RAZER BLADE 15 ADVANCED MODEL (LATE 2021) SPECS

With numerous revisions under its belt, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model has established itself as a perennial favorite, having proven its build quality and gaming prowess to us (though previous generations were called “Advanced Edition” instead of “Advanced Model”). What we’re looking at here is an update to the early 2021 version (the new system starts at $2,299.99), which includes an upgrade to Intel’s 11th Generation “Tiger Lake-H” Core i7 processor, an increase in webcam quality to 1080p, and a fingerprint-resistant coating on the keyboard. Even with the addition of Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics and a selection of high-refresh-rate displays (our $2,699.99 configuration includes an RTX 3070 and a 360Hz full HD panel), the sleek and lightweight all-metal design is retained, as is the RTX 3070. The Blade’s battery life has suffered as a result, and it is no longer at the top of the heap, but that is the only major drawback to this high-priced favorite. The bottom line is that if you’re going to purchase this premier gaming laptop today, you might as well get the most recent one.

The Blade Design: As Sharp as Ever

Physically, this Razer Blade 15 is identical to the model we evaluated earlier this year in terms of style and appearance. Its chassis and build quality remain at the same high level despite the addition of new internal components and functions. It is a sleek and luxurious machine that shines out even when compared to high-end competitors.

Its exact dimensions are 0.67 by 14 by 9.3 inches, and it weighs 4.4 pounds, making it one of the lightest high-end gaming rigs on the market. The new is only 0.62 inch thinner than the previous model, but it weighs 5 pounds more. The Blade 15’s all-metal construction looks and feels fantastic, and it sets the standard for the category, especially considering how many of its competitors use plastic construction.

With the build remaining constant, it is unnecessary to point out that the touchpad is still one of the best available on any Windows laptop, only surpassed by Apple’s solution for its MacBooks. The keyboard is less distinctive, yet it is of high quality nonetheless. I think the keys might use a little more feedback (they’re a little shallow), but other than that, there’s not much to complain about. In our opinion, Alienware’s low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard, which was designed in collaboration with keymaker Cherry, has spoilt us, but the Blade’s keys are adequate among non-mechanical options. Despite not having the trademark per-key RGB backlighting of Razer, the keyboard does come with the bundled Synapse software, which allows you to experiment with the lighting effects.

The port offerings remain identical as well, but everything you could possibly need is provided. A power port, a headphone jack, and two USB 3.1 Type-A connectors are located on the left side of the device. A USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 capability is located on the right side of the device. Additionally, there’s another USB-A port, another USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI video output, and another SD card reader on the right side of the device.

So, aside from the processor (which we’ll get to later), what else has changed in this release? There are a couple of minor tweaks that may improve your overall experience, but there’s no doubting that the new CPU is the major attraction. As previously stated, the Advanced Model now has a more fingerprint-resistant coating, and the webcam has been improved from 720p to 1080p resolution to improve picture quality.

Despite the fact that neither of these modifications is monumental, they do make a difference. Cleaning the Blade 15 was notoriously tough due to the fact that it was prone to collecting finger smudges. Fingerprints no longer appear to leave a distinct mark, and they may be removed more readily with a damp cloth. Our photographer, without a doubt, appreciates it. Webcam images, on the other hand, appear to be much superior. The picture isn’t very clear (in low-light situations, it can appear grainy), but the overall quality is much sharper than that of a 720p camera, which is a significant improvement.

Configurations: Quick GPUs and Screens Galore

Let’s start with the display specifications, which are the most important. A full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) screen with a 360Hz refresh rate and a QHD (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync are both available for this Blade 15 computer. Given that our review device is equipped with the first, it should be able to make use of its blisteringly fast frame rate even at a less demanding resolution. We’ll see how well it performs in the performance section below, but it’s a solid combo with a pleasing appearance.

Displays are associated with specific setups. It costs $2,299.99 for the base model of the Blade 15 Advanced Model, which has an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, 16GB of memory, a 1TB solid-state drive, a GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, and a 14-inch full-high definition display. The next level up costs $2,599.99 and has the same features as the previous one, with the exception of an RTX 3070. The “Tiger Lake-H” CPUs from Intel are the primary draw here, since the early 2021 versions were powered by 10th Generation chips from the company.

