Thin gaming laptops have long been something of a holy grail, typically compromised by either form factor or performance, as the slim chassis simply don’t generate enough heat to power the best hardware.
However, Razer’s 2020 refresh of the Blade 15 Advanced Model shakes up that notion, offering an unbeatable marriage of power and form factor.
With the addition of Intel 10th-gen CPUs and an adjusted keyboard layout, the Blade 15 not only does everything well enough for its size, it absolutely excels, providing gamers with the balance they’ve always wanted between portability and performance.
Let’s have a look at the features. The Blade 15 packs GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics, up to 32GB RAM, and up to 1TB of storage, making it more than capable of handling the latest games. The 15.6-inch display is full HD and boasts a smooth 144 Hz refresh rate, perfect for gaming on the go.
The laptop also features a redesigned keyboard that’s now more comfortable and ergonomic than ever before. It’s fully RGB-lit and supports per-key lighting so you can customize your gaming setup however you like.
On top of that, the laptop has a very impressive battery life for its size and specs, making it ideal for long gaming sessions away from home.
Razer Blade 15 Review And Break Down: Design
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model represents the pinnacle of gaming laptop design. It is not only one of the most powerful laptops on the market, but also the ‘world’s smallest gaming laptop’.
What makes this laptop desirable is its slim design Razer has managed to incorporate an incredible amount of power into such a minimal form factor. As a result, the Razer Blade won’t make much of a dent in your bag or your wallet.
This sleek, professional Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is covered in a matte-black shell that weirdly still manages to attract fingerprints.
Its minimalistic design is reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s iconic Monolith, and at first glance, the chiclet keys appear to melt into the device, with the power button lying tucked away in one of the speakers.
This minimalism stands apart with a few added elements for decoration, such as veined keys and a meticulously crafted hinge. The result is a laptop that stands out, yet maintains its professional allure.
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is a mighty laptop, equipped with a ton of ports. On the left, you’ll find two USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port (all of the third-generation variety), one 3.5mm combination microphone and headphone jack, and a port for the charger.
On the right side, users will find an additional USB Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0b connection, a Thunderbolt 3 port for speedy data transfers, a full-size SD card reader for expandable storage, and a Kensington lock slot for added security.
The sleek design of the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model makes it stand out from the competition. Despite its small dimensions (14 x 9.2 x 0.7 inches), this laptop is packed with powerful features that provide users with an enjoyable computing experience.
Its small size allows it to easily slip into a bag without being overly bulky, making it an ideal choice for people who frequently need to be on the go. Compared to other laptops with similar specs, it is a relatively compact option.
For instance, the MSI GE66 Raider measures 14.1 x 10.5 x 0.9 inches, the Alienware m15 R3 is 14.2 x 10.9 x 0.8 inches, and the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB comes in at 14 x 9.8 x 1 inch, all of which are slightly larger than the Razer Blade model.
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model stands apart from the competition, not just in its impressive specs, but in its lightweight design.
With a meager 4.7 pounds, it’s one of the lightest gaming laptops out there, even lighter than the slightly heavier Alienware m15 R3 and Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB, both weighing 5.3 and 4.9 pounds respectively.
In fact, from our testing, the only laptop lighter than the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model was the 4.7-pound Alienware m15 R3.
Gaming Performance
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is undeniably a top-tier laptop in terms of sheer performance, though it didn’t quite place first on all of our benchmark tests. Equipped with an Intel Core i7-10875H processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q Graphic Card, the laptop puts itself in some serious company when it comes to high-powered gaming laptops.
However, it still lacks certain features that other gaming laptops in the same price bracket offer, such as exotic displays and advanced cooling, making it hard to recommend to gamers looking for the best possible value for their money.
The Razer provided excellent performance in my hands; it easily surpassed its competitors when I tested it by playing around 30 minutes of Control with maximum settings, and the frame rate averaged from 69 to 72.
Moreover, when I enabled the ray tracing feature on the highest available settings, the frames stayed constantly around the 40 fps mark, a figure that was about 10 fps ahead of other machines with similar specs. Needless to say, the laptop lived up to and even surpassed my expectations.
The Razer received a solid 87 fps score in Grand Theft Auto V‘s benchmark (1920 x 1080, very high), placing it firmly in second position overall. The MSI had an impressive 91 fps, while the Alienware and Gigabyte lagged behind with 80 fps and 76 fps scores respectively.
