Razer Blade (2017)

Stronger game performance ; Longer battery life ; 4K display option

Still pricey ; Trackpad buttons need to go ; Nothing massively new

The 2017 Razer Blade is stronger and longer lasting than last year’s, making that steep price tag all that much easier to justify. But, as the Blade begins to out-pro the MacBook Pro much less comparable gaming laptops, we'd like to see more original...

Sleek, compact metal build. Strong performance improved with Kaby Lake processor. Even longer battery life than before. Supports VR.

Expensive. Light on storage. Fans can get loud when gaming.

The Early 2017 Razer Blade is a modest upgrade with a more powerful processor, faster performance, and measurably improved battery life in the same compact, high-quality design. It's not worth upgrading if you already own a Late 2016 Blade, but if...

long battery life ; decent gaming performance ; innovative high-contrast 120 Hz display ; decent cameras ; decent stereo speakers ; remained comparatively cool ; accurate touchscreen ; very fast Wi-Fi ; plenty of RAM

not all games and apps support 120 Hz ; no headset included ; no 3.5-mm audio jack ; poor earphone call quality ; high power consumption ; heavy ; moderate throttling under load

In the olden days, gamers were locked up in their dark rooms until the Game Boy, the Razer Phone’s great-great-great-grandfather came along. Today, the Razer Phone allows for mobile gaming on the road at 120 FPS with great stereo sound to boot. The...

rigid high-quality aluminum case ; thin and sleek ; good Wi-Fi performance ; very good matte display ; Thunderbolt 3.0 + HDMI 2.0

susceptible to finger prints ; very loud under load ; no SD card reader ; significantly shorter battery life than FHD model

In our verdict of the FHD model we have already concluded that the Razer Blade is a premium device. The case is exceptionally well-made, performance was more than decent, and battery life was at an expected level. Surely, this design would find its...

solid aluminum chassis and high build quality ; slim with upscale looks ; Chroma Keyboard with many options ; good WiFi performance ; matte IPS display ; Thunderbolt 3 + HDMI 2.0 ; very good battery life

prone to fingerprints ; very loud under load ; no SD card reader

It certainly appears to us that Razer has continued to improve the Blade since our first review and eliminated various weaknesses in the process. What remains unchanged is the outstanding chassis, which - as far as the build quality and the finish is...

The Razer Blade has an attractively slim chassis, sharp display and terrific keyboard. It packs Intel's latest-generation i7 processor and great graphics. It's VR-ready.

It's expensive, and configuration options are limited. The fans are loud and it gets hot when gaming. There's no Ethernet port.

The Razer Blade is an elegantly subdued mainstream gaming laptop with great performance.

The Razer Blade has an attractively slim chassis, sharp display and terrific keyboard. It packs Intel's latest-generation i7 processor and great graphics. It's VR-ready.

It's expensive, and configuration options are limited. The fans are loud and it gets hot when gaming. There's no Ethernet port.

The Razer Blade is an elegantly subdued mainstream gaming laptop with great performance.

The Razer Blade Stealth includes a Core i7 processor and high-res touchscreen even in its lowest-end configuration; it has more ports than other 12-inch laptops and a fun Chroma backlit keyboard.

It's bigger and heavier than 12-inch laptops from Apple, Asus and others. The thick bezel around the screen feels dated and configuration options are limited.

The Razer Blade Stealth offers better specs for less money than the competition, and includes features others lack, such as a high-res touch screen and full-size USB ports. The design is slick, the price is right, but it's not as slim and portable as...

The Razer Blade Stealth includes a Core i7 processor and high-res touchscreen even in its lowest-end configuration; it has more ports than other 12-inch laptops and a fun Chroma backlit keyboard.

It's bigger and heavier than 12-inch laptops from Apple, Asus and others. The thick bezel around the screen feels dated and configuration options are limited.

The Razer Blade Stealth offers better specs for less money than the competition, and includes features others lack, such as a high-res touch screen and full-size USB ports. The design is slick, the price is right, but it's not as slim and portable as...