Razer has announced an updated version of its 14-inch Blade gaming laptop, one that features a slew of improvements over last year’s model. In addition to having more powerful components, the 2016 Razer Blade is now a faster, sleeker and cheaper machine.
There will be two models available to pre-order on March 16: a $1999 version with 256 GB of storage, and a $2199 model that comes with 512 GB. Last year's models sold for $2,399 and $2,699, respectively. The drives have been upgraded from the SATA M.2s found on last year’s Blade, and are now of the PCIe variety.
Other than the different storage options, both versions of the Razer Blade come with the same components, this includes an i7-6700HQ, a GTX 970m with 6GB of VRAM, 16GB of DDR4 RAM (2133Mhz), and a 3200X1800 IGZO QHD+ touchscreen display.
The Blade’s CNC-milled aircraft grade aluminum chassis remains 0.70 inches thin, but Razer has managed to lighten the laptop by a quarter of a pound, bringing it down 4.25 pounds.
The Blade will also feature a Chroma backlit keyboard, making it only the second laptop in the world - after the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook – to feature individually backlit RGB keys.
Speaking of the Stealth, Razer’s new laptop will also have another one of the Ultrabook’s most appealing features: it will be compatible with Razer’s Core enclosure for desktop graphics cards.
For those who don’t know, this Thunderbolt 3-powered enclosure lets you connect your laptop to an external GPU housing for some extra gaming power, similar to what Alienware offers with its Graphics Amplifier. Not that the Blade’s 970m isn’t a pretty powerful card, but having the feature does offer some futureproofing.
Rounding things off, the Blade features three USB 3.0 ports, a 2.0MP built-in webcam, and Killer Wireless-AC 1535 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1).
The Blade is expected to ship in April. Check out the full spec sheet and promo video below.
Razer Blade 2016 specs:
- Intel® Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core Processor (2.6 GHz / 3.5 GHz)
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX™ 970M (6 GB GDDR5 VRAM)
- 16 GB Systems Memory (DDR4, 2133 MHz)
- Windows® 10 64-bit
- 256 GB / 512 GB SSD (PCIe M.2) options
- 14.0-in. IGZO QHD+ 16:9 Ratio, 3200×1800, with LED backlight, capacitive multi-touch
- Anti-ghosting keyboard with per-key lighting Powered by Chroma
- Killer™ Wireless-AC 1535 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth® 4.1)
- Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C™)
- USB 3.0 port x3 (SuperSpeed)
- HDMI 1.4b video and audio output
- 3.5 mm headphone/microphone combo port
- Built-in webcam (2.0 MP)
- Built-in stereo speakers
- Array microphone
- Dolby® Digital Plus Home Theater Edition
- 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
- Razer Synapse enabled with programmable keyboard, trackpad, backlighting, and fan control
- Kensington™ security slot
- Compact 165 W power adapter
- Built-in 70 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
- Approx. Size: 0.70 in. / 17.9 mm (Height) x 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
- Approx. Weight: 4.25 lbs. / 1.93 kk
https://www.techspot.com/news/64112-razer-unveils-faster-lighter-cheaper-blade-gaming-laptop.html
