Razer Blade 14: A new generation of the compact gaming machine

Razer‘s announcement at E3 2021 saw the return of the Razer Blade 14, 8 years since its original introduction. There was quite a bit of fanfare to it, what with it back after a long absence to shake up the compact gaming laptop category, as well as being the first of the company’s laptops to feature an AMD processor. Without further ado, let’s check out this bad boy.

SPECIFICATIONS AT A GLANCE

DESIGN

First off, as promised, the laptop is a really compact machine. The design is kept simple and minimalistic, with the full black metal chassis. The Razer branding is likewise kept more discreet, as discreet as the backlit logo on the lid as can be anyway. The metal used is CNC Aluminium, which makes the machine quite sturdy. It does come with the caveat that it’s very easy to leave your fingerprints on the case. Best remember to regularly clean this premium machine!

When it comes to the screen, them packing a 1440P, 165Hz matte display in a 14-inch laptop is quite an amazing feat. Where it shines is in its crisp and smooth visuals, and good contrast and colours. However, its base brightness is on the low side, nor does it have G-sync. The webcam above the screen has Windows Hello support, so security via facial biometrics is an option.

Moving down to the keyboard, it’s got your good ol’ per-key Razer Chroma RGB. It’s got a pretty short travel distance, and doesn’t have much feedback.

This kind of ‘lightness’ might not be to everyone’s tastes. Due to the heat coming off the laptop, this may be less of an issue if you’re opting to use an external keyboard regardless. What is good is the touchpad, providing a very smooth tracking experience. In fact, the touchpad alone stands to be one of the best ones we’ve had.

Ports wise, the new Razer Blade 14 comes with a respectable array of them, including 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1 HDMI 2.1, and 1 3.5mm jack. It doesn’t come with Thunderbolt as you might expect from an AMD machine, nor does it have a LAN port. Otherwise, its wireless options are Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) and Bluetooth 5.2.

GENERAL PERFORMANCE

As with typical gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 14 does not have the greatest battery life for, well, gaming. You can expect it to last just about an hour if you’re going to start gunning around, so definitely remember your charger. If you’re going to be working on the clock, the laptop will be able to last around 7 hours, so it’s a decent companion for the work from home.

Moving on to audio, you can see the two upward-facing speakers on either side of the keyboard. It allows for clear and loud output, so no worries about your media. Thanks to THX Spatial Audio, playing supported games means you can enjoy surround sound. In the case of Apex Legends, you can pick up your audio cues better to locate your enemies.

The Razer Blade 14 has a vapor chamber, which is meant to be more effective in cooling than heat pipes. However, the metal chassis may be one of the reasons why the keyboard feels warmer than is comfortable. The small size doesn’t help as there’s not much area to dissipate the heat.

BENCHMARKS

PC Mark

3D Mark

Cinebench R23

Last but not least is Razer Synapse, the one-stop companion software to customize your system settings including your CPU, GPU and others, alongside module installations like Razer Chroma Studio. Feel free to experiment with the settings yourself.

GAMING PERFORMANCE

Now, this is the main point of which you’re getting this laptop for. Packing a RTX 3080 GPU, you can expect it to provide top of the line gaming experience. For the best experience, 1080P should be hitting the mark well enough for both great visuals and smooth framerate. For reference, all the games below have been tested with performance boost mode on.

APEX LEGENDS

On 2K settings, you can enjoy 125 FPS, if you so desire.

WATCH DOGS: LEGION

2K resolution maintains a stable 60 FPS. However, with ray tracing on, the machine will start struggling and drops to 20 FPS.

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

2K resolution lets it average at 55 FPS, fluctuating between 45 to 55 FPS in practice. In 1080P, you can expect an average between 55 to 70 FPS. Settings at max.

VERDICT

The Razer Blade 14 is definitely positioning itself to be the ultimate 14-inch laptop. If you have the coin to spare, this is assuredly one of the best lightweight travelling partners you can bring with you to suit both work and play. For Malaysians, you can get your own from RM9999 to RM12999, which you can check out online through Razer on Shopee. Do also check out the laptop itself on the official website too.

For both an understated yet powerful machine, the Razer Blade 14 will be one of the top contenders for a time yet.

Review model provided by Razer.

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