Razer Updates Blade Notebooks With Kaby Lake, Mobile Pascal, New Display Options
Razer was out in force at PAX, announcing updates to its Blade-branded notebooks. The Razer Blade Stealth was upgraded with Intel 7th-Generation (Kaby Lake) processors, with increased memory and storage capacity. The 14-inch Razer Blade can now be equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. Both devices received an additional display option, too.
The Blade Stealth, Better
The updated Razer Blade Stealth is almost identical to the previously released version, but it's now equipped with an Intel Core i7-7500U dual-core processor, 16 GB of RAM and up to a 1 TB PCIe SSD. The previous version was capped at 8 GB of memory and 512 GB SSDs. The company also claimed that the new edition of the Blade Stealth features improved battery life, up to a 53.6 WHr capacity (up from the previous 45 WHr battery).
The Blade Stealth’s 12.5-inch display is a 2560 x 1440 glossy touch screen by default, but it can now be upgraded to a 4K (3840 x 2160) IGZO touch display, with 100 percent Adobe RGB color saturation. Note that the 1 TB PCIe SSDs are only available in 4K versions of the Blade Stealth.
Blade Gets Pascal, New Display Option
The Razer Blade didn’t receive the Kaby Lake treatment (it still sports an Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor), and it isn’t much different than the most-recently released version. However, it was updated with a 6 GB version of the GeForce GTX 1060 mobile GPU, making it "VR ready" and more powerful than the previous iteration. The storage capacity was also increased with up to a 1 TB PCIe SSD.
The Blade can also be equipped with a new FHD (1920 x 1080) Matte IPS display, in addition to the previously available QHD (3200 x 1800) glossy touchscreen, although, the choice between the two could be difficult given the power of the GTX 1060. However, it’s nice of Razer to give us the option between ridiculously high framerates (on a 1080p display) or higher resolutions with touch capabilities.
The new Razer Blade Stealth is available now starting at $999. The updated Razer Blade is available for preorder on the company’s website starting at $1,799, and it will start shipping in October. The Razer Core is available for $399 when purchased with the with either of the new notebooks.
| Product | Razer Blade Stealth | Razer Blade |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-7500U | Intel Core i7-6700HQ |
| Display Options | - 2560 x 1440 Glossy Touchscreen- 3840 x 2160 IGZO Touchscreen | - 3200 x 1800 Glossy Touchscreen- 1920 x 1080 Matte (Non-Touch) |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 630 | Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | Up to 1 TB PCIe SSD (4K Model Only) | Up to 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSD |
| Ports | - Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C)- USB 3.0 (Type-A) x2- HDMI - Audio Out/Mic In | - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-Type C)- USB 3.0 (Type-A) x3- HDMI - Audio Out/Mic In |
| Networking | Wireless-AC (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.1) | KillerWireless-AC 1535 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.1) |
| Dimensions | 8.1 x 12.6 x 0.52 inches | 9.3 x 13.6 x 0.70 inches |
| Weight | 2.75 lbs | 4.25 lbs |
| Starting MSRP | $999 | $1,799 |
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Derek Forrest was a contributing freelance writer for Tom's Hardware. He covered hardware news and reviews, focusing on gaming desktops and laptops.
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amk-aka-Phantom Thank sanity, it only took them years of complaints to finally install the only display that makes sense (matte FHD IPS).Reply -
jkhoward Is the Intel 620 that could of a video card? I didn't see a dedicated card listed on Razer's website. I would hate to run anything above 1080p on integrated.Reply -
WaltKowalski Reply18537144 said:Is the Intel 620 that could of a video card? I didn't see a dedicated card listed on Razer's website. I would hate to run anything above 1080p on integrated.
The Blade Stealth is not a gaming laptop on it's own, it's a notebook. If you wanted to get any serious gaming done on it you could buy the "Razer Core" that is mentioned in the article. It is an enclosure that you can use to attach a desktop sized graphics card to your laptop. This gives you the flexibility of a fairly light notebook you carry around with you and then plug in when you're at home for gaming.
Or if that sounds like too much hassle you could get the Razer Blade which has a gaming grade GPU. Or just a gaming desktop!