Back in 2011, Razer released the Razer Blade 17″ which many consider to be the world’s first true gaming notebook. In 2013 came the Razer Blade 14″ offering a powerful PC gaming setup in a smaller form factor. Fast forward to 2018 and Razer is at it again with the new Razer Blade 15: the world’s smallest gaming laptop in its class, boasting more display area and performance features over previous versions.
Released with the tagline “Ultra Fast. Ultra Small. Ultra Powerful.,” the updated Razer Blade 15 features the latest 8th Gen Intel processors and a redesigned chassis making it as thin as 0.66″ and only 10mm wider than their current Razer Blade 14 model.
“We are proud to have again stepped-up as an industry leader, taking laptop engineering to the next level to give gamers the performance they require and the mobility they desire,” says Razer Co-Founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan. “We upgraded to Intel’s latest 6 core processor, used a fast 144Hz display driven by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10 Series graphics, and set a new standard for power in the world’s smallest 15-inch gaming laptop.”
As Razer has come to be known for, the Razer Blade 15 offers everything a gamer could want in a portable gaming laptop including 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H processors, 1080p displays with 144Hz refresh rates (4K touchscreen option also available), NVIDIA GTX 1060 or 1070 Max-Q Design video cards, 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB SSD hard drives. The new 15.6″ display sports 4.9mm bezels which give it almost 20% more display than the 14″ model and an over 84% screen to body ratio.
To overcome cooling issues with a thinner, smaller design, Razer is using vapor chamber technology instead of traditional heat pipes found in most other gaming laptops. The vacuum-sealed chamber cools the CPU and GPU, as well as dissipates the heat generated by other laptop components. Other key features of the new Razer Blade 15 include a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port, Razer Core eGPU support, a 50% larger Microsoft PTP supported touchpad, Synapse 3 Razer Chroma keyboard, Chroma Studio to transition effects between devices including Phillips Hue support, and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers on either side of the keyboard using the same speaker drivers as the Razer Phone.
Specifications of the new Razer Blade 15 include:
- 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H Processor (6 Cores/12 Threads, 2.2 GHz/4.1 GHz)
- 15.6-inch IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080) matte up to 144Hz, individually color calibrated
- 15.6-inch IPS 4K (3840 x 2160) capacitive multi-touch, individually color calibrated
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 Max-Q Design
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 Max-Q Design
- 16GB Dual-Channel system memory (DDR4, 2667MHz), 32GB maximum support
- Up to 512GB PCIe SSD, 2TB maximum support
- Windows® 10 (64-bit)
- Intel® Wireless-AC 9260 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth 5
- Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C) x 1
- USB 3.1 port x 3 (SuperSpeed)
- Mini Display Port 1.4 x 1
- Anti-ghosting keyboard powered by Razer Chroma™
- Razer Synapse 3 compatible
- HDMI 2.0b audio and video output
- Built-in front-firing stereo speakers
- 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo port
- Built-in webcam (1MP/720P) with array microphone
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
- Compact 200W/230W power adapter
- Built-in 80 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery, NVIDIA® Optimus™ support
- [GeForce GTX 1060] 0.66 in./16.8 mm (Height) x 14 in./355 mm (Width) x 9.3 in./235 mm (Depth)
- [GeForce GTX 1070] 0.68 in./17.3 mm (Height) x 14 in./355 mm (Width) x 9.3 in./235 mm (Depth)
- [Full HD] approx. 4.56 lbs./2.07 kg
- [4K] approx. 4.73 lbs./2.15 kg
Pricing will also vary based on model and specifications:
- FHD(60Hz)/i7-8750H/GTX 1060/16GB/256GB – $1,899.99/€1949.99/£1699.99/¥16,999
- FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/GTX 1060/16GB/512GB – $2,199.99/€2249.99/£1979.99/¥18,999
- FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/GTX 1070/16GB/256GB – $2,399.99/€2449.99/£2149.99/¥20,599
- FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/GTX 1070/16GB/512GB – $2,599.99/€2649.99/£2329.99/¥22,599
- 4K(Touch)/i7-8750H/GTX 1070/16GB/512GB* – $2,899.99/€2899.99/£2549.99 (select markets, coming soon)
The new six-core Razer Blade 15.6” Gaming Laptop is available starting today from Razer.com and select retailers in the United States, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Germany, and China. For a limited time, new Razer Blade owners will also receive access to $420 worth of games and software including the VR title Arizona Sunshine, the popular Cuphead, and the professional FL Studio Producer Edition music production suite.
What do you think of the specifications and pricing of the new Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
