Razer’s new Blade 14 gaming laptop is extremely powerful, but there’s a catch

The new Razer Blade 14 is boasting some magnificent specs, but the new 14-inch laptop might have one significant issue to get over when it launches.

Launching June 20, and up for preorder today, the new Razer Blade 14 is housing some incredible hardware. Backed by AMD’s new Ryzen 9 7945HS, and sporting an Nvidia RTX 4070, the laptop is a stacked powerhouse in the 14-inch market.

Somehow, Razer has also managed to trim off some of the fat, and reduced its overall size by 11.5%. The weight has also been down by 9%. All this and there’s a 16:10 aspect ratio panel. This is a 2560×1600 screen, rated at QHD+, and packs a 240Hz refresh rate, making it perfect for on-the-go games of Counter-Strike 2 when it launches this summer.

Razer is also ensuring that I/O is not an issue, with USB4, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, and USB-A connectors. In the brim of the bezel is a 1080p webcam, as well as a full standard-size HDMI port. Thankfully, this is an HDMI 2.1 port, allowing for a 144Hz refresh rate when connected to an external monitor.

This will cost you a hefty sum, starting at $2399.99. This nets you the same device, but with a 4060, while $2699.99 will give you the RTX 4070.

There’s a top-end version with unique coloring, which is at $2799.99. This is exactly the same hardware but will come with 32GB of DDR5 RAM instead of 16GB.

The big battery life problem

Razer is claiming that this laptop will be able to pull off 10 hours of performance playing a video on battery. We recently reviewed the Razer Blade 16, which while impressive in its specs, paled in comparison to competitors when it came to battery life.

Currently, a similarly priced laptop, the MacBook Pro, will last a maximum of 5-6 hours under an intense load. However, the Razer Blade has routinely managed to only last a couple of hours. This also happened on the last generation of hardware as well.

One of the biggest threats to the Blade 14 is the emergence of Apple focusing on gaming once again. The Blade series is the only gaming laptop to come within spitting distance of Apple’s sheer build quality, and should more games come to Mac with native ports, it might spell trouble for the green, chroma-laden giant.

Battery life remains one of our biggest bugbears with gaming laptops in general, and the bleeding-edge specs of the Blade 14 might negatively affect the PC’s usability overall. There’s a lot going on under the hood which could mean that your fully-portable gaming sessions might not last quite as long as you expect. Razer Blade 14’s 1600p screen with a high refresh rate and TDP means that in real-world usage, the battery might not last very long at all.

While the specs are impressive, and will certainly be an excellent addition to anyone’s portable gaming setup, that hardware is going to kill battery life quicker than you expect. Just be sure to bear that in mind before rushing off to pre-order.

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