Razer makes three very good laptops, all called Blade. There's the Blade Stealth at the lower end, the Blade in the middle and the ridiculous Blade Pro at the very top end.
You know you want a Razer laptop, but you don't know which one is for you. Let's break it down and explain the differences, as well as which Blade suits which type of buyer.
Razer tech specs
| Category | Razer Blade | Blade Pro | Blade Stealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Display size | 14 inches | 17.3 inches | 13.3 inches |
| Display resolution | 1920 x 1080or3200 x 1800 | 4K | 3200 x 1800 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 7700HQ | Overclocked Intel Core i7 7820HK | Intel Core i7-7500U |
| CPU Cores | Four | Four | Two |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GTX 1060 | NVIDIA GTX 1080 | Intel HD Graphics 620 |
| Storage | Up to 1TB PCIe m.2 SSD | Up to 2TB PCIe m.2 SSD Raid 0 | Up to 1TB PCIe m.2 SSD |
| RAM | 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 | 32GB 2667MHz DDR4 | 16GB 1866MHz DDR3 |
| Battery | 70 Wh | 99 Wh | 53.6 Wh |
| Dimensions | 345 mm x 235 mm x 17.9 mm(13.6 in x 9.3 in x 0.7 in) | 424 mm x 281 mm x 22.5 mm(16.7 in x 11 in x 0.88 in) | 13.1 mm x 321 mm x 20 6mm(12.6 in x 8.1 in x 0.52 in) |
| Weight | 4.1 lbs (1.86 kg) | 7.69 lbs (3.49 kg) | 2.93 lbs (1.33 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Ports | USB 3.0, USB-C Thunderbolt 3, HDMI | USB 3.0, USB-C Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card slot | USB-C Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.0, HDMI |
| Optical drive | No | No | No |
| Keyboard | Membrane | Mechanical | Membrane |
| Price | From $1,899 | From $3,999 | From $1,399 |
While Razer is a brand that targets gamers, not all of these PCs are gaming laptops. If that's what you want, the Blade Stealth should be discounted immediately.
The Blade Stealth is an excellent Utrabook with superb hardware, but to properly game you'll need to be hooked up to the additional Razer Core over Thunderbolt 3. This laptop is aimed at those who want to game at home but take a sleek, lightweight Ultrabook out to work with them. And the new gray color scheme is perfect for those who want to look discreet in the meeting room.
The lack of dedicated graphics in the Stealth is where the Blade and Blade Pro come in, not just for gamers, but also for content creators who want some additional power.
From here on out there are a number of factors to consider, including price and portability. The Blade is 14 inches and the Blade Pro is 17 inches, and even though it's very slim for a big laptop, it's still pretty hefty. It also costs well over $3,000.
You get a lot more PC, though. The Blade Pro is billed as the desktop in your laptop, and that's no lie. This is a high-end gaming PC inside a 17-inch laptop. Quad-core i7 processor, GTX 1080 GPU, RAID 0 storage, 32GB of RAM, it's all here. As is a glorious 4K touch display.
With a GTX 1060 inside, though, when it comes to gaming, the 14-inch Blade is no slouch, either. Especially for something you can slip in your regular bag and take everywhere you go. You still get a quad-core i7 processor, as well as 16GB of RAM and a high-resolution display.
The Blade is the best all-arounder. It's small enough to be portable while powerful enough to be a solid gaming rig. It's more expensive than a Blade Stealth and a Razer Core, but it doesn't need that eGPU to take on the latest games. It'll work with it, but it's not necessary.
If you want something that's good for work but you'll only ever game on at home, the Blade Stealth plus Core option is best for you. If you want one beastly machine that does it all at home or on the road, and you can stretch to it, the Blade Pro is your choice.
But for most of the people, most of the time, the 14-inch Blade is the one to choose.
