Razer has announced a refresh to its Razer Blade 15 and Blade 17 laptop line. The new notebooks include Intel’s latest processor family, the 11th-generation Core H. The new Blade models also have improved GPUs, with an optional upgrade to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. With enhanced CPU and GPU performance, Razer states that the new laptops offer more speed, plus more storage and Thunderbolt 4.
Razer’s Blade 15 and 17 may be aimed primarily at gamers, but the same performance gains that serve gamers also appeal to creators. The faster the CPU and GPU, the better the performance with popular photo and video editing applications.
The marquee addition, the Intel Core H-Series processor, is an 8-core chip with 16 threads. The Intel Core i9-11900H is the most powerful Intel processor ever used in a Razer Blade. The CPU has a maximum turbo frequency of 4.90GHz. As such, users can expect improved speeds overall and in multi-threaded workloads.
Razer Blade 17
‘The inclusion of the Intel Core™ i9-11900H processor marks a milestone in the Razer Blade line, ushering in break-neck speeds and world-class features,’ said Serhan Ceran, Director of Enthusiast Laptops at Intel. ‘Our latest mobile CPU for enthusiasts, matched with the exceptional quality of the Blade 17, creates a user experience sure to impress due in part to its power efficiency and performance.’
The Blade 15 and Blade 17 are configurable with up to three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports (located on opposite sides of the machine), plus single Ethernet, power and HDMI 2.1 ports. The laptop also includes a UHS-III SD card reader.
Razer Blade 17
In terms of build quality and design, the notebooks feature an improved glass touchpad that supports Microsoft Precision Touch for multi-touch input. Razer also promises improved palm rejection while typing. The Blade 17 includes a Full HD webcam, which is compatible with Windows Hello. The laptops also include a new anti-fingerprint resistive coating to keep your new notebook looking clean. Both the Blade 15 and 17 include THX Spatial Audio, offering 360-degree sound. The Blade 17 includes per-key Razer Chroma RGB backlighting.
‘The Blade 17 has been a staple in the premium gaming laptop space for years, and it’s crucial that we continue to deliver the kind of mind-blowing performance and impeccable quality that our fans expect and deserve,’ says Brad Wildes, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Razer’s Systems Business Unit. ‘Continuously integrating improvements while introducing the newest, top-of-the-line hardware advancements is what gives the Blade family its ‘edge.’ Razer Blades have always been synonymous with style and power, and we intend to keep it that way.’
Razer Blade 17
The Razer Blade 15 is a Razer.com exclusive. The base model comes with an 11th-gen Intel Core i8-11800H processor and starts at $1,799 USD. The model can be configured to include up an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPU. At its starting price, it’s Razer’s most affordable Blade. Some concessions with the base model may impact its appeal for creators, including a lack of WiFi 6E compatibility, no SD card slot, a smaller battery, and only a single Thunderbolt 4 port.
Your display options, unsurprisingly, vary between the two Razer Blade sizes. The Blade 15 offers Full HD and QHD displays, with the latter displaying 100% of DCI-P3 color. The Blade 17 has the most options, with Full HD (360Hz), QHD 2K (240Hz) and 4K (120Hz) display options. All but the base model of the Blade 17 has touch functionality. All displays can display 100% of the Adobe RGB color space, per Razer.
The Blade 17’s fancy features come at a weight cost. The laptop is just 2.75kg (just over 6 lbs.), which is far from lightweight. The Blade 15, which does have slightly fewer bells and whistles, weighs 2.13kg (4.7 lbs).
The Razer Blade 17 starts at $2,399 and is available for preorder from Razer and authorized stores and retail partners. The most expensive model starts at $3,699 and includes the 4K display option, 32GB of DDR4 memory and an RTX 3080 with 16GB of VRAM. This most expensive model includes Intel’s latest 11th-gen i9 processor. The rest include 11th-gen i7 processors.
For more information on the new Razer Blade models, visit Razer.