What you need to know
- Razer makes some of the most premium and well-known gaming laptops with its Blade line.
- The Razer Blade 16 and 18 represent the latest and greatest from the company, packed with the most powerful hardware available.
- Both laptops are going on sale starting tomorrow, Feb. 8, 2023.
- Razer Synapse is also getting a new overclocking feature for both of the upcoming laptops.
Update, Feb. 22, 2023, at 12:15 p.m. CT: It's official, every configuration for the brand-new Razer Blade 16 and 18 gaming laptops is now available, including the more affordable units powered by NVIDIA's RTX 4070 and 4060 GPUs. Those searching for ultimate power can splash some extra cash for an RTX 4080 or 4090, but these new configurations make the laptops a lot more reasonably priced. You can purchase the laptops in any configuration using the links below.
Update, Feb. 8, 2023, at 10:40 a.m. CT: The Razer Blade 16 and 18 gaming laptops are now available to purchase, at least in the two highest-end configurations featuring NVIDIA RTX 4080 and 4090 GPUs. There may be an additional shipping wait time for the 4090-equipped laptops, but you can still preorder them. You can purchase either laptop directly from Razer using the links below.
If you're in the market for a gaming laptop and have money to spend, it's hard to overlook the Razer Blade family of premium, powerful PCs. The Razer Blade 16 and 18 debuted during CES 2023 with brand-new chassis and some of the most powerful hardware you can stuff into a laptop, and interested buyers will be able to purchase them starting tomorrow, Feb. 8, 2023.
The Razer lineup of products in 2023 contains a myriad of interesting devices like the Razer Edge gaming handheld and the Razer Leviathan soundbar, but for many the Razer Blades still hold the most excitement. The Razer Blade 16 and 18 replace the previous 15-inch and 17-inch laptops, respectively, with larger displays and some seriously powerful internals. While the Razer Blade 16 makes its claim to fame with an astounding dual-mode mini-LED display that can natively switch between two resolutions and refresh rates, the Blade 18 attracts attention solely by being as powerful as possible for this size device.
Beginning Feb. 8, people can now buy both of these flagship gaming laptops from Razer and authorized retailers, with a range of configurations from which to choose. Also debuting alongside the laptops is a new overclocking feature included in Razer Synapse, which will allow users to get the most out of their new Razer Blade 16 or 18 laptop with boosted performance spread across different modes. Razer's latest laptops have everything it takes to dominate our list of the best gaming laptops you can buy.
Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know about the Razer Blade 16 and 18:
Razer Blade 16
All models of the Razer Blade 16 are powered by the 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13950HX, with the dedicated GPU starting at a still-impressive NVIDIA RTX 4060 and ramping all the way up to the blisteringly powerful NVIDIA RTX 4090. The Razer Blade 16 also starts with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, with higher configurations bumping up to 32GB and 2TB, respectively (and can be user upgraded to 64GB and 4TB).
Most models of the Razer Blade 16 come equipped with a 16:10 QHD+ panel clocked at 240Hz, but the highest-end configuration gains the headline-grabbing 16:10 dual-mode mini-LED, which can instantly switch between UHD+ at 120Hz and FHD+ at 240Hz, depending on how you're using your laptop. Elsewhere, you're getting the traditional Razer treatment, including a massive 95.2Whr battery, a Razer Chroma keyboard, a 4-speaker array, a Windows Hello-capable FHD webcam, plenty of ports including USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4, and much more.
The Razer Blade 16 in its 4080 or 4090 configurations will be available from Feb. 8, 2023, while 4060 and 4070 configurations will be available from Feb. 23, 2023. The retail price starts at USD $2,699.99.
Razer Blade 18
The Razer Blade 18 shares a lot of the same DNA as its smaller sibling, but there's more power on offer for those who can take advantage of the larger chassis and superior cooling. The Blade 18 is also powered mostly by the Intel Core i9-13950HX, but the highest-end configuration lands the even more impressive Core i9-13980HX. The baseline NVIDIA RTX 4060 can be upgraded all the way up to an RTX 4090, with the Blade 18 better able to push the GPU to its max than the Blade 16.
The display is the same, excellent 16:10 QHD+ affair across the board, with a 240Hz refresh rate, an anti-glare coating, NVIDIA G-Sync, and up to 500nits of brightness. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM rises up to 64GB in higher configurations, while the 1TB of SSD gains a second, identical sibling with more powerful variants. The 91.7Whr battery makes room for the device's overclock-capable internals. You also get a 6-speaker array over the four included in the Blade 16, alongside an array of ports (including a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port) and the classic Razer Chroma keyboard.
The same as the Razer Blade 16, interested buyers can purchase the Razer Blade 18 in 4080 and 4090 configurations from Feb. 8, 2023, while more affordable 4060 and 4070 configurations release on Feb. 23. The Razer Blade 18 retails starting at USD $2,899.99.
