Razer Blade 15in Laptop review 2023
Gaming laptops don’t need to be big, bulky machines. With the new Blade 15, the thinnest laptop with Nvidia GTX 10-series, Razer has demonstrated this. The whole review will show you that there is much more as well.
The 2018 iteration of the Blade, according to Razer, is the “smallest 15.6-inch gaming laptop in the world.” It has an upgraded design, 8th-generation Intel and Nvidia Max-Q, and a refresh rate of 114Hz. In our Razer Blade 15in Laptop review, we gave it a close inspection.
Briefly said, Razer has taken the traditional Blade design and added a larger screen without significantly increasing the size of the laptop. There are further improvements and refinements scattered throughout, though.
Price and availability of the Razer Blade 15
The Razer Blade 15 starts at £1,699/$1,899, which is more than twice as much as the Blade Stealth from not long ago but less expensive than the more expensive Razer Blade Pro 17. The price of a high-end premium gaming laptop isn’t for the faint of heart. Although the laptop has a starting price of about £2,000, you can pay a bit more if you choose the most premium model, which costs £2,549.
As a result, it faces off against the recently released Gigabyte Aero 15X and Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501. Although there are less expensive 15-inch gaming laptops available, such as the Acer Aspire VX 15 and Alienware 15 R3, they are significantly less stylish and portable.
Updated base model
Razer now offers more economical options for the Razer Blade 15 laptop that are $300 less expensive than before if pricing has been keeping you from making a purchase.
According to Razer, “basic model configurations will be available for purchase on October 10, 2018 at Razer.com and select retailers in the US, Canada, and China. In November 2018, it will be sold on Razer.com and at a few specialized stores in a number of European and Asia-Pacific nations.
The same laptop, which Razer refers to as the “Base Model,” still features an 8th-generation Core i7 and 16GB of RAM. However, instead of the prior minimum 256GB SSD, you now receive a smaller SSD paired with a sizable conventional hard disk.
In any case, a GTX 1060 graphics card and a Full HD 60Hz screen are included.
$1,599 for 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD.
$1,799 for 256GB SSD and 2TB HDD.
White Limited Edition New Mercury
Along with the new base model, Razer has also unveiled a stunning, limited-edition Mercury White color. In Q4 2018, “limited quantities will be available for purchase as an exclusive direct from Razer in the US and Canada, as well as at selected retailers in China,” the company announced.
Its matte white surface, black USB ports, and non-illuminated “tone-on-tone” Razer logo on the lid set it apart from the standard design. There are two models available here, both of which come standard with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a Full HD 144Hz screen.
Razer Blade 15: Creation and Construction
As you can see, there isn’t a significant deviation from the Razer design, which has over the years grown to be recognizable in the gaming industry. The Blade 15 features the sleek black and green design that so many people admire.
Razer has always had a stylish aesthetic, so it’s fantastic to see the company making all the improvements it can.
The Blade 15’s ability to fit a full-size 15.6-inch display inside of a chassis that looks to be no larger than the well-known 14-inch Razer Blade is its most notable design feature.
In some aspects, the new model is actually smaller!
Therefore, the Blade 15 is little wider than the 13.6in you might be used to at 13.98in. The fact that it is ‘edge-to-edge’ with minuscule 4.9mm bezels helps fit that larger screen in.
The Blade 15 is really thinner than its predecessor when it comes to thickness. It is the thinnest GTX laptop available at 17.3 or 16.8mm, down from 17.99mm, depending on the graphics card you choose.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus S is currently the world’s thinnest laptop.
However, connectivity is unaffected because full-size USB and HDMI are still available. The remainder will be covered later.
Overall, the design is more angular and mimics the Razer Phone’s lines. Similar to a smartphone, this incorporates front-facing speakers on either side of the keyboard. The power button is now on the right rather than in the middle, and although it appears to have a built-in fingerprint sensor, it does not, as the astute reader may have seen.
Considering that the laptop weighs between 2.07 and 2.15kg, depending on the model you choose, the idea is portability. The Blade 15 is more than luggable, even at its heaviest.
The Blade 15 boasts a redesigned cooling system with dual fans and a sizable vapour chamber, which is the last thing to note. Although the underside has a great appearance, we’ll discuss how hot the laptop gets in the performance section below.
Trackpad and keyboard for the Razer Blade 15
With the Synapse software, you have the same Chroma-enabled Keyboard so you can experiment with lights to your heart’s content. However, there is more to be said.
There is no numpad (albeit that means a more central position) and no macro buttons, which many gamers will miss because they are on either side of the speakers. The remaining keys offer a pleasant experience, though, with each keypress producing a satisfying soft click and a sharp action.
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Additionally, there is a game mode that prevents you from interrupting your play by using standard Windows shortcuts. Although we had no problems, some people might find it more suited to an Ultrabook than a gaming keyboard.