The next model in line is the one that was delivered to us for review. It has the same Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD as the previous model, but it also has the GeForce RTX 3070 GPU and a 360Hz full HD display, which costs $2,699.99. For additional storage, this version includes a free, user-upgradable M.2 slot that can be used. It is accompanied with an RTX 3080 graphics card with 32GB of RAM, which is priced at $3,099.99. (QHD).

While it is true that the Blade 15 Advanced Model has a high beginning price, it should be remembered that this is not the only configuration available for this laptop. Starting at $1,699.99, the Blade 15 Base Model is a thicker, less complex laptop that is less expensive to purchase. It’s a viable alternative for gamers who are lured to the overall look yet want to pay a somewhat lower price for the experience. Razer also provides a QHD display with a refresh rate of 165Hz in some of its models.

Some may be disappointed that our review unit did not include a higher-resolution display, but our extensive testing has revealed that 1440p and 4K resolutions are still a challenge for even the most powerful GPUs, and if you really want to make the most of a high refresh rate, good old 1080p is still arguably the best option. Although QHD screens appear to be sharp, our recommendation for laptop gaming when examining the outcomes of demanding titles is to turn the resolution down.

We’ve observed decreasing returns with the mobile RTX 30-Series as you progress up the stack in terms of performance between the GeForce RTX 3070 and 3080. Overall, the RTX 3070 has provided more performance for less money, roughly matching the average performance we’ve observed from RTX 3080 laptops while costing significantly less. The fact that all save the most basic versions have a 1TB storage capacity is also a positive; we’ve previously criticized expensive competitors such as the Alienware x15 for not providing enough room for today’s game library.

Efficiency Testing: A Prime-Finish Gaming Showdown

Below is a list of alternatives to the Blade 15 Advanced Model, which includes the prior Blade 15 Advanced Edition, that we will be comparing to the Blade 15. In terms of direct competition, the Alienware x15 comes out on top, but the , with its bigger chassis and RTX 3080 GPU, appears to be the most potent alternative on paper. On the other hand, the demonstrates what a smaller chassis (as well as an AMD Ryzen processor) is capable of, but you should expect less from its RTX 3060 graphics card.

Test System Configurations

Productiveness Checks

One of the key benchmarks in UL’s PCMark 10 mimics a range of real-world productivity and content-creation workflows, and it is used to measure overall performance for office-centric applications such as word processing (including spreadsheets), web surfing, and videoconferencing. We also conduct the Full System Drive test in PCMark 10 to determine how quickly a laptop’s storage can be loaded and how quickly it can transfer data. (For additional information on how we evaluate laptops, click here.)

Three CPU-intensive benchmarks are used to evaluate a PC’s suitability for processor-intensive applications. Each benchmark makes use of all available cores and threads to evaluate the CPU. In contrast, Primate Labs’ Geekbench 5.4 Pro mimics popular applications ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning, while Maxon’s Cinebench R23 makes use of that company’s Cinema 4D engine in order to produce a complicated scenario. Finally, we convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K quality to 1080p resolution using the free and open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4. (lower times are better).

In our final productivity test, we used Puget Systems’ PugetBench for Photoshop, which employs Adobe’s popular image editor, Creative Cloud version 22, to score the speed of a PC for content production and multimedia apps. It’s an automatic extension that does a variety of standard and GPU-accelerated Photoshop functions, such as opening, rotating, resizing, and saving images, as well as applying masks, gradient fills, and filters to the images.

Overall, there isn’t much of a difference between these systems, but there are noticeable peaks and valleys in the new Blade’s processor performance (and not many peaks). In our processor tests, the Razer is more likely to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out, but it does tend to finish at the bottom of the pack in a few instances. In terms of performance, the difference isn’t significant, with results basically falling in the same ballpark—good for media and content creation jobs, but not quite up to the level of specialist professional computers. If this is your primary goal, a specialist creator laptop or mobile workstation is highly advised for you.

