- Razer has unveiled 2021 editions of its Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 gaming laptops.
- Both include Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30 graphics, 360Hz display options and other upgrades.
- They’re available now starting at prices of $1,699.99 for the Blade 15 and $2,299.99 for the Blade Pro 17.
It wouldn’t be CES without new Razer products, and the company is making its high-end portables the stars for 2021. Razer has unveiled updated Blade 15 (shown below) and Blade Pro 17 (above) gaming laptops that both center on Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 30 mobile graphics.
Both the Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 take advantage of the new laptop GPUs to “dramatically� improve performance and double energy efficiency, Razer said. They also make use of Max-Q features like Advanced Optimus battery-saving, dynamic performance boosts, and better noise control in quiet spaces. As they’re based on the same Ampere technology as existing RTX 30 cards, you can expect improved ray tracing and other upgrades you might have on your desktop PC.
The two laptops offer the full range of GPU options. The Razer Blade 15 Base and FHD Blade Pro 17 use the ‘entry’ RTX 3060 for relatively modest gaming and content creation, while higher-spec models can use the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080.
You’ll also have more display choices. Razer is making 360Hz (if 1080p) displays available for the Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 for laptop users who value responsive gaming over pure resolution. There’s more variety for Blade 15 buyers, too — on top of the 360Hz panel, you can choose from a balanced quad HD 240Hz display and a 4K, 60Hz OLED screen. The Blade Pro 17 has quad HD 165Hz and 4K 120Hz OLED options alongside the 1080p display.
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All of the portables use 10th-generation Intel Core H-series processors with optional Wi-Fi 6E support. They ship with up to 1TB of included SSD storage and 32GB of RAM, although you can outfit them with more storage through open M.2 slots and upgrade to as much as 64GB of memory. Don’t expect USB 4 or Thunderbolt 4, though — Razer is sticking with USB 3.2 Gen 2 (with both USB-A and USB-C connectors) and Thunderbolt 3.
Both the Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 are available now through the Razer online store, with third-party retailers carrying them on January 26 and the first quarter of the year respectively. The Blade 15 starts at a price of $1,699.99, while opting for its larger counterpart will cost you at least $2,299.99. These are still premium gaming laptops — it’s just that Razer has made them much easier to justify if graphics performance is crucial.