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Following NVIDIA’s announcement of its new GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs, Razer is among several laptop vendors today announcing new and updated laptops using the new hardware. Overall, the company is updating its Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 laptop families to use the newer GPUs, while also updating the other components they use, and even the blades; chassis themselves.
Razer Blade 15 base model
We’ll start with the 2021 Razer Blade 15, the latest iteration of Razer’s popular 15-inch gaming laptop. As has been the case for a few years now, the Blade 15 is divided into two models internally, the lower level “base model” and the higher level “advanced model”, which in many ways are laptops. totally different. Apart from the advanced model offering additional features, it also uses its own chassis, which is usually thinner, making it a separate model in its own right.
For the base Blade 15 model, Razer is sticking to Intel’s i7-10750H 6-core processor as the heart of the machine. Graphics options for the laptop are an optional 6GB GeForce RTX 3060 or 8GB GeForce RTX 3070, replacing the RTX 2070 used in the 2020 models. Meanwhile, Razer uses DDR4- memory. 2933 for this laptop, and although 16GB is the only configuration they offer, SO-DIMMs can be replaced and the laptop supports up to 64GB of memory.
As for display options, Razer now offers a new 144Hz 1080p panel as a minimum option for 2021 models. This IPS-like panel offers 100% coverage of the sRGB range (which the previous generation did not do. ) and a matte finish. Meanwhile, Razer also offers a 165Hz 1440p IPS type panel which together with the higher resolution can also cover 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum. All of these display options are also factory calibrated, although it’s worth noting that none of the base model’s panels offer variable refresh support.
For storage, the 2021 base model SKUs all include a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD. This SSD is replaceable, and like last year’s version, there is a second open M.2 slot to add. a second disc. If you need more storage beyond that, laptops offer a Thunderbolt 3 compatible USB-C port, another USB-C (3.2 Gen 2) port, and a trio of USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports.
Razer is also using one of its Chroma RGB keyboards again. This is a single zone (rather than a key) affair, although according to Razer it uses a new layout. This fits into Razer’s 19.9mm thick aluminum chassis, which was carried over from their 2020 models. The same goes for its 65 Wh battery, which although it won’t be enough. for long gaming sessions away from a power outlet, is more than enough to drive the laptop for productivity tasks for a while.
To complete the package, Razer supports the usual network standards. Along with Wi-Fi 6 support via an Intel AX201 adapter, the laptop also supports Bluetooth 5.1 and even comes with a Gigabit Ethernet socket for wired connections. Surprisingly, Razer also supports HDMI 2.1 output, indicating that even though the laptop uses NVIDIA’s Optimus technology, they still wired the HDMI port directly to the NVIDIA GPU.
Base model 2021 Razer Blade 15 will start at $ 1,699, with pre-orders starting today and going on sale / shipping January 26e.
Razer Blade 15 advanced model
Going up a level we have the advanced model Razer Blade 15. Which, as discussed earlier, is in several ways a significant advance over the base model in terms of features and performance.
The advanced Blade 15 model is built around a full 8-core 10e Intel generation processor, especially the i7-10875H. Razer pairs this with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3070 and 3080 laptop adapters, with the highest SKU going further and offering a 16GB version of the 3080 rather than the standard 8GB version. This configuration replaces the RTX 2070 Super / 2080 Super. 2020 models.
The memory included will depend on the specific SKU of the laptop; the cheaper models come with 16 GB in two DDR4-2933 DIMMs, while the higher end models come with 32 GB of this memory. As with the base model, the machine can be upgraded to hold a total of 64 GB.
For display options, Razer offers no less than three different choices here. The base option for the cheapest Blade 15 Advanced SKU is a 240Hz 1440p IPS type panel, which can cover 95% of the sRGB spectrum. It’s also the only panel that supports G-Sync among all of Razer’s options, giving this laptop the best chance to comfortably play at 1440p. Alternatively, Razer also offers a 360Hz 1080p panel for the fastest refresh rates (G-Sync does not have to apply), or as a high-resolution option the company again offers a 4K OLED touchscreen, capable to cover 100%. DCI-P3 spectrum and also supports HDR.
