Razer Blade 14 Review: Flagship Gaming Power Squeezed Into a 14-Inch Frame
- Delivers desktop-class gaming performance in an ultra-portable 14-inch premium laptop.
- Offers a stunning high-refresh-rate display, premium build quality, and excellent overall performance.
- High pricing, limited upgradeability, and average battery life prevent it from being perfect.
The Razer Blade 14 looks like every other Razer Blade laptop we’ve seen in the last few years from the outside. It has an all-aluminum body, an RGB keyboard, a snake logo with three heads, and a subtle black look. But this Razer Blade is not at all like the others. It is the first Blade to use an AMD processor. The Ryzen 9 5900HX chip made it possible for Razer to make the most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop ever.
Razer Blade 14 Specifications
| Price | Starting from $1,800 ($2,200 as tested) |
| GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| Display | 14-inch, up to QHD, 165 Hz |
| Weight | 3.9 lbs |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD |
Price & Availability: Razer Blade 14
Starting in June 2021, you can buy the Razer Blade 14 for as little as $1,799 (£1,799, AU$3,099). Every configuration of the laptop comes with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB solid-state drive (SSD). The entry configuration is different in that it has a different display and graphics processor. You can get an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 and a 144Hz 1080p display for a starting price of $1,799 (£1,799, AU$ 3,0999). For $2,199 (£2,199, AU$ 3,9999), you can get up to a 165Hz QHD display with an RTX 3070. Or, for $2,799 (£2,799, AU$4,999), you can get the model on the right.
Design: Razer Blade 14
The Razer Blade 14 looks a lot like the Razer Blade 15, but it’s a little bit smaller. It looks pretty much the same, with a black aluminum body and the bright green Razer logo on the back of the laptop. The logo does light up. Even though the case is a little bit smaller, there are still speakers on both sides of the keyboard. This makes it look a lot like a MacBook again.
But unlike the Blade 14, the power button isn’t awkwardly placed in the middle of one of the speaker grilles. Instead, it’s on the top-right corner of the keyboard. The keyboard is also very similar to what you’ll find on any other Razer Blade, except the ” and “keys, which have been cut down and are now very narrow. We don’t use these keys very often, but if you need to use them a lot, you should be aware of this.
Keyboard & Touchpad: Razer Blade 14
The Razer Blade 14 has one of the best touchpads I’ve used on a gaming laptop, which is a good start. Even though you’ll probably want to bring your mouse (especially if you’re a gamer), the touchpad isn’t even annoying, which is high praise, given how annoying these things are usually. It’s only a few inches wide, and it’s just far enough away from the spacebar that my thumbs didn’t accidentally rest on it. The up and down arrow keys are so small that they make work that needs to be done more difficult than it needs to be.
Screen and Sound: Razer Blade 14
The Razer Blade 14 has either a full HD (144 Hz) or a QHD (165 Hz) screen, depending on which model you get. This one came with ours, and it looks great in general. The Blade 14’s powerful CPU and GPU let it make the most of the fast refresh rate. Some of the games we tested came close to 165 frames per second. If you’ve never played a game at 120 frames per second or more, you’ll notice a difference. The colors on the screen look a little too bright, which can be very fun when playing games but very annoying when making video calls. There is no way to change the colors other than the way Windows calibrates them.
Battery: Razer Blade 14
Even though a lot of gaming laptops are starting to break the 8-hour mark, the Razer Blade 14 isn’t one of them. The Razer Blade 14 lasted 7 hours and 31 minutes in the PCMark10 battery test, which simulates a lot of real-life tasks like word processing and video calls. It lasts even less when we play a video on it. It lasts for 6 hours and 31 minutes. It’s not bad for a gaming laptop since you used to be lucky to get 3 hours out of one not too long ago. But because the Razer Blade 14 is so small, you’ll want to use it when it’s not plugged in. You will still be able to do some work, but you will still need to bring a charger.
Pros And Cons of Razer Blade 14
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Exceptional gaming performance with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | Premium price compared to many competitors |
| Powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060/3070/3080 graphics options | RAM is soldered and not upgradeable |
| Compact and lightweight 14-inch design | Limited port selection |
| Premium CNC-machined aluminum chassis | Keyboard layout has very small arrow and quote keys |
| Bright and smooth 144Hz/165Hz display | Display colors can appear oversaturated |
| Excellent glass touchpad | Battery life is average for everyday use |
| RGB backlit keyboard with per-key customization | Can get noticeably warm during heavy gaming |
| Fast 1TB NVMe SSD included | No built-in Ethernet port |
| Strong build quality and premium finish | Webcam quality is only average |
| Easy to carry for work and travel | Expensive upgrades for higher-end models |
The Bottom Line
The Blade 14 is a well-made machine that can run demanding games at high settings. It’s also small and light enough that you can carry it around to get work done. The keyboard isn’t perfect, and it could use a few more ports, but you could say the same thing about a lot of portable gaming laptops. Even though it has a bigger screen, the Alienware m15 R4 is still a good competitor. The Blade 14 is back after a long break, and it’s worth the extra cost.
FAQs
What is the Razer Blade 14?
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics, Full HD or QHD+ displays, and VR headset compatibility make the Blade 14″ quicker, smoother, and more detailed.
The Razer Blade 14’s design?
The Razer Blade 14 has a slender black metal chassis with an illuminated Razer logo on the lid. A speaker flanks an RGB keyboard inside. Bottom vents reduce noise.
The Razer Blade 14’s heat?
The Razer Blade 14 gets hot: 94 degrees Fahrenheit while working, 118 degrees while gaming. As long as you have a desk, you can comfortably keep anything under 95 degrees in your lap while gaming.