When it comes to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a benchmark at 1920 x 1080 with highest settings revealed impressive results: MSI’s 75 fps in the first place was followed by Razer’s 74 fps average and Gigabyte’s 68fps bronze medal – both still significantly higher than Alienware’s modest 63 fps score. The difference between MSI and Razer is almost negligible!
The Razer laptop lagged behind its competitors in the Far Cry: New Dawn benchmark (1920 x 1080, Ultra) with an abysmal average of 84 fps– significantly lower than Gigabyte’s 87 fps, Alienware’s 89 fps, and MSI’s 99fps.
Productivity Performance
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model certainly looks to be a great choice for office work, courtesy of its sleek design and powerful Intel Core i7-10875H processor.
In terms of performance, our benchmarks showed that it lives up to its good looks, being both an excellent gaming laptop, as well as one of the best devices for productivity tasks.
Its smooth performance put it ahead of its competitors, proving that the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is a great choice for work and play.
In our Geekbench 5.0 benchmark tests for general productivity performance, the Razer laptop scored 7,319 points – slightly below the MSI GE66 Raider (i9-10980HK) with 8,379 points, but significantly higher than the Alienware m15 R3 (i7-10750H) with 6,244 points, and slightly higher than the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB (i7-10875H) with 7,194 points.
This suggests that the Razer laptop is still capable of offering good performance despite being slightly behind the MSI model.
In our Handbrake benchmark, which tests how fast a computer can transcode a video from a 4K resolution to Full HD, the MSI computer came out on top with an impressive time of 6:59.
The Razer computer came next at 8:04, followed by the Gigabyte with a slightly faster time of 7:59, and the Alienware was the slowest of the bunch at 8:17. Despite the MSI’s clear lead, all four computers completed the task in a reasonable amount of time, proving their worth as powerful video editing machines.
Display
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model’s display is one of the brightest and most vivid in its spec range, making it a definite standout during our performance benchmarks.
Although this laptop didn’t quite take first place, its beauty and clarity make for an unforgettable viewing experience.
The Razer laptop’s display is undoubtedly one of its strongest attributes. To evaluate its performance, I watched the trailer for Disney’s Artemis Fowl in both normal and low-light situations.
In normal lighting, the image was sharp and clear – but the loss in quality starts to become evident soon after reaching 35 degrees away in the horizontal direction, or 45 degrees away in the vertical direction.
Even under low light conditions, the picture maintained a good level of clarity and vibrancy a testament to the laptop’s quality.
Low light conditions noticeably increased viewing angles to a maximum of 5 degrees. The colors appeared vibrant and clear, with deep blacks that barely left any artifacts.
However, dark scenes posed a challenge when viewing from any angle other than the front, due to the difficulty in distinguishing character silhouettes.
Despite the noticeable increase in viewing angles, the difference felt almost negligible in practice, so improved ambiance didn’t really significantly alter the picture.
After testing the Razer’s screen, we found an impressive color rating of 78.8% on the DCI-P3 spectrum – much higher than Alienware m15 R3’s 77.4 percent and Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB’s 61%. Coming out on top though was MSI GE66 Raider with a stunning 80.5%, proving to be one of the most colorful displays yet!
In our brightness tests, both the Razer and MSI achieved a 300 nits average measurement. Alienware hit 285 nits while Gigabyte landed at 243 nits.
Keyboard And Touchpad
Like its more significant sibling, the Razer Blade Pro 17, the Advanced Model of The Blade 15 boasts useful contextual lighting effects. Unfortunately, however, it also has shallower key travel than chiclet-style keyboards making typing a bit cumbersome.
The Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT gaming keyboard is an impressive piece of hardware. With its solid aluminum frame, Cherry MX mechanical keys, and specially designed keycaps, it is a keyboard built to last. But it’s the cutting-edge features that really make it stand out.
With the intuitive Corsair iCUE software, users have full control over the board’s lighting, personalizing it with up to 16.8 million colors and myriad lighting patterns and effects.
Its Fn row, for example, lights up while holding the Fn key, while the rest of the keyboard dims automatically.
And when you score a kill in games like Overwatch, a celebratory wave pattern will dance across the keyboard in an impressive show of vibrancy and flair – an eye-catching feat that simply couldn’t be accomplished without the power of intelligent software and sophisticated per-key RGB lighting.
Testing my typing speed on 10fastfingers.com was a disheartening experience. While my usual word-per-minute (wpm) rate is around 75, on the tests I could only manage to hit around 65 wpm.
Additionally, I had trouble keeping up with the speed at which I was typing, as my fingers felt sore after a few attempts.
This lack of performance likely had to do with the keyboard’s short travel distance, which gave little feedback and made it hard to type without looking at the keyboard.