The Advanced Model’s storage speed is one of the results that stands out from the rest. Modern solid-state drives (SSDs) are typically clubbed together, however the latest Razer drive has a significant advantage over the competition. Take advantage of even faster boot and load times, which will be beneficial for both everyday use and gaming purposes.

Graphics and gaming tests are included.

We put our Windows PCs through their paces using two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL’s 3DMark: Night Raid (which is more modest and ideal for laptops with integrated graphics) and Time Spy (which is more demanding and suitable for desktop computers) (more demanding, suitable for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs).

Additional real-world gaming tests are performed utilizing the built-in benchmarks of F1 2021, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Rainbow Six Siege to assess their performance. These games are classified as simulations, open-world action-adventure games, and competitive esports shooters, in that order. As for the games, Valhalla and Siege are played twice (the former at Medium and Ultra quality presets, the latter at Low and Ultra quality), and F1 2021 is played twice at maximum settings, once with Nvidia’s performance-enhancing DLSS anti-aliasing turned off and once with it turned on, respectively.

When it comes to graphics, the Blade 15 Advanced Model and its RTX 3070 perform admirably. However, it is outmuscled by the 17-inch Alienware x17 and is locked in a tight battle with the x15, which appears to have more raw graphics power based on synthetic tests. Because the prior Razer Blade 15 we evaluated is equipped with an RTX 3080 GPU, we should expect even better graphics performance this time around.

No matter how much the x15 outperforms the Blade 15 Advanced Model in terms of performance and slimness, it’s impossible not to notice how much lighter and better built the Blade 15 Advanced Model is in comparison. We prefer the Blade over the Razer because of the tradeoff of a couple of frames per second (which is really only noticeable in Valhalla; the Razer fared better in F1 and notably Siege). Both 15.6-inch computers came within a hair’s breadth of the x17 in Valhalla, the game with the highest demands.

Separate from specific head-to-head comparisons, these frame rates demonstrate that the new Blade 15 is a fantastic enthusiast gaming machine for both AAA and competitive games. It’s legitimately portable, just like the Asus G14, yet it offers a greater level of performance than the G14 (one that, of course, you have to pay for).

Battery and display tests are performed.

We check the battery life of laptops by playing a locally saved 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with the display brightness set to 50% and the audio volume set to 100% until the device shuts down. Before starting the test, we make sure the battery is fully charged and that Wi-Fi and the keyboard backlighting are turned off. In addition, we employ a Datacolor SpyderX Elite to assess the color gamut coverage of notebook screens across the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color spaces, as well as their brightness in nits (candelas per square meter) at 50 percent and 100 percent illumination.

The one negative aspect of the new Razer is that its battery life has decreased, which is shocking. In terms of performance, the 11th Generation processor shouldn’t make much of a difference, and while a 360Hz display can drain the battery, the Razer software has been configured to lower frame rate to 60Hz when running on battery power. I ran the battery test numerous times, which confirmed the frame rate switch, but the Advanced Model’s stamina was consistently below average, a significant departure from the above-average performance of most Razer laptops.

It’s Time for a Refresher

Aside from the shorter battery life, this is a good update to the perennially popular Razer Blade 15. A new processor gives the laptop a little more zip, and there are plenty of speedy and sharp display alternatives to choose from. The webcam has also been enhanced, and unattractive finger smudges have been much reduced.

In all other respects, the Blade 15 is the same high-performance, yet yet highly portable gaming flagship that we’ve lauded numerous times over the years. However, even though the battery life has been reduced and the price has remained high, this is a premium product competing against other premium products. This rather slight update isn’t nearly as deserving of an Editors’ Choice award as the previous 2021 model was, but it’s still one of the best and most portable high-end gaming laptops on the market today.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This modest replacement to the premium Razer Blade 15 ups the ante with a more modern CPU and improved 1080p webcam. Whereas the battery life falls brief, its GeForce RTX graphics and high-refresh display screen choices ship top-end gaming expertise.