Razer Blade Review (2019): A Great Laptop for Gaming and Work

Razer's Blade was my favorite gaming laptopin 2018. Can? it is not the most powerful and affordable, however, it could with dignity replace a gaming computer or MacBook Pro. Because of this, he was special. Meet the new Razer Blade (2019)!

In 2019, the approach to creating laptops has changed. The new RTX series video cards were introduced, which significantly increased the performance of devices in games. In this review, I will introduce you to the updated Razer Blade (2019) laptop on the RTX 2070 Max-Q, six-core processor, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD.

But, shock can cause the cost of a new Blade -$ 2600, that is more than 170 000 rubles. Nevertheless, if you like to stick in top games and can afford such expenses, then you will definitely love this gaming laptop.

Specifications

Design and construction

Laptop display

Keyboard and touchpad

Stereo sound

CPU performance

SSD performance

Graphics performance

Battery autonomy

Should I buy?

Features Razer Blade (2019)

operating system

Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

Display

15.6-inch IPS matte Full HD screen 144 Hz (100% sRGB)

CPU

Intel Core i7-8750H 6 cores, 12 threads 2.2 GHz, 4.1 GHz

Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q 8 GB

Ram

16 GB DDR4-2667 MHz

ROM

512 GB NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD

Battery

80 Wh

Ports

3 × USB 3.1, 1 × USB-C, HDMI 2.0B, MiniDisplayPort 1.4

Keyboard

Backlit Razer Chroma

Camera

720p webcam with Windows Hello infrared camera

Connection

Intel HM370 (802.11a / b / g / n / ac), Bluetooth 5.0

Audio

Stereo speakers + smart amplifier, Dolby Atmos, microphone, 3.5 mm headphone / microphone jack

Dimensions

17.8 × 235 × 355 mm

Additions

Kensington and Intel Platform Trust security slot with built-in 230 W power supply

Design and construction

This laptop stands out for itsby design. He received a matte black case surface, rectangular corners and a light green Razer logo - this is the company's most stylish gaming laptop. You can find laptops with a thinner case, but more stylish not to find. The only disadvantage of this design is that the surface collects prints too quickly.

Given that the Razer Blade (2019) weighs a littlemore than 2 kg, and its thickness is only 1.78 cm, then the laptop is almost as compact as the Dell XPS 15. If you compare this year’s model with the previous one, the case has become slightly thicker, but this is almost imperceptible.

15.6-inch screen has a frame thickness of 4.9 mmThis allowed us to leave the webcam and logo. It is good that the camera was left at the top, otherwise I would have to complain again about its uncomfortable position. Even here the keyboard layout is thought out more carefully, all the keys are exactly where they should be.

In addition to black, Blade (2019) is presented inoption "Mercury White". However, this model is only available with the RTX 2060 video card. Although I like the light silver color more, especially in a gaming laptop. Blade’s build quality is second only to MacBook Pro. All-metal body, aluminum alloy. The weak point is the lid - it bends noticeably under pressure.

Along the perimeter of the case is a number of ports: USB-A, USB-C Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort. If you need an Ethernet port, then it was left only in the model with RTX 2060. At the same time, the device offers room for imagination - you can connect any gaming peripherals via USB-C. Thunderbolt 3 allows you to connect an external video card, if you suddenly do not have enough power.

Of the unusual additions, Blade (2019) has an infrared camera - it is located next to a regular webcam and is designed to securely enter Windows Hello.

Laptop display

Gamers always need the best displays, Razer Blade(2019) will satisfy all the requirements of gamers. We got one of the best 15.6-inch IPS-screens with a resolution of 1080p. The display has no problems with highlights or viewing angles.

If you wish, you can purchase Blade (2019) with4K-panel, but I would not recommend it. It is better to have a screen with a higher refresh rate than a higher resolution. Therefore, for the test I chose 1080p and a frequency of 144 Hz. Due to this, I can now enjoy super-smooth gameplay, especially if the frame rate is over 60 fps.

This is what you need for dynamic games. In this case, the display shows a decent color scheme, good color accuracy and color reproduction, which is great for any content.

And yet it is a non-ideal display. Last year, the weak point was the contrast and gamma. Now the contrast reaches 640: 1 - which is not bad, but Zephyrus S and XPS 15 are better here. Meanwhile, the gamma at level 2.0 means that the image will be bright but blurry.

