Razer isn’t using CES 2022 to unveil a revolutionary new laptop concept. Instead, it’s reasserting its supremacy in the gaming laptop market by launching a new generation of Blade laptops that are hardly changed on the outside but far better on the inside.
Starting with the most significant changes, the Blade 14, Blade 15, and Blade 17 all get faster DDR5 RAM (Razer’s goes up to 4,800MHz), as well as support for AMD’s latest Ryzen 9 or Intel’s new 12th Gen processors, depending on which model you choose. Furthermore, the Razer 2022 update will support Nvidia’s latest RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti mobile graphics chips. These specifications are likely to be seen in many of the gaming laptops unveiled at this year’s trade show.
Razer has improved the Blade portfolio in recent years, including improving the keyboard layout, increasing the webcam resolution from 720p to 1080p in select models (all early 2022 models include a 1080p Windows Hello webcam), and coating each of its laptops with a more fingerprint-resistant coating. A larger keyboard with larger keycaps, as well as laser-cut speaker grills, are among this year’s refinements — those specs aside.
I’m going to dive into each of the models to cover the specs and prices.
Up to AMD’s newest Ryzen 9 6900HX octa-core processor and 16GB of DDR5 RAM are supported by the Blade 14 for 2022. (which is soldered on, though its 1TB SSD is replaceable). The Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics chip and a 1080p IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate come standard, but Razer now offers two QHD 165Hz refresh rate panel options that can be configured with the RTX 3070 Ti or RTX 3080 Ti.
A MUX switch on the Blade 14 allows it to switch between the integrated Radeon 680M graphics and the dedicated GPU. It now comes with a 61.6Wh battery and a 230W power converter. It will cost $1,999.99, and preorders will begin on February 10th from Razer, with availability commencing in Q1 2022.
Moving on, Razer is streamlining the naming convention for its Blade 15 and Blade 17 laptops, leaving the names alone rather than adding “Pro,” “Advanced,” or “Base,” which I’m sure confused several customers, including myself. Both the Blade 15 and 17 come with Intel’s 12th Gen Core i7-12800H 14-core processor (and two Thunderbolt 4 connections, whereas the Blade 14 only has USB-C), 1TB of upgradeable storage (dual M.2 slots, each supporting up to 2TB), and 16GB of upgradeable DDR5 RAM (supporting up to 64GB).
The Blade 15 and 17 starts at $2,499.99 and $2,699.99, respectively, with QHD screens and the RTX 3060 graphics chip, but if you have the cash, you can upgrade to a 4KIPS panel with 100 percent DCI-P3 color coverage, an Intel Core i9-12900HK processor, and Nvidia’s RTX 3080 Ti. The Blade 15 is priced at $3,999.99, while the Blade 17 is priced at $4,299.99. The Blade 15 comes with a 230W adapter and an 80Wh battery, whereas the Blade 17 comes with a 280W GaN charger and an 82Wh battery.
Preorders for the Blade 15 and 17 will be available starting January 25th via Razer, and both variants will be available in Q1 2022.
All of these adjustments and spec upgrades appear to be excellent, however, I wish Razer would offer AMD processors as an option with the Blade 15 and Blade 17. The Blade 14 is a beast of a tiny laptop, but it’s unclear why AMD is only partnering with the firm on its most niche laptop and not the rest of its lineup.
also read:
NVIDIA announces of holding its GTC 2022 keynote event in March 2022
