The next Razer Blades are really trying to push just how beautiful, blistering, and big gaming laptops can get. The company shared a preview of the displays for its upcoming Razer Blade 16 and a brand new 18-inch model, but the smaller version is already looking like the real glory hound. The next Razer will push 240Hz on a 16-inch OLED Samsung display, becoming the first announced laptop of 2024 that’s trying to break records for refresh rate on a compact design.
This year’s version of the Razer Blade 16 boasts a 240Hz refresh rate has a 0.2ms pixel response time. Don’t expect 4K, but it does offer a QHD+, 2560×1600 resolution. Otherwise, Razer said the screen is VESA-certified ClearMR11000 and DisplayHDR True Black 500. This should offer good sharpness and colour vibrancy, but we’ll have to see for ourselves in time.
Gizmodo gave major props to last year’s Razer Blade 16 thanks to its strong specs and really, really nice display. To make it better, Razer doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel, but it’s good to see that it’s still going hard rather than merely rereleasing the same exact laptop but with slightly better specs. We’ll have to wait until next week during CES to learn more about the next laptop’s full specs, but this year’s big focus on screens is beyond all else, pushing refresh rates on higher resolutions. Obviously, Razer wanted to stand out from the pack.
This brings us to the refreshed 18-inch Razer Blade, which itself is no slouch in the display department. It’s packing a 165Hz, 4K display with a 3ms pixel response time. To make up for that, it’s promising Nvidia G-Sync to minimize lag and eliminate screen tearing. This is distinct from last year’s model, which packed a QHD+ display at 240Hz. It’s a real pick-your-poison kind of deal.
We still have some doubts that 18-inch gaming laptops are a step in the right direction. While 14 inches is a good compact size for on-the-go gaming, 16 inches already stretches what your average backpack can hold. The previous Razer Blade Pro 17 was already pushing it, but the PC maker’s 18-inch behemoths might still ask you to lift with your legs if you decide to take the gaming laptop out of the house.
Better yet, strap some wheels to it, throw a leash around it, and take it for a walk. Just tell your neighbours that it’s a dachshund you rescued from the local pound, and because of its large stature, I bet at least one of them will buy that claim.
Either way, we’ll get to see more at CES next week. Stay tuned.