The new, enormous glass trackpad is brand-new. If you plan to play any serious video games, you should attach a mouse, however the trackpad works great for everyday tasks.
It has clickable buttons and is responsive and fluid. Microsoft Precision now has support from Razer.
Blade 15 keyboard from Razer
Razer Blade 15: A display
As was already said, the new Razer Blade 15 for 2018 features a 15.6-inch display, and we adore the new thin bezels that run around the edge, giving the laptop a wonderful aesthetic while reducing the size of the chassis.
But there are many possibilities available for the screen, so pick carefully.
The Blade 15 sports a Full HD display with a 60Hz refresh rate at its base. Keep in mind that this model only has a 256GB storage option and a GTX 1060 graphics card. The only model with a touchscreen at the top has a 4K screen that operates at 60Hz. It has a 1070 and 512GB, which will be excessive for many people.
We evaluated the Full HD variant with a 144Hz refresh rate, which has a selection of hard drive and graphics card.
A Razer Blade 15 display
If your budget is flexible, most people will find this to be the greatest choice. The additional smoothness that the faster refresh rate offers will make it worthwhile. Although the Full HD alternatives’ displays, at 275cm/m2, aren’t the brightest available, we nearly always kept them at full brightness since we appreciate the matte finish.
The display is colorful and offers 99 percent of sRBG in our test, but it only offers 76 percent of Adobe RGB, the preferred gamut for designers. The Gigabyte Aero 15X will suit you better if you’re seeking for a laptop that can be used for both work and pleasure because this one is a gaming laptop.
For this, the 4K model might be far better, but we are unsure.
Razer Blade 15: Key specifications and execution
Whichever model you select, you’ll get an 8th generation Intel processor. It has a Core i7–8750H processor, which is a 6-core, 12-thread, 9MB cache chip with a base speed of 2.2GHz and a maximum turbo speed of 4.1GHz, as you would expect from a high-end gaming laptop. The Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 has the same specs as that.
Each Blade 15 has 16GB of DDR4 2667MHz RAM as standard, but you can increase it to 32GB. Naturally, Windows 10 is pre-installed. An M.2 SSD has a storage capacity of up to 512GB, depending on the configuration you choose.
Specifications for the Razer Blade 15
There are Nvidia GTX 1060 or 1070 in the Max Q configuration, which are essentially desktop cards adapted for thin laptops, for graphics. If that is still insufficient, Razer has also introduced a new Core X eGPU to house a desktop card. It now costs only £269.
As a reminder of the SKUs available:
· Full HD (60Hz), GTX 1060, 256GB Full HD (144Hz), GTX 1060, 512GB 4K (Touch), GTX 1070, 512GB Full HD (144Hz), GTX 1070, 256GB
· The new Base Model choices are:
· Full HD (60Hz), a GTX 1060, and a 1TB hard drive
· GTX 1060, 256GB SSD, and 2TB HDD in Full HD (60Hz)
· With a GTX 1070 and 265GB of storage, we tested the intermediate model, and the outcomes are quite good.
· The Blade 15 achieved 4962 in PCMark 10 and 17,956 in Geekbench 4 multi-core. The ROG Zephyrus, which features a GTX 1080, is slightly faster than that but still falls short of the Areo 15X.
· With regard to our gaming benchmarks, the Blade 15 achieved outstanding scores. The laptop tested at Full HD resolution was able to play Total Warhammer at 101.5 frames per second on medium settings and 64.3 frames per second on ultra. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon received 44.6 and 79.8 frames per second on medium.
· The Blade 15 can provide Full HD gaming at ultra settings and framerates that are more than playable because these aren’t too far off from the Asus ROG with its 1080.
· However, the chassis does get very warm. The areas on either side of the trackpad where your hands would rest become warm, and the fans become rather loud. The area that is the hottest is between the keyboard and the screen, which we frequently refer to as being too hot to touch.
· According to Razer, heat is pulled away from the area where you make contact with the laptop and is typical with a metal case. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t use the Blade 15 on a cushion, bed, or anything similar because the air intake is on the bottom.
· Razer Blade 15: Audio and connectivity
· The Blade 15 has a Wireless AC-9260, which enables 11ac, and the laptop also supports Bluetooth 5.0. Wi-Fi has been switched to Intel.
Despite the laptop being slimmer than previously, connectivity is good. You get HDMI 2.0, USB-C Thunderbolt 3, three USB-A 3.1 ports (all in green, of course), a 3.5mm combo jack, and mini DisplayPort 1.4 for the first time. The maximum number of external screens you may support is three.
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Additionally, a 720p webcam is included, and unlike many modern laptops, it is located above the screen. Additionally, you’ll see a unique power connector. This includes an angled cable that can be fed behind the laptop.