Razer is releasing an upgraded Blade 14 this year, offering significantly improved performance and display choices compared to its previous generation model. The latest Blade 14 incorporates current-generation hardware, featuring AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 mobile CPUs and select models of NVIDIA’s RTX 40 series GPUs. Additionally, this refreshed model will provide access to AMD’s new Ryzen AI technology, empowering users with the capabilities of AI in daily tasks such as video conferencing.
With this enhanced version, Razer is placing a stronger emphasis on performance, proclaiming it as the most powerful Blade 14 they have ever produced, boasting a 33% increase in power compared to the previous generation. However, the new Blade 14 does come with a slightly larger form factor, weighing 4.05 pounds and measuring 17.9mm in thickness. This makes it 0.13 pounds heavier and approximately 1mm thicker than its predecessor. Additionally, despite the inclusion of a larger 68.1Wh battery, the new model offers slightly reduced battery life, rated at up to 10 hours compared to the previous 11 hours.
Despite that, the latest Blade 14 gaming laptop surpasses its predecessor in terms of power, equipped with AMD’s most recent Ryzen 9 7940HS 8-core 5.2GHz CPU and either an RTX 4060 or RTX 4070 laptop GPU. The new CPU belongs to AMD’s cutting-edge 7040HS series mobile lineup, featuring the advanced Zen 4 architecture built on TSMC’s 4nm node. Setting it apart from other AMD mobile CPUs is the integration of RDNA3 graphics and AMD’s brand-new Ryzen AI engine, providing laptop users with AI hardware acceleration. This functionality currently benefits applications such as video conference background blur, auto-framing, and gaze control.
Regarding discrete GPU performance, Razer’s latest Blade 14 will be available with either an RTX 4060 on the base model or a more robust RTX 4070 on the mid and top-tier configurations. Both GPUs are designed to deliver identical power targets of 140W. Razer asserts that the RTX 4070 variant offers up to a 22% improvement in speed compared to its predecessor with an RTX 3070 Ti, and can achieve over 100 FPS in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at maximum settings in 1440p resolution.
The laptop itself is constructed from a meticulously crafted aluminum chassis, precision-milled to ensure quality. It is coated with a durable anodized finish and a resistive layer that is claimed to be resistant to fingerprints. To maintain optimal temperatures, the laptop incorporates a vapor chamber cooling design, providing 59% surface area coverage, along with ultra-thin 0.05mm exhaust fins. At the front, the new Blade showcases a Razer Chroma-supported RGB keyboard with anti-ghosting N-key rollover, two front-firing speakers situated beneath a CNC-milled grill, and an expanded glass touchpad with over 50% more surface area. This touchpad also features Windows precision optimization for enhanced palm rejection.
The display options have received significant upgrades as well. Previously offering two choices including a 16:9 FHD 144Hz display and a QHD 165Hz display, the new Razer 14 now boasts a much more powerful QHD+ screen with a 240Hz refresh rate and a taller 16:10 aspect ratio. This enhancement enhances both gaming and productivity capabilities, providing users with more screen real estate to utilize.
In terms of I/O, the laptop features three USB ports, with two of them being Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and the other being a USB 4-supported Type-C port. Additionally, there is an HDMI 2.1 port, a Kensington lock slot, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and the power connection. For wireless connectivity, the laptop is equipped with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support.
The new Razer Blade 14 will have a starting price of $2,399.99. The base model includes a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU and 16GB of RAM. The mid-tier variant, starting at $2,699.99, features an RTX 4070 GPU. The flagship model, priced at $2,799.99, comes with 32GB of memory and a distinctive Mercury paint scheme, exclusive to this top-tier model. Pre-orders for the laptop began on June 14th, and it will be fully available for purchase starting from June 20th.