As a Razer machine, the Razer Blade laptop is strikingly thin, but the rainbow-illuminated keyboard still betrays the machine as one capable of gaming prowess. Each key is capable of being set to up to one million different colors, so users will still have the options to set their keys to a traditional rainbow, match the classic green of the Razer logo, go with a classic portal fade of Blue-to-Orange, or dazzle out each individual key into a blinding mishmash of color.
But the body is a better portrayal of the device’s “Blade” nature: Absent are the clunky, thick details of a traditional gaming frame, replaced instead by a simple matte black design that betrays the device as a more serious, more mature machine.
The exterior lights give a good amount of customization, as well. You can choose to turn off the Razer logo on the back and do away with the backlit lights, allowing the laptop to blend perfectly with any cubicle-office environment. Or, you can embrace your inner battery-power-hungry-disco-god, blasting everything up to full power, and being consumed in the warmth of a pretty serious (and surprisingly bright) digital disco. The Blade names itself off of its ability to ride that gaming / work edge, and for the most part, it does so fairly well.
At $2,600 retail, you’re definitely paying the price of a decent gaming laptop if you decide to take to the Blade. Fortunately, the Blade does a fairly good job at delivering on the technical side: With a 2.2GHz i7 core, 16GB RAM and a GTX 1070, the Blade boasts the firepower to play with the big boys.
In a design shift from its earlier editions, the 2018 Blade has gone for more squared-off sharper edges to give it a more modern look. This pays off in more ways than one, as the commitment to the style also lets it shave a few extra inches off the sides. Liquid cooling helps keep everything at a decent temperature and avoids the notoriously loud whirring fans that larger gaming laptops have become known for. The casing does get a tad heated during gaming sessions, however. Not dangerously hot, but warm enough to consider picking it up off your lap at some point.
In my short time with the system, the only game I was able to test fully was the newly-released Gothic Adventure title Vampyr, which ran fairly smoothly at around 50fps 1080p on high settings. This was something that genuinely caught me a bit off guard: From the unit’s tiny frame, this is much more power than I was expecting, and it was a treat to be certain. The device also pulls off the “performance” part of its title with ease, quickly and proficiently keeping up with more demanding and graphically intensive animation and calculation programs. It can also keep up decently well with running both Vampyr and some intensive work software at the same time, as long as you’re not trying to render something and fight a bunch of zombie-vampires simultaneously. If you want to try to sneak some game time with your work time, the programs switch fast enough to keep you from getting caught, so long as you keep your trigger finger ready on Alt+Tab.
The biggest complaints here come from a pretty short battery life while gaming (not exactly unexpected), a bit of heat while gaming (also expected), and the strikingly high pricetag. It’s not hard to find a $1,000 laptop with a GTX 1060 or 1070 card, despite those usually being a tad thicker and heavier. But are you really willing to pay the extra $1,500 for what ends up being a better-packed frame and crisper looking laptop? Could you stand the odd looks bringing an obvious gaming laptop into work if it meant coming out fifteen hundred dollars ahead? I certainly could. But if you’re a fan of the Razer brand, you’re probably well accustomed to shelling out the big bucks for top-of-the-line hardware, which, make no mistake, is what this laptop is. It makes a big impact for a big investment, and for those willing to put down the dough, will certainly not disappoint.
Featured Image Via Flicker / LMON
