Razer Blade 15 OLED review: Next-level gaming luxury

Price When Reviewed

$3,299

Best Prices Today: Razer Blade 15 OLED

Performance-minded players searching for smooth, understated design with a ravishing display will discover a worthy specimen within the Razer Blade 15 OLED. This neatly appointed machine boasts a 12th-Gen Intel i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, producing spectacular views on demanding gaming titles whereas wanting clear and easy sufficient to hold to the workplace any day of the week.

While lovers of bombastic design aesthetics with aggressively styled air vents and sweeping angles could discover the simplicity of the Blade 15 a bit delicate for his or her style, this laptop computer sports activities a superbly flush RGB keyboard and ample ports for these centered on performance over a flashy case. At $3,299, that is no entry-level machine, and it’s sure to enchantment extra to mature players preferring to tell apart themselves by their in-game motion than their laptop computer’s appears.

For extra choices, take a look at our roundup of the best gaming laptops accessible proper now.

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Specs and options

The machine we examined got here configured with high-end, however not excessive, parts:

• CPU: Intel Core 9i-12900H
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti with 8GB VRAM
• Memory: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
• Webcam: 1080p IR Hello digicam with IR facial recognition
• Display: 15.6-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD 240Hz OLED
• Connectivity: 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 2 x USB-C 3.2 (15W), 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 3.5mm combo audio jack
• Networking: Killer Wireless Wi-Fi 6E AX1690 (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/az), Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery capability: 80 Watt-hour
• Dimensions: 0.67 inches x 9.25 inches x 13.98 inches
• Weight: 4.4 kilos
• Price: $3,299

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Design and construct high quality

Built for image-conscious players and content material creators, the Razer Blade 15 OLED is a solidly constructed machine that delivers a considerable really feel underneath the fingers whereas exhibiting properly in your desk. Its matte-black T6 anodized aluminum case is gorgeous when clear, however the black picks up smudges simply, even from clear fingers, so preserving it wanting new requires common wipe-downs. The Venn diagram of people that will spend three grand on this machine and individuals who shall be infuriated by how simply its floor picks up fingerprints has an excessive amount of overlap. 

Razer’s design aesthetic yields sq. corners and straight traces, letting the machine’s precise efficiency converse to its gaming cred, fairly than pretending at efficiency by overwrought, swoopy design gimmicks. Apple comparisons abound with the Razer Blade, and for good motive. In design and worth, this machine is clearly constructed to enchantment to the MacBook Pro crowd, and gained’t win over anybody searching for high efficiency at a cut price worth. 

The Blade 15 OLED is heavier than it appears, and each time I picked it up I used to be by some means shocked by its heft. This is basically an optical phantasm at play, as this machine appears so related in building to an aluminum Apple laptop computer, I discovered myself unconsciously anticipating it to weigh about as a lot as my 16-inch Macbook Pro, although in actuality it’s virtually a full pound heavier. Compared with equally geared up laptops within the 16-inch vary, nevertheless, 4.4 kilos is a modest weight. If something, players will discover this machine and its accompanying energy brick pretty svelte relative to different machines within the subject.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Display

The centerpiece of the Blade 15 OLED’s design is its 240Hz 15.6-inch QHD OLED show, which delivers completely lovely graphics at 2560×1440 decision, making it the only most attractive laptop computer show. That loopy quick refresh charge makes for easy, wealthy visuals on high-end video games, with merely the best-looking HDR contrasts I’ve seen on any laptop computer, ever. Blacks are deep and darkish. Transitions are easy and clear. 

It’s good and vibrant at roughly 400 nits, rivaling high-end desktop displays for general high quality. The shiny floor, nevertheless, produced annoying glare after I examined it close to home windows or underneath vibrant lights.

Powering that outlandishly superior show, on our take a look at unit, is a relatively respectable Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU. Its gaming graphics efficiency is superb, however not unbelievable, which feels just a little disappointing. At practically $2,900 MSRP, it’s arduous to not wish to take the GPU up a notch to match the capabilities of the show.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Inputs and outputs

In line with the strong really feel of the aluminum chassis, the Blade 15’s RGB-backlit keyboard and trackpad really feel substantial and strong underneath the fingers. Keyboard flex is minimal, even in heavy typing, and the precision glass trackpad feels agency to the contact, with a decisive clicking motion, and extremely conscious of Windows contact gestures.  

