Razer launches New Blade Notebook

Razer launches New Blade Notebook

Razer’s popular gaming laptop the Blade made its debut back in 2013. Over the years, the company have aimed to vastly improved on it, listening to players on what the next version could be. Well, after all that time and feedback, the company has finally taken the sheet off of the latest iteration of their laptop, and it’s impressive to say the least.

Razer_Blade_02_Chroma

As you can see in the picture above, the laptop has kept its 0.70 inch thin body but now weighs just 4.25 pounds. Even full of the top tech, it’s still lighter than most other similar-size laptops out there —  it’s definitely lighter than the 6 pounds of my relatively new gaming laptop.

Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO said,

We are getting much more aggressive as far as price point, but that hasn’t come at a cost to the performance or design of the Razer Blade. We’ve improved nearly every aspect of the 14-inch laptop, from CPU and GPU performance to system memory and port selection. Chroma technology unlocks an unprecedented, immersive experience on a gaming laptop.

Razer_Blade_01_Razer_Core

The new Blade will also be compatible with the Razer Core external graphics enclosure as a part of Razer’s beta program upon launch. The enclosure will use Thunderbolt 3 to connect to the Blade, which would provide desktop-class graphics and additional connections, like more USB ports and 40Gbps Ethernet.

Here are the bullet-pointed details for your enjoyment:

Price:

  • $1,999 for the 256 GB PCIe SSD
  • $2,199 for the 512 GB PCIe SSD

Razer Blade Features:

  • Intel® Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core Processor (2.6 GHz / 3.5 GHz)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX™ 970M (6 GB GDDR5 VRAM)
  • 16 GB Systems Memory (DDR4, 2133 MHz)
  • Windows® 10 64-bit
  • 256 GB / 512 GB SSD (PCIe M.2) options
  • 14.0-in. IGZO QHD+ 16:9 Ratio, 3200×1800, with LED backlight, capacitive multi-touch
  • Anti-ghosting keyboard with per-key lighting Powered by Chroma
  • Killer™ Wireless-AC 1535 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth® 4.1)
  • Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C™)
  • USB 3.0 port x3 (SuperSpeed)
  • HDMI 1.4b video and audio output
  • 3.5 mm headphone/microphone combo port
  • Built-in webcam (2.0 MP)
  • Built-in stereo speakers
  • Array microphone
  • Dolby® Digital Plus Home Theater Edition
  • 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
  • Razer Synapse enabled with programmable keyboard, trackpad, backlighting, and fan control
  • Kensington™ security slot
  • Compact 165 W power adapter
  • Built-in 70 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
  • Approx. Size: 0.70 in. / 17.9 mm (Height) x 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
  • Approx. Weight: 4.25 lbs. / 1.93 kg

On a personal note: I would love to get on my hands on one mainly because I want something lighter. Weight is pivotal for my job, which includes not only gaming but also Audio and Video editing on the go. The Blade would make things easier on my back that way and should be powerful enough to do what I need it to do. Along with the games I regularly play like GTA V, Blade and Soul, MechWarrior Online and Rocket League, it seems powerful enough to run just about any piece of CPU-taxing software out there.

The new Razer Blade (2016) is currently on Pre-Order and will be shipped out in April.