When it comes to the best gaming laptops Razer is an absolute shoo-in for creating some of the best-looking but also best-performing laptops of the type. For 2024 the brand certainly isn't slowing down either, adding world-firsts to its brand new Razer Blade 16 and Blade 18 laptops.
The form factor of these larger-scale gaming laptops isn't brand new. Back in May 2023 the brand announced a new 'Mercury' finish for its super-sized Blade 18 option, but it's the display technology that's crammed within these that really sets them apart – worlds apart, you could say, as nobody else has (yet) matched these options.
First up the Razer Blade 16 brings a Samsung Display partnership to be the first to ship with a 16-inch 240Hz OLED display. That's right: an OLED panel at a frame-rate we've only thus far seen among the (very expensive) best gaming monitors.
Second in line, but arguably even more impressive depending on your preferences, is the Razer Blade 18's addition of a 4K resolution 165Hz display – a first in this 18-inch category. That'll add further appeal to this beefy laptop, squeezing the most from its potential power.
Speaking of power, the Razer Blade 16 and 18 have only been revealed today (that's the 8 January 2024, in case you're reading at any other time) to co-incide with an Intel embargo at the world's biggest technology show, CES 2024, when the latest 14th Gen Intel Core i processors were first revealed. Pair that with some next-level Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series options (pricing varies depending on how far up the ranks you go) and you've got some super-powerful hardware.
But that's not what sells Razer's laptops. Just look at these beautifully crafted pieces of kit. Both feature a CNC-milled unibody design, with no welding, no exposed screws. They're just the essence of finesse. And both come in either Black or Mercury colourways (well, if you can call black and white actual 'colours') from day one of their on-sale date.
Which, for the new Blade 16, happens to be pre-sale from right now, with 18 January the on-sale/shipping date and pricing from £/$2999.99/€2499.99. The Blade 18 will come later – and be the first laptop I've heard about to feature Thunderbolt 5 for blisteringly fast transfer speeds – but is still expected to be up for order in "Q1 2024". So give it a couple of months – time that you may well need to save up some extra cash!
It sounds worth it for those display technologies though. In addition to super-fast refresh, all Razer's Blade laptops will feature Calman Verification for DCI-P3, ensuring super-accurate colour and an ultra-wide gamut. There's ClearMR 11000, which is a super-high rating for low motion blur, VESA certification for HDR standards (DisplayHDR True Black) and a super-quick 0.2ms response time. That's a lot of display wonderment to cram into a laptop.
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