The Razer Blade 15 just got 2 huge upgrades – but do we really need a 240Hz laptop?
Razer’s premier gaming laptop, the Blade 15, has just been given two huge upgrades that should radically improve performance.
The company announced the refresh on Tuesday. The biggest change is the addition of Intel’s shiny new 9th gen mobile CPU. Specifically, the new Blade 15 will be powered by a 9th Generation Intel Core i7 6 Core processor. The CPU is a step up on the previous gen chip seen on the older Razer Blade 15 and will offer users 2.6GHz base and 4.5GHz Max Turbo speeds, plus improved hyper threading.
In layman’s terms this means it should be radically better at running demanding CPU-intensive tasks, like gaming and video editing, than its predecessor. Until we get one in for review we can’t confirm this, however.
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The second big upgrade is the new 240Hz refresh rate and 4K OLED screen options. The new 240Hz screen option replaces the previous FHD, LCD option seen on the older Blade 15, which had a lower 144Hz refresh rate.
This means games will be able to enjoy frame rates up to 240fps on the new Blade, in theory. We can’t see the Blade being able to play demanding triple-A games at these frame rates, even with the top-specced Nvidia RTX 2080 option, but it’s a nice step up nonetheless.
The 4K OLED screen has a lower refresh rate, but the higher resolution and use of an OLED panel should let it offer sharper visuals and deeper, more immersive blacks. It could be an ideal choice for creatives and entertainment fanatics as a result.
Razer Co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan said he expects the upgrades to prove a hit with power users and eSports professionals.
“The Razer Blade 15 is the perfect companion for hardcore gamers and power users,” said Tan. “Now we’re packing even more performance in the same slim form factor to satisfy the needs of even the most demanding gamers, esports athletes and content creators.”
Related: Intel 9th Gen mobile CPUs explained
UK pricing hasn’t been revealed but the bottom specced FHD model will retail for $1,999 in the US. The top specced 4K OLED option will sell for a heftier $2,399 when the new Blade 15 launches on April 24 in the US.
We’ve reached out to Razer for the UK release date and pricing information. We’ll update this article when we hear back.
The Blade 15 is one of many laptops to get a mobile 9th gen spruce. Asus announced refreshes of its ROG Strix Hero, Zephyrus and TUFF Gaming lines at the same time on Tuesday.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