On the left aspect of the machine you’ve gotten energy enter, a USB-C port, two USB-A 3.2 ports, and a headphone jack. On the precise you’ve gotten an SD card slot, USB-C, one other USB-A, HDMI, and a safety lock port. The underside sports activities two followers with ample air stream to blow out the warmth this dangerous boy builds up.

The selection of each HDMI and Thunderbolt 4 (through USB-C) means loads of choices for driving high-end exterior shows. 

Signing in is easy and safe with the 1080p Windows Hello-enabled IR webcam, and the digicam produces wealthy HD video for all of your Zooms and streams.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Performance

While its super-fast OLED show is really astounding to behold, the general efficiency of the Blade 15 OLED is surprisingly middling relative to different machines in its class. It carried out effectively in gaming and productiveness assessments, however fell brief on video rendering assessments.

In Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Blade 15 OLED got here in second with a rating of 146.5 frames-per-second, behind the MSI GE76 Raider’s killer rating of 180 fps. That efficiency distinction is fairly acceptable, given how a lot richer the darks and contrasts look, and the way easy the transitions are, on the Blade’s high-refresh show.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

On our Metro Exodus common body charge take a look at, the Blade 15 got here in heart of the pack with a median body charge of 51.5. These numbers are strong, however not nice, and spotlight how settling for a second-tier GPU on such an in any other case high-end machine results in disappointing outcomes.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Productivity efficiency

On PCMark 10, the Blade 15 once more fell in need of the MSI GE76 Raider, however simply barely beat the opposite machines within the pack. With an general rating of 7,100, the Blade demonstrates very sturdy, however not at all best-in-class, productiveness efficiency. Still, it’s greater than anybody wants for day after day enterprise apps and video conferencing. Frankly, if I used to be taking a look at a laptop computer that would pull double obligation on the workplace and the LAN celebration, I don’t care a lot about sacrificing some productivity-app efficiency alongside the way in which.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Video efficiency

While the Blade 15 is usually sturdy on gaming and productiveness efficiency, it actually fell brief throughout all our video efficiency assessments. In our Handbrake 0.9.9 take a look at, rendering a 30GB 1080p MKV file to MP4 to see the way it can calm down earlier than it must throttle efficiency, this Razer got here in lifeless final, taking virtually twice so long as each different laptop computer within the subject to render the file. We had been so shocked we went again to Razer to confirm the outcomes, and their technicians reported that that is regular.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

In our Cinebench R20 multi-threaded take a look at, which assessments the efficiency of all of the cores on the CPU working collectively, the Blade 15 got here in final lifeless final with a rating of 4,419 the place the remainder of the sphere scored above 6,000.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

The Blade 15 OLED fared solely barely higher on the single-thread Cinebench take a look at, simply barely edging out the Acer Predator Helios 300 with a rating of 638 to the Acer’s 609. Other machines within the lineup scored above 650, and the MSI GE76 Raider once more topped the sphere with a rating of 735.

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Battery life

Unlike its bigger counterpart, the Razer Blade 17, the Blade 15 OLED carried out effectively in our battery take a look at. Playing a 4K film on repeat till the battery runs out and the machine shuts down, the Blade 15 OLED gave us 5 hours and 48 minutes of life, which is about common for related machines we’ve examined. 

Foundry / Robert Strohmeyer

Razer Blade 15 OLED: Bottom line

At practically three thousand bucks, the Blade 15 OLED units excessive expectations, and a minimum of the place its killer show is worried, it’s well worth the funding for those who actually need luxurious design and the perfect show on any 15-inch laptop computer at present. But the market strikes quick and this Razer gained’t be the one system with this display for lengthy. If you’re a sucker for understated design and a ravishing display at any value, and you’ll’t look forward to the subsequent wave of gaming laptops to return out with related show tech, this Blade 15 is a really worthy machine. If you need high efficiency, alternatively, look elsewhere.