Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model hands-on: RTX 2080, 2070, 2060
We took a close-up look at the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model gaming laptop this week at CES 2019, what with its newly-embedded super-powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series GPU under the hood and everything. Each of the newest models announced this week have an 8th-Gen Intel Core i7-8750H 6 core processor under the hood, 16GB dual-channel system memory, and up to 512GB of fast SSD storage. They've got some spiffy new cameras looking at us, too, fully capable of working with Windows Hello IR (infrared) sensing for facial recognition and login.
Two different display options are set to be available with this next generation in upgrades. One rings in at 15.6-in. IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080) 144 Hz, with a matte finish. The other is a beast: 15.6-in. IPS 4K (3840 x 2160) 60 Hz, with a capacitive multi-touch touchscreen panel in the mix. Several different versions of this notebook are coming with different graphics processors inside.
One features an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6 GB GDDR6 VRAM), another has an RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design (8 GB GDDR6 VRAM), and a third has an RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design (8 GB GDDR6 VRAM). Storage options vary as well – you can get either 256GB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4) or 512 GB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4).
Users are able to get at least 16GB dual-channel system memory (DDR4, 2667 MHz), with 64 GB maximum support, including XMP memory modules. All models come with Windows 10 (64-bit, obviously) inside.
All models of this notebook have an anti-ghosting keyboard equipped with Razer Chroma backlighting – Razer Synapse 3 capabilities included. There's a pair of front-firing stereo speakers, a standard 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo port, and a bunch of other ports as well. There's a single Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port, 3x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports, and a full-sized HDMI 2.0b port. There's a Mini Display Port 1.4 and a power port too (with compact 200 W/230 W power adapter).
The dimensions are the same no matter the model, coming in at 0.70 in. / 17.8 mm (Height) x 13.98 in. / 355 mm (Width) x 9.25 in. / 235 mm (Depth). The differences in weight vary – sometimes graphics power costs you a few extra tenths of a pound!
Weights per Model based on GPU inside:
• [GeForce RTX 2060] approx. 4.56 lbs. / 2.07 kg
• [GeForce RTX 2070] approx. 4.63 lbs. / 2.10 kg
• [GeForce RTX 2080] approx. 4.72 lbs. / 2.14 kg
Above you'll see per-key lighting on ALL the keys, which is new for the North American model.
A variety of models with spec combinations are coming to stores starting on January 29th from Razer dot com and in select retailers. Countries with retailers include the United States, Canada, France, the UK, Germany, and China. Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptops with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs start at approximately $2,300 – individual prices below.
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Prices :
• FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/RTX 2060/16GB/512GB – $2,299.99
• FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/RTX 2070/16GB/256GB – $2,399.99
• FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/RTX 2070/16GB/512GB – $2,599.99
• 4K(Touch)/i7-8750H/RTX 2070/16GB/512GB* – $2,899.99
• FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/RTX 2080/16GB/512GB – $2,999.99
*select markets
Mercury Edition:
• FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/RTX 2060/16GB/512GB* – $2,349.99
• FHD(144Hz)/i7-8750H/RTX 2070/16GB/512GB* – $2,649.99
*select markets
The Mercury Edition is the lighter of the two exterior body types – not black, not quite white, sort of perfectly in the light gray area. Also available is what's now called The Base Model of the Razer Blade 15. That has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with Max-Q design, and that'll start at around $1,600 USD. This model is already available from some retailers and through Razer dot com.
Below you'll also see a Razer Blade 15 with a 4K display that's not yet part of a finished product. We also saw another prototype with a 240Hz display – hot stuff! Not ready for production quite yet, but hot!