All in all, it was a particularly poor typing experience though I’m hoping it was just an off day.
The Blade Pro’s touchpad provides an unparalleled level of comfort, with its 5.1 by 3.1 inch glass precision surface that allows for effortless gliding and smooth multi-touch gestures recognition.
Audio
With its speakers placed on either side of the keyboard, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is an impressive laptop with robust bass and booming sound.
I was thoroughly impressed with the sound quality of these speakers when I tested them with Taylor Swift’s Cardigan. The sound filled my entire two-bedroom apartment, but what really stood out was the accuracy of the bass track and the clarity of the high notes.
There was no hint of distortion whatsoever, it all sounded smooth and vibrant. It’s rare to find speakers that can reproduce sound this accurately, and I love the results!
Upgradeability
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model couldn’t be easier to upgrade. First, you’ll need to round up a Torx screwdriver. Then all you need to do is unscrew the 10 Torx screws found along the underside of the laptop and carefully lift up the bottom case.
Once that’s done, you’ll have direct access to the RAM, SSD, and Wi-Fi card. There is an RGB ribbon cable that runs through the middle of the laptop for lighting and other effects, but you won’t need to worry about disconnecting it as long as you take care to properly maneuver the bottom plate back into place after an upgrade.
Battery Life
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model has some of the longest-lasting battery of similarly specced gaming machines, able to keep you gaming for up to 5 hours and 2 minutes in our benchmark without having to worry about a charge.
This was tested by streaming video and OpenGL tests at 150 nits, so you know that it won’t let you down when traveling or need to unplug the laptop if you want to move it around your home.
While it may not last you the entire day without a charge, this battery life is more than satisfactory for everyday gaming needs.
The Aorus 15G XB emerged as the undisputed battery-life champion among our test machines, with an impressive lasting time of 6 hours and 16 minutes in the same benchmark.
The MSI and Alienware machines weren’t too far behind, with both scoring battery lives of 4:57 and 2:39 respectively. However, the Aorus 15G XB managed to demonstrate a clear upper hand in terms of battery power.
Heat
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model does get quite hot during use, most likely due to its slim design and a lack of ventilation for heat dissipation. The sides of the laptop do not have any vents, which means the hot air generated will only escape through the underside and the rear of the hinge area.
While it is a comfort to not have hot air blowing on your hands and face, the top surfaces of the laptop can become hot to the touch, creating an awkward and unpleasant user experience.
Playing Control on the Razer was enjoyable until I noticed that the WASD keys had become uncomfortably hot.
It wasn’t intense enough to burn my fingers, but it was certainly distracting and pulled me away from the game.
To ensure I was the most comfortable, I took measures to cool down the keyboard and continued my session.
To ensure the longevity of the hardware components, it is essential to ensure that the laptop stays cool, even during demanding tasks and activities.
To help with this, there are laptop cooling pads on the market that help keep the laptop cool while also lifting its base off the desk or any other surface.
Webcam
The webcam on the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is one of its best features. Unlike many laptops with low-quality webcams, this one has a 720p camera that captures clear and vibrant videos in a well-lit room or outdoors.
In addition to the sharp resolution, it also has dual array microphones that do an excellent job of picking up audio.
Most gaming laptops don’t have the best webcams, but the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model proves that it doesn’t have to be this way. If video calls are a regular part of your life, the webcam on this laptop won’t let you down.
Final Words
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model lives up to its name. Its small size belies its impressive performance, sleek design, gorgeous display, and powerful audio. It literally ticks all the boxes when it comes to features.
However, such features come at a price of a whopping $2,700. This investment is certainly worth it, though, if you’re looking for a laptop that will be a top contender across all categories.
The Razer laptop comes close to outperforming its class, with only a slight difference between it and the slightly more powerful MSI GE66 Raider.
Even more impressively, this performance is achieved with a laptop that is 0.2 inches thinner and around 0.5 lbs lighter, at a more affordable price tag of $2,999.99.
However, if overall performance is of utmost importance, the MSI GE66 Raider might be the right choice, considering its more powerful Core i9 processor and its $100 higher price tag.
No matter what your choice is, you can rest assured that the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model will offer a great gaming experience packed into an incredibly sleek design.
It is the perfect laptop for those who need maximum performance without compromise.
So, if you’re looking for a laptop that offers an unbeatable combination of power, portability, and style, then the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model is definitely worth considering.
With its impressive features, it’s sure to make gaming, video editing, podcasting, and almost everything that you will throw at it more enjoyable than ever before.
