Razer has announced that it has refreshed its Blade 14, 15, and 17 laptops with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs (up to an RTX 3080 Ti), Windows 11, DDR5 memory, and in the larger models Intel’s latest 12th-generation Core H-Series processors.
Razer’s Blade series laptops were already an excellent choice for gamers and photo editors alike — both the Blade 15 Advanced and Blade 14 were positively reviewed by PetaPixel’s team — but the updates are poised to make them even more compelling.
Razer says that each Blade features a CNC-milled aluminum chassis and high-quality custom components, which it claims results in a laptop unlike any other on the market. The new Blades sport a refreshed keyboard design with slightly larger keys, which the company says makes the typing experience more ergonomic than before. The revised design also includes laser-cut speakers, a refined hinge design with a thinner profile, and additional ventilation with rubber feet specifically designed to create cooling airways.
Razer Blade 14 2022 Updates
The Blade 14 is the only one of the group that won’t offer Intel’s latest chips as an option. The company did not specify, but it is likely a decision based entirely on heat dissipation, and the Blade 14 chassis is too small to accommodate Intel’s latest. Instead, they will only be shipping with AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processors: Razer says that every configuration offers the Ryen 9 6900HX processor. That improved processor is joined by up to 16GB of DDR5 memory, which Razer says makes it faster and even more powerful than before.
Razer also implemented a MUX Switch, which allows the computer to disable the integrated graphics on the laptop and allows for an increase in performance at the cost of battery life. The new laptop also adds features found on the larger Blade 15 and 17 laptops including the same fingerprint-resistant coating and a 1080p IR webcam that supports Windows Hello, which Razer says makes video calls twice as clear as before.
The new Razer Blade 14 starts at $2,000.
Razer Blade 15 2022 Updates
The Razer Blade 15 can now come equipped with Intel’s latest 12th-generation Core H-Series Processors — up to an Intel Core i9-12900H with a new 14-core count over the previous 8-core generation. Razer says that Intel’s processors bring a “revolutionary” new design with a performance hybrid architecture that combines performance-cores with efficient-cores, offering users the freedom to chat, browse, stream, edit, record, and play. The newest generation of Intel Core i9 processors will see high-speed frequencies up to 5.0GHz.
Beyond that, the Bade 15 will continue to offer the same Full HD 360Hz and QHD 240Hz configurations, but now also offers a new 4K UHD 144Hz configuration. That additional resolution might not be strictly necessary on a display this small, but few photographers will complain about more pixels. Razer says that the new IPS-Grade display features improved refresh rates, up from the 60Hz of previous generations, while simultaneously covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
Just as is the case with the Blade 14, the Blade 15 also ships with DDR5 memory. The new Razer Blade 15 starts at $2,500.
Razer Blade 17 2022 Updates
The Razer Blade 17 takes everything offered in the Blade 14 and 15 and adds a bit more. Like the Blade 15, the Razer Blade 17 now also comes with the option to use Intel’s latest 12th-generation processors and comes equipped with DDR5 memory. The Blade 17 not only has a larger chassis and therefore physically larger display, but Razer used that space to improve the audio experience. The Razer Blade 17 features eight speakers which doubles the number from the previous generation. It also has a larger 82 watt-hour battery, which is more than 10 watt-hours more than the last version of the laptop.
The new Razer Blade 17 starts at $2,700.
Availability
The Razer Blade 14 laptop will be available to pre-order starting on February 10. The Razer Blade 15 and Blade 17 laptops will be available to pre-order on January 25. All three laptops do not have a specified availability date, but Razer says they will begin shipping and become available for general purchase sometime in Q1 of 2022.
