HardwareGaming LaptopsRazer’s Blade gaming laptops have lost their edgeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareGaming LaptopsRazer’s Blade gaming laptops have lost their edgeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)
Dave James, mostly hardware. Mostly(Image credit: Future)This month I have been mostly… messing around with mobile machines.From gaming handhelds to laptops, I’ve had my mitts on some fun machines recently. And some frustrating ones, too. TheAyaneo Kunwas almost the best gaming handheld, but slightly missed the mark, and theHP Transcend 14has turned my head for affordable laptops.
Dave James, mostly hardware. Mostly
(Image credit: Future)This month I have been mostly… messing around with mobile machines.From gaming handhelds to laptops, I’ve had my mitts on some fun machines recently. And some frustrating ones, too. TheAyaneo Kunwas almost the best gaming handheld, but slightly missed the mark, and theHP Transcend 14has turned my head for affordable laptops.
(Image credit: Future)
This month I have been mostly… messing around with mobile machines.From gaming handhelds to laptops, I’ve had my mitts on some fun machines recently. And some frustrating ones, too. TheAyaneo Kunwas almost the best gaming handheld, but slightly missed the mark, and theHP Transcend 14has turned my head for affordable laptops.
Razer made a name for itself first making gaming mice, and introduced itsfirst gaming laptops back in 2011, refining them over the years to their pinnacle in 2018 and haven’t looked back since. Or forward, really, because the design has barely changed since it launched that iconic, pared back look which became the Blade’s recent hallmark.
But when they’ve been so damned good-looking I’ve been quite happy not to have Razer radically redesigning its machinesjust because.The clean lines, the lack of any obtuse gamer affectations, and the slender nature of the Blade laptops has made them easily the most desirable gaming notebooks around.
Where some of Razer’s more over-the-top designs have turned people off, the Blade’s restrained look feels almost antithetical to what its standard design aesthetic has been in the past.
The one design concession it has made in the most recent generation of Razer Blade laptops, however, has not been for the better, at least not in terms of the aesthetic experience at least: They’ve gotten fatter with the Nvidia Ada generation of graphics hardware.
Both the newerBlade 16and theformerly svelte Blade 14have had an increase in their girth and, while I’m not one for body shaming, having neither the physique nor the inclination, it’s instantly noticeable. When both were still the top of the tree in their respective laptop sizes it was disappointing, but without stiff competition not a real problem.
Image1of2That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
Image1of2That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
Image1of2
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
That new Blade 16 does feel like a chonky boi compared with older Blade 15.(Image credit: Future)
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But it was always the cheaper option. A machine that could deliver the same level of performance, but didn’t have the look or the solid premium chassis of its Razer competition. That’s not the case anymore, because the Zephyrus G14 redesign in this generation has been stunning. It’s truly a premium machine now—in price as well as aesthetic—and where the Blade 14 has been standing still, arguably even going backwards, the new Asus design has overtaken it.
The newAsus ROG Zephyrus G14is one of the most beautiful, most impressive gaming laptops we’ve had our hands on from this latest generation. True, the latest Blade 14, with its larger waistband, might well be able to post higher gaming frame rates thanks to a higher power GPU inside it, but the performance difference is rarely so great I would mind. The Razer also has a greater battery life, but that will only get you another 30mins of proper gaming away from a plug socket so not a great miss, either.
Image1of3Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
Image1of3Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
Image1of3
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)
Oof, that new Zephyrus G14…(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Were it just Asus' latest design that had dulled Razer’s Blade then we could just chalk that up to the ROG team playing a blinder, but it’s not. You can argue the Zephyrus G14’s increased price takes some of the shine off it, but there is another 14-inch machine that I would have over the Blade 14 if I was operating on a tighter budget.
TheHP Omen Transcend 14is a fantastic-value gaming laptop, one that combines a great look, solid performance, and a gorgeous OLED display as standard. And all for around half the price of a comparable Blade 14 machine.
Then you’ve got Lenovo in the larger form factor, with its Legion Pro devices offering a really compelling price/performance mix, as well as some of the best mini-LED displays going. So, whether you’re looking for a premium, money-no-object recommendation, a more balanced machine, or a great budget gaming laptop alternative, neither are going to be a Razer Blade in 2024.
Image1of2HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
Image1of2HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
Image1of2
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)
HP’s made an affordable premium gaming laptop, eh?(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
What does Razer do now, then? It’s tough, because though the Blade is starting to look a little dated, a complete redesign could destroy all that made it so desirable a machine in the first place. A return to a more svelte chassis would be a good start, however. Razer may have retired the Blade 15 now, but if you put that thinner machine alongside the chonkier new Blade 16, and didn’t flip open the lid, then most people would see the 15-inch laptop as the newer device.
I’m hoping a Blade redesign to coincide with the Arrow Lake laptop parts will make an impact at CES 2025. A more efficient CPU architecture could give Razer a chance to slim its laptops down again, and maybe we’ll see some more innovations, too. Because if it doesn’t do something in the next generation of gaming laptops its Blade notebooks really are going to be left behind.
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More about gaming laptopsIf you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slabLatestAsus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forwardSee more latest►
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If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slab
If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300
If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slab
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slab
LatestAsus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forwardSee more latest►
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Asus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forward
Asus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forward
Asus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forward
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