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Razer Blade (2018) review: Looking sharper than ever before

By Koh Wanzi - 27 Jun 2018
Launch SRP: S$3899

Introduction

Razer Blade 2018
 

A machined aluminum beauty

Razer is back with a new Blade laptop, and it’s the company’s best looking machine yet. The 2018 Razer Blade is milled from a single block of aluminum, and the result is a sleek, dusky beauty that you can use for both work and play.

It’s subtle and understated in a way that few gaming laptops are, and save for the illuminated triple-headed snake logo on the lid and the RGB backlit (both of which can be turned off), this could easily be mistaken for a business notebook. The new Razer Blade also represents a new design direction for Razer, with small refinements that make the laptop feel like a truly new machine compared to its predecessors.

The hottest trend in the gaming notebook space right now is probably the push toward ultra-slim bezels (such as MSI's and Gigabyte's attempt among others), which the 2018 Blade embraces that with gusto. One of my main complaints with Razer’s Blade laptops, including the Blade Stealth ultrabook, has been their thick bezels, so this year’s design refresh could not have been more welcome.

The other major change in the Blade’s design language comes in the form of a more angular and blocky look that is reminiscent of the Razer Phone. When set beside the older 14-inch Razer Blade and its rounded corners, there’s no doubt that the sharper edges on the new Blade give it a more modern feel.

Razer Blade 2018

However, Razer says that this sharper (literally) look is also a result of the exigencies of a more compact design. This is because the more squared-off corners allow Razer to push components further to the edge of the chassis, making additional room for things like a larger battery and a more spacious component layout.

The efficient use of space is important because Razer has put a heavy emphasis reducing the space footprint of the new Blade, so this is one of those 15.6-inch laptops that are closer in size to their 14-inch counterparts.

Here’s an overview of the Blade’s specifications:

  • 15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel 144Hz IPS display
  • Intel Core i7-8750H (2.2GHz, 9MB L3 cache)
  • 16GB dual-channel DDR4-2667 RAM
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 355 x 235 x 17.3mm
  • 2.1kg

This is the top configuration you can get locally, and it’ll cost you a hefty S$3,899.

Is it worth its price? Read on as we take a closer look at what Razer is offering in the following pages.

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8.5
  • Design 9
  • Features 8.5
  • Performance 8.5
  • Value 8
  • Mobility 8.5
The Good
Excellent 144Hz IPS panel
Gorgeous design and impeccable build quality
Compact, thin, and has great battery life
Trackpad is large, responsive, and precise
The Bad
Gets quite hot under load
Expensive
No SD card slot
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