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Every year like clockwork, Razer announces a refreshed lineup of Blade gaming laptops at CES, and this year it’s introducing the new Blade 16 and Blade 18. Two new size categories that push performance to new heights for gamers.
The standout here is the Blade 18. Razer’s biggest gaming laptop ever, and designed to be a desktop replacement. It features a full spectrum of ports alongside numerous GPU configurations with NVIDIA’s most powerful options. Including configs up to the RTX 4090. Then there’s Blade 16 which comes with the same GPU options, but in a smaller package that is big enough to perform on the go while offering better portability.
The company says the Blade 18 is also its most powerful laptop ever, while the Blade 16 delivers more pixels per inch than any other gaming laptop in its size category. You’ll also find Intel’s latest 13th Gen Core i9 HX chipset inside running up to 175W TGP, as well as upgradeable 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM.
Both laptops will launch in Q1 2023
As always, Razer will offer slight variations of each laptop at varying price points. As both laptops come in a handful of configurations that will change the price based on the specs. Both are planned to launch in Q1 of this year as well. Razer says the Blade 16 will start at $2,699.99, while the Blade 18 will start at $2899.99.
As for the specs, Razer has simplified some aspects of the configurations to make choosing a model simpler. At least when it comes to the Blade 18. Usually Razer offers a handful of different display options with each laptop. But it’s not doing that with the Blade 18. Instead choosing to offer one display option while other components vary. The Blade 16 however will have two different display options to choose from. More detailed specs for each laptop can be found below.
Razer Blade 16 and Blade 18 specs
Razer Blade 16
For the best combination of performance and portability, the Blade 16 is probably the laptop to go for. You can pick it up in two different display options – QHD+ and Razer’s new Dual UHD+FHD+ Mini LED option. This is where you want to think about what GPU you want. The QHD+ model can come with the NVIDIA RTX 4060, 4070, or 4080 GPUs. While the Dual UHD+FHD+ Mini LED model is the only one that comes with an RTX 4090. It can also feature the RTX 4070.
Across the board the refresh rate is 240Hz, but Razer will also offer a 120Hz version of the Mini LED model. Another difference is screen brightness. All QHD+ models have a peak brightness of 500 nits. Whereas the Mini LED model has a peak brightness of 600 nits in SDR mode, or 1000 nits in HDR mode. Keep in mind though that the Mini LED display is probably going to draw more power, and that means shorter battery life.
When it comes to RAM and storage, there’s not too much variance here. The RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 model with a QHD+ display offer 16GB while the RTX 4070 model with a Mini LED display as well as the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 models offer 32GB. All can be upgraded up to a max of 64GB though. And all come with 1TB of storage save for the RTX 4090 model which comes with 2TB. Storage can also be upgraded, with a maximum of 4TB across two M.2 slots.
Razer Blade 18
Thankfully, Razer isn’t mucking things up with a bunch of different display options on this model. There’s one option. The QHD+ display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits. Where things will vary are with the GPU, RAM, and storage. You can get the Blade with an RTX 4060, RTX 4070, RTX 4080, or an RTX 4090. All models come with the same CPU, the Intel 13th Gen Core i9-13950HX.
As for RAM, the RTX 4060 model comes with 16GB while all others come with 32GB. Again, all can be upgraded to 64GB just like with the Blade 16. Storage is the same. The RTX 4090 model comes with 2TB while the three other models come with 1TB. What’s slightly different with the Blade 18 is the maximum upgradeable amount. The RTX 4090 model can be upgraded up to 4TB of storage, while the other three can only be upgraded up to 2TB.