This all goes into a new chassis for the Blade 15 Advanced, which saw Razer rework the laptop’s aluminum body to make it even thinner – now it’s just 16.99mm thick – while still improving its extensibility. The new chassis isn’t a remarkable departure from the old one, but it does make Razer claim to ship the smallest 15-inch RTX gaming laptop, and more importantly, it opens up space for things like a second M.2 slot.
Which brings us to storage: The Blade 15 Advanced ships with a 1TB NVMe M.2 drive, and for the first time for the advanced model, it also includes a second empty M.2 slot for another drive. To do this, Razer chose to stack the second SSD on top of the first, due to the space constraints of the laptop.
Suitable for the advanced model, this laptop comes with a per-key LED version of Razer’s Chroma RGB keyboard. And if you like to make faces on your laptop, it also has an infrared camera for Windows Hello sign-in support.
To complete the set, for wired connectivity, the advanced model comes with a Thunderbolt 3 compatible USB-C port, a second USB-C port, and a trio of USB-A ports. An HDMI 2.1 port is also present, and although the advanced model does away with the Gigabit Ethernet port, it takes an SD card reader instead. Meanwhile, wireless support is provided through Intel’s new AX210 adapter, offering Wi-Fi6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2.
Finally, it’s the only version of the Blade 15 family that supports charging through a USB-C port. To be sure, the entire Blade 15 family comes with a proprietary 230W adapter, so the maximum 100W offered by USB-C isn’t enough to charge the laptop to its full speed. But that’s more than enough to keep it powered in non-gaming scenarios, or to charge the 80Wh battery in a reasonable amount of time.
The 2021 Razer Blade 15 Advanced will start at $ 2,499, with pre-orders starting today for shipping in February.
Razer Blade Pro 17
Finally, Razer is also updating its larger laptop, the Blade Pro 17. It is a slightly simpler update than the Blade 15 – there is no new chassis involved – but it receives the same treatment in terms of upgrading graphics and display. options.
Built around the same 8-core i7-10875H as the 2020 model, the 2021 model replaces its GeForce RTX 2070/2080 graphics options with the new GeForce RTX 3060/3070/3080 adapters. As with the Blade 15 Advanced, the higher-end SKU has 16GB of memory to go with its RTX 3080, while all other SKUs come with 8GB or 6GB of VRAM respectively.
Meanwhile, memory and storage options remain virtually unchanged from the previous generation. Low-end SKUs come with 16GB of DDR4-2933 in two DIMMs, and high-end SKUs with 32GB. Likewise, storage is split between 512GB M.2 NVMe drives on some SKUs and 1 TB on others. And of course the Blade Pro 17 has an open M.2 slot for another drive.
For display options, Razer is expanding its options on the Blade Pro 17 slightly, including a mid-level 1440p display option to complement their existing 1080p and 4K displays. At the bottom of the range is a 17.3-inch 360Hz 1080p IPS type display, which can cover 100% of the sRGB spectrum. Above it sits the 165Hz 1440p IPS-type display, which again offers 100% sRGB coverage. Finally, Razer will again offer an IPS 4K type panel, which, unique among the options, offers touchscreen support as well as 100% Adobe RGB coverage.
All Blade Pro 17 SKUs will feature a key-lit version of Razer’s Chroma RGB keyboard, as well as an infrared camera for Windows Hello. All models also feature Intel’s AX210 adapter, offering Wi-Fi6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2.
As for ports, the Blade Pro 17 offers one Thunderbolt-3 compatible USB-C port, another USB-C port, three USB-A ports, one HSMI 2.1 port, and an SD card reader. The laptop also surprisingly offers a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for the wired network, and this is the first time I’ve seen a 2.5 GbE port on a laptop.
The 2021 Razer Blade Pro 17 will start at $ 2,299, with pre-orders open today and orders shipping later in the first quarter.
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