad HD touchscreen extends the 120 Hz experience available on the Razer Phone to a larger display, providing fluid motion and vibrant visuals. The concept also features a 53.6 Wh internal battery that can rapidly charge the docked phone to full capacity over three times while away from AC power. Inside the laptop is 200 GB of storage, allowing for offline backups and additional local media and app storage. Connectivity afforded via Project Linda includes a built in 3.5-millimeter audio jack, a USB-A port, a USB-C charging port, 720p webcam, and a dual-array microphone, giving a range of options for communication and external devices.

Project Linda bridges the gap between handheld entertainment and laptop convenience. The Razer Phone’s performance, display, and dual front-firing speakers combine seamlessly with Project Linda’s larger screen, keyboard, and battery to provide the ultimate mobile hybrid setup for gaming, creativity, and productivity.