Keyboard and touchpad

The touchpad and keyboard Razer Blade (2019) very much stand out from the competition.

As for the touchpad, it's one of the mostlarge and almost fit the size of the MacBook Pro 15 panel. This is convenient for error-free use of gestures, and the texture allows the fingers to slide easily. Thanks to Windows Precision, gestures work very precisely, which is a rarity for a gaming laptop, even in this price range.

Keyboard Blade (2019) left me the mostpleasant impressions. Yes, it can not be compared with the mechanics of Alienware Area-51m or Razer Blade Pro, but as responsive and tactile as possible. But, at first there were a couple of moments when I had to get used to this keyboard - the full-sized arrow keys interfered with the fast typing.

Of course, the Razer laptop keyboard has an RGB backlight, where we get 14 levels of brightness. All these fireworks are regulated using the Razer Synapse software.

Stereo sound

The speakers in Blade (2019) are set so that the sound flows into your ears right from the keyboard. But, good bass should not be expected, however, the sound is still clear and has a good volume margin.

CPU performance

Razer Blade (2019) runs on six-coreIntel Core i7-8750H processor. Chip is quite common in gaming laptops and working machines. This is not the most powerful processor, so Blade is not the fastest laptop.

In all respects, the fastest is consideredAlienware 17 on the Core i9-8950K. At the same time, the new chipsets of the Whiskey Lake U series benefit from single core performance. In this regard, Huawei MateBook 13 was close to the Blade, despite the quad-core Core i5-8565U.

But, tests cannot demonstrate whatcapable of the new Razer Blade. This laptop with dignity stands the test for video encoding and leaves behind many gaming machines. With multitasking and browsing the web, power is felt. Even if you open dozens of tabs in the browser and connect multiple monitors, still Blade (2019) will work quickly. No wonder there is at least 16 GB of RAM and a six-core processor.

SSD performance

Helps with Razer Blade (2019) and installationfast SSD M.2 NVMe format. Its read and write speed is very high and ranges from 1800 MB / s. You can choose from two memory options - 256 and 512 GB. If you wish, you can upgrade your laptop by putting more RAM and ROM.

Graphics performance

This time we got the newest Nvidia video cards. However, how fast will the RTX series be compared to GTX? But, in any case, RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 Max-Q are currently the fastest graphics cards.

In the tests immediately noticeable difference. In 3DMark Fire Strike, I loaded the RTX 2070 Max-Q video card, it was 17% faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q. In the end, I got the performance that compact laptops demonstrate, like the Alienware 17 R5.

Now to the games. At high settings in Fortnite, I got 137 fps, at ultra high 90 fps. In Battlefield V on high, the laptop gave out more than 100 fps, and on Ultra - about 85 fps.

In heavier names like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the situation was no less surprisingly pleasant. Even in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, I got at least 60 fps. Blade's only weakness (2019) is that it doesn’t cope well with 4K resolution, which is why the frequency drops dramatically.

If you compare the Razer Blade (2019) with last year’s model, then the performance gain is 15-25%, depending on the game.

In any case, the Blade series does not aim atthe title of the most powerful, which is justified - we get one of the most balanced notebooks. It does not even heat up under high load, the cooling system always copes with the task.

Autonomy Razer Blade (2019)

For any laptop autonomy solves a lot -Razer Blade (2019), alas, not surprising. It just fits within the limits of acceptable for gaming laptops. Interestingly, the RTX video card does not greatly affect the autonomy, and this is quite strange. In the end, I got 5-6 hours with a moderate load and 50% screen brightness. Under the same conditions, ROG Zephyrus S only worked for about 2 hours.

In the most intense Basemark test I receivedless than 2 hours of work. That is exactly how much Blade will last in games when running on battery. With looped video playback, the laptop showed a time of 6 hours and 15 minutes. It is a little if to consider that Dell XPS 15 in the same test showed 14.5 hours.

Total

Today, there are many thin and light gaminglaptops, but none of them has a first-class appearance and does not offer the same sensations as the Razer Blade (2019). If you are looking for a laptop for video editing and have little interest in games, then there are better options on the market.

Yes, Blade (2019) is expensive. However, this is a powerful gaming laptop that is great for gaming and any hard work. Therefore, its price is quite predictable.