Razer today announced a new version of its Razer Blade 14 laptop, and it’s quite an intriguing ultraportable. Whereas the current generation is powered by a Ryzen 6900HX processor (8 cores, 16 threads) and your choice of up to a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, the new 2023 edition of the Razer Blade 14 brings the latest mobile hardware from AMD and Nvidia.
To be more specific, Razer opted for AMD’s Ryzen 7940HS “Phoenix” processor, which AMD bills as the first x86 processor with a dedicated, onboard AI engine. This processor also features an 8-core/16-thread configuration but with a base clock of 4 GHz and a turbo clock of 5 GHz. Razer also upgraded the discrete graphics across-the-board to Nvidia Ada Lovelace architecture. Base configurations get a GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB, 2370MHz boost, 140-watt), but you can step up to the optional RTX 4070 (8GB, 2175MHz boost, 140-watt) if you need more performance.
| Model | Cores/Threads | Boost/Base Frequency (GHz) | Cache (MB) | TDP (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS | 8/16 | Up to 5.2 / 4.0 | 40 | 35 - 45 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS | 8/16 | Up to 5.1 / 3.8 | 40 | 35 - 45 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS | 6/12 | Up to 5.0 / 4.3 | 38 | 35 - 45 |
All systems have a 1TB SSD (upgradable to 4TB), while 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory is standard. If you opt for the RTX 4070, you can upgrade to 32GB of DDR5-5600. The maximum installable memory on the Razer Blade 14 is 64GB using the two onboard SO-DIMM slots.
All that hardware pushes pixels to a 14-inch, QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 16:10 display with a 240Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support. In addition to its anti-glare finish to cut down on reflections, Razer says that it’s spec’d for 500 nits typical brightness and covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.
Fueling this mobile powerhouse is a 68.1 WHr lithium-ion polymer battery, which powers the Blade 14 for up to 10 hours. On the connectivity front, you’ll find the requisite HDMI 2.1 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) ports, two USB 4 (Type-C) ports (up to 100-watt Power Delivery supported) and a 3.5mm combo jack. For your wireless needs, Razer opted for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 (Qualcomm WCN6856).
1080p webcams are becoming more commonplace on laptops, and Razer is no exception with the Blade 14. However, the company goes one step further by including a privacy shutter for those concerned about nefarious parties spying on you without permission. For your audio needs, you’ll find dual speakers with THX Spatial Audio support. Other features include a Razer Chroma RGB keyboard and a Windows Precision Trackpad.
The Blade 14 is constructed of anodized aluminum that is resistant to your greasy fingerprints and is available in Matte Black or Mercury White (exclusive to the 32GB/RTX 4070 SKU). The laptop measures 12.23 x 8.97 x 0.70 inches and weighs just 4.05 pounds.
The base Blade 14 SKU with 16GB of RAM and an RTX 4060 costs $2,399. Upgrading to the RTX 4070 takes the price to $2,699. Finally, the flagship SKU with the RTX 4070 and 32GB of RAM costs $2,799. The Blade 14 is up for preorder today and will begin shipping on June 20th.
