Razer Blade Stealth

Hands-on with the Razer Blade Stealth

Updated: The original Razer Blade Stealth was unveiled back at CES in January, but was never launched in the UK. Today, that’s changed, as Razer has just announced the European launch of both the Razer Blade Stealth laptop and Core GPU dock.
However, the European version has been given some hardware upgrades over the first-generation model. For a start you’re getting a new 7th-gen Intel Core i7-7500U chip, while RAM capacity has been increased from 8GB to 16GB. And storage is getting a huge boost, moving from 256GB to a massive 1TB PCIe SSD. “Despite the delay, you’re getting a materially improved product,” Brad Wildes, Razer’s GM of Systems, told TrustedReviews, adding that you’ll also get a “15% longer battery life” thanks to a new 53.6Wh cell that lasts around nine hours.
The new Razer Blade Stealth also comes with a free copy of the FL Studio image editing program, which is valued at about €189. And the total cost for the Razer Blade Stealth is £999, €1,099 or $999, depending on your region.
Meanwhile, the Razer Core external graphics enclosure costs £499 or €599, but this drops to £399 or €449 if you buy it at the same time you purchase a Razer Blade Stealth.Oh, and if you’re going to buy a Stealth, you might as well act quickly; if you purchase one before the end of October, you’ll get a Razer Orochi gaming mouse and Razer Kabuto mousepad free of charge. All in all, it seems like decent value for money.
You’re getting a great, powerful ultrabook with a bunch of freebies, with the option of Razer Core GPU compatibility. But we’ll have to wait for a full review before we can make a proper recommendation.
My original hands-on time with the first-generation Stealth follows below.

Razer Blade Stealth – Design

The Razer Blade Stealth is a spin-off variant of the company’s core gaming laptop lineup. However, Razer has slimmed down the form factor significantly – we’re talking a thickness of 0.52-inches and a weight of only 1.25kg.
Not surprisingly, the notebook felt incredibly lightweight in the hand, and looked chic and elegant on the tabletop.
The Razer Blade Stealth ships with a 12.5-inch IGZO touchscreen. It comes in two core variants – one has a QHD panel, while the other boasts an even higher resolution 4K/UHD panel.
I got a look at the 4K version, and the display was superbly sharp. Colours appeared bright and vivid, and detail was excellent.

Razer Blade Stealth – Performance

Following a quick play around with the operating system – Windows 10, naturally – I found the Intel Core i7-6500U dual-core processor (clocked to 2.5GHz) to offer nippy performance. There’s also 8GB of dual-channel LPDDR3-1866MHz RAM to boot.
Of course, I couldn’t try out Razer’s latest gaming fare without actually playing a game, so I tested out the Blade Stealth with Star Wars: Battlefront.
I cranked up all of the graphics settings to Ultra – the maximum available – at a QHD resolution, and the frame rate was fine. There was no stuttering at all, even in outside environments.
By this point, you may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned a built-in dedicated GPU. After all, that’s a must-have on any respectable gaming laptop, right? Not here.

Razer Blade Stealth – The Core

That’s because Razer has an alternative – the Razer Core.
The Razer Core is a dedicated graphics enclosure that sits alongside the laptop and hosts a desktop-grade graphics card of your choice – so long as it’s either Nvidia or AMD.
Instead of the Blade Stealth powering gaming graphics, the notebook simply hooks up to the Core via a Thunderbolt connection.
Plugging the Blade Stealth into the Core via a single connection was simple, offering a superb perk – the Core has a host of ports on the rear, meaning you don’t need to clog up your laptop’s sides with cables.

Both the Blade Stealth and Razer Core are Chroma enabled. That’s Razer shorthand for integrated lighting tech, with 16.8 million colours. It’s also worth noting that the Blade Stealth features the world’s first individually backlit keyboard.
Naturally, this synchronised glowing makes the Blade Stealth and Razer Core pairing look sufficiently fearsome on any surface.
I didn’t get an opportunity to test out the laptop's battery life – wait for the full review – but Razer tells me it will offer a minimum of six hours, although better longevity is being targeted.

Razer Blade Stealth – Specs

Here’s a full list of Razer Blade Stealth specs (on the priciest model):

12.5-inch IGZO 16:9 touch display (3,840 x 2,160 UHD panel)
512GB PCI Express SSD
Intel Core i7-6500U Dual-Core Processor (2.5/3.1GHz)
Intel HD Graphics 520
8GB Dual-Channel RAM (LPDDR3-1866MHz)
Windows 10 (64-bit)
802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
USB 3.0 ports x 2 (SuperSpeed)
2-megapixel webcam
Chrome anti-ghosting keyboard with individually backlit keys
HDMI 1.4b audio and video output
Built-in stereo speakers
3.5mm headphone jack
Built-in array microphone
45Wh battery

Razer Blade Stealth – Price

Although exact UK pricing wasn't available, the US mark-ups will range between $999 and $1,599, depending on which of the four configurations you opt for.

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