Following NVIDIA’s announcement of its new GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs, Razer is among several laptop vendors that announce new and upgraded laptops using new hardware. Overall, the company is upgrading its Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 laptop families to use the new GPUs, while the company is also making some updates to the other components they use, and even the Blades; own chassis.
Razer Blade 15 Base Model
We’ll start with the 2021 Razer Blade 15, the latest version of Razer’s popular 15-inch gaming laptop. As has been happening for some years, the Blade 15 is divided internally into two models, the lower level “Basic Model” and the upper level “Advanced Model”, which in many ways are totally different laptops. Along with the Advanced Model that offers additional features, it also uses its own chassis, usually thinner, making it a separate model in its own right.
For the base Blade 15 model, Razer is keeping the 6-core Intel i7-10750H processor as the heart of the machine. The graphics options for the laptop are GeForce RTX 3060 6GB or GeForce RTX 3070 8GB as an upgrade option, replacing the RTX 2070 used in 2020 models. In the meantime, Razer is using DDR4-2933 memory for this laptop and although 16 GB be the only configuration they offer, SO-DIMMs can be exchanged and the laptop supports up to 64 GB of memory.
As for the display options, Razer now offers a new 144 Hz 1080p panel as the minimum option for the 2021 models. This IPS panel offers 100% coverage of the sRGB range (something the previous generation did not offer) and a matte finish. Meanwhile, Razer also offers a 165 Hz 1440p IPS-type panel that, along with the highest resolution, can also cover 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum. All of these screen options are also factory calibrated, although it is important to note that none of the base model panels come with support for variable updating.
For storage, all SKUs for the base 2021 model include a 512 GB NVMe M.2 NVD. This SSD is replaceable and, like last year’s version, there is a second open M.2 slot for adding a second drive. If you need more storage in addition, laptops offer a Thunderbolt 3-enabled USB-C port, along with another USB-C (3.2 Gen 2) port and a trio of 3.2 Gen 1 USB-A ports.
Razer is also using one of its Chroma RGB keyboards again. This is a single zone case (instead of per key), although according to Razer, it uses a new layout. This fits into Razer’s 19.9 mm thick aluminum chassis, which was transported from its 2020 models. The same happened with its 65Whr battery, which while not enough for long gaming sessions away from an outlet, is more than enough to drive the laptop to productivity tasks for a while.
Completing 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 connector for wired connections. Surprisingly, Razer also supports HDMI 2.1 output, indicating that although the laptop is using NVIDIA’s Optimus technology, they still connected the HDMI port directly to the NVIDIA GPU.
The basic 2021 model of the Razer Blade 15 will start at $ 1699, with pre-orders starting today and will go on sale / shipping on January 26º.
Advanced model Razer Blade 15
Moving up one level, we have the advanced model Razer Blade 15. Which, as previously mentioned, is in many ways a significant advance over the basic model in terms of features and performance.
The advanced model of the Blade 15 is built around an 8 of 8 coresº generation Intel processor, specifically the i7-10875H. Razer is combining this with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 and 3080 notebook adapters, with the highest SKU advancing half a step and offering a 16 GB version of the 3080 instead of the standard 8 GB version. This configuration replaces the RTX 2070 Super / 2080 Super of the 2020 models.
The included memory will depend on the specific SKU of the laptop; the cheapest models come with 16 GB in two DDR4-2933 DIMMs, while the more sophisticated models come with 32 GB of this memory. As with the base model, the machine can be upgraded to contain 64 GB in total.
For display options, Razer offers no less than three different options here. The basic option for the cheapest Blade 15 Advanced SKU is a 240 Hz 1440p IPS-type panel, which can cover 95% of the sRGB spectrum. This is also the only panel with G-Sync support among all Razer options, giving this laptop the best chance to play comfortably at 1440p. As an alternative, Razer also offers a 360 Hz 1080p panel for the fastest refresh rates (G-Sync does not need to be applied), or as a high resolution option, the company is once again offering a touch OLED 4K, which is capable of covering 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum and also supports HDR.
All of this goes to a new chassis for the Blade 15 Advanced, which saw Razer rework the aluminum body of the laptop to make it even thinner – now only 16.99 mm thick – while improving its expandability. The new chassis is not a noticeable difference from the old one, but it does give Razer the right to ship the smallest 15-inch RTX gaming laptop and, more importantly, make room for things like a second M.2 slot.
Which brings us to storage: the Blade 15 Advanced comes with a 1 TB 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 achieve this, Razer chose to stack the second SSD on top of the first, due to the space limitations of the laptop.
Suitable for the advanced model, this laptop comes with a LED per key version of the Razer Chroma RGB keyboard. And if you like making faces for your laptop, it also comes with an infrared camera for Windows Hello login support.
Completing the package, for wired connectivity, the Advanced Model comes with a Thunderbolt 3-enabled USB-C port, a second USB-C port and three USB-A ports. An HDMI 2.1 port is also present, and while the Advanced Model discards the Gigabit Ethernet port, it picks up an SD card reader. Meanwhile, wireless support is provided through Intel’s new AX210 adapter, offering Wi-Fi6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2.
Finally, this is the only version of the Blade 15 family that supports charging via 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 is not enough to charge the laptop at its maximum rate. But it is more than enough to keep you connected in non-gaming scenarios or charge the 80Whr battery in a reasonable amount of time.
The 2021 Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model will start at $ 2,499, with pre-orders starting today for shipping in February.
Razer Blade Pro 17
Last but not least, Razer is also upgrading its largest laptop, the Blade Pro 17. This is a slightly more direct update than the Blade 15 – there is no new chassis involved – but it is getting the same treatment in terms of updating graphics and screen 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 Blade 15 Advanced, the next-generation SKU gets 16 GB of memory to accompany your RTX 3080, while all other SKUs come with 8 GB or 6 GB of VRAM, respectively.
Meanwhile, memory and storage options remain largely unchanged from the previous generation. Low-end SKUs come with 16 GB of DDR4-2933 in two DIMMs and high-end SKUs come with 32 GB. Likewise, storage is split between 512 GB NVMe M.2 units in some SKUs and 1 TB in others. And, of course, the Blade Pro 17 features an open M.2 slot for another unit.
For display options, Razer is expanding its options on the Blade Pro 17 slightly, including a 1440p middle tier display option to complement its existing 1080p and 4K displays. At the bottom end is a 360 Hz 1080p 17.3 inch IPS screen that can cover 100% of the sRGB spectrum. Above that is the 165 Hz 1440p IPS screen, which again offers 100% sRGB coverage. And finally, Razer will once again offer a 4K IPS panel, which is the only one among the options that offers touch screen support and 100% Adobe RGB coverage.
All Blade Pro 17 SKUs will feature a key lighting version of the Razer Chroma RGB keyboard, as well as an infrared camera for Windows Hello. All models also have Intel’s AX210 adapter, offering Wi-Fi6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
As for the ports, the Blade Pro 17 offers a Thunderbolt-3-enabled USB-C port, another USB-C port, three USB-A ports, an HSMI 2.1 port and an SD card reader. The laptop also offers a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for wired networking, 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 opening today and orders being shipped later in the first quarter.