You have to admire Razer’s approach of spreading out minor upgrades over two separate announcements and weeks. The unveiling of the new display options for the Blade 16 and Blade 18 occurred on the 4th, with additional details released today, primarily focusing on incremental improvements in the specifications. Notably, the Blade 16 introduces a 2560 x 1600 240Hz OLED panel, alongside the option for a dual-mode mini-LED display capable of running at either 4K/120Hz or 1600p/240Hz. This dual-mode display now features a toggleable local dimming option accessible via software.
Furthermore, the Blade 16 receives a CPU upgrade from the 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13950HX to the 14th Gen (Raptor Lake) Core i9-14900HX. Despite Intel not disclosing the new CPU’s specifications yet, leaked benchmarks suggest similarities to the previous generation chip. The Blade 16 continues to offer an RTX 4090 GPU with a maximum power draw of 175W.
Preorders for the Blade 16 are open on Razer.com, starting at $2,999.99.
On the other hand, the Blade 14 undergoes a minor CPU enhancement, transitioning from the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS to the Ryzen 9 8945HS, which boasts improved onboard AI processing capabilities. Although Razer claims this upgrade enhances AI workloads like Windows Studio or Copilot, it appears more as a routine CPU update rather than a significant change in the Blade 14’s intended usage.
The Blade 14’s 2560 x 1660 240Hz panel is now Calman Verified, ensuring factory calibration across the lineup. The configuration options remain similar, offering up to an RTX 4070 GPU with a total power draw of 140W (115W base, 15W boost, as per Razer). Preorders for the Blade 14 will commence on January 23rd, 2024, with hopes for a more competitive pricing strategy compared to the previous model.
Regarding the updated Blade 18, Razer confirms the inclusion of a 4K 165Hz panel and Thunderbolt 5 support, enabling 240W charging, 120Gbps data transfer, and up to 540Hz refresh rate video. Additional details about the Blade 18 will be revealed later in the year.
Razer also introduces an 11-port USB-C dock featuring an aluminum case, Gigabit ethernet, HDMI 2.0, UHS-1 SD and microSD slots, a 3.5mm audio jack supporting 7.1 surround sound, four USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports. The USB-C ports and two USB-A ports operate at USB 3.2 with 10Gbps transfer rates, while the remaining USB-A ports function at 2.0 (480Mbps). The dock supports 85W power passthrough and 4K/60Hz display output through HDMI.
The USB-C dock is currently available for purchase at $119.99.
