The Razer Blade Stealth looks like the laptop I've been dreaming of (hands-on)

Every year, Razer tries to surprise the world. Every January at the Consumer Electronics Show here in Las Vegas, the company shows off a computer that seems too good to be true -- and sometimes is. Today, Razer did it again: the 12.5-inch Razer Blade Stealth is one of the most exciting laptops I've seen in years.

First, there's the price. Starting at just $999 this month (that's roughly £685 or AU$1,415), the Stealth comes with high-end components right out of the gate.

Even the basic $999 model fits a super high-definition 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution touchscreen display, a Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory and 128GB of solid-state storage into an incredibly rigid, thin and fairly light 2.75-pound unibody aluminum frame.

Enlarge Image

(Pay more, and you can get a 4K-resolution panel that displays 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color spectrum, and up to a 512GB SSD.)

Plus, every Stealth comes with the first individually RGB backlit keyboard on a laptop. You can program each and every key to light up in virtually any color you like, or animate in patterns -- like ripples that spread out across the letters on the keyboard whenever I pressed a key. They can also flash bright red to let you know if you're taking enemy fire in games like Call of Duty.

And I haven't even gotten to the best part yet: the Razer Core, an external graphics docking station which will arrive for an undisclosed price in the first half of this year.

Check out the Razer Blade Stealth and Core (pictures)

+3 More

See all photos

You can put almost any recent full-size, desktop-grade graphics card inside the Core, whether it's made by Nvidia or AMD. You can connect external monitors to the box, an Ethernet network cable, and up to four USB peripherals like your keyboard and mouse.

Then, you can run a single reversible USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 cable from the Core to the Stealth laptop to extend your screen to the monitor, add your peripherals, charge your laptop, and drastically augment the Stealth's gaming performance -- all at the same time.

The Stealth actually only has integrated Intel HD 520 graphics inside, which aren't terribly good for gaming, but at CES I was able to play Fallout 4 at a high 1080p resolution on maximum settings at a buttery 90 frames per second with a Core attached -- one with an Nvidia GTX 980 Ti graphics card inside.

External graphics aren't a new idea: all of Alienware's recent gaming laptops support the proprietary Alienware Graphics Amplifier, which works pretty well. But the Razer Core makes that box look outdated by comparison. Besides requiring only a single tiny cable to provide all those features to the laptop, the Core itself feels extremely well built and dead simple to use.

Enlarge Image

You can plug or unplug the box at any time -- even in the middle of a game -- without needing to restart the computer. (I yanked it, and the worst that happened was that the game abruptly quit.)

You can also pull a single lever to slide out the graphics card and replace it in a hurry, and there's plenty of power (500W, with two 8-pin power connectors) and space to replace it with most any dual-slot card on the market.

There are a few possible catches. Razer's only quoting 8 hours of battery life for the model with the standard QHD screen, and 6 hours for the 4K screen, and manufacturer battery estimates often don't match up well with real-world results.

We also don't know how much the Core will cost, or whether future laptops (Razer or otherwise) will ever support it. (I asked, but for now Razer says it's only been designed for the Stealth.)

You won't be able to buy the Blade Stealth in stores, except the Microsoft Store in February. Razer's most selling this one direct to you through its US website, which is one of the factors that's letting it keep the laptop price low, according to CEO Min-Liang Tan. It should go on sale today, and start shipping later this month. Razer hasn't said when the rest of the world will be able to buy it, but Australians should be able to grab in late March or early April.

The PCs, laptops, and tablets of CES 2016 (pictures)

+13 More

See all photos

I've also got to admit it's a little weird that a laptop from a gaming company won't be capable of playing many games without an external box that won't arrive until later this year.

But ever since I saw Dell's excellent XPS 13 ultrabook and Alienware 13 with the external graphics adapter, I've wanted a laptop that combined the two ideas. Portability most of the time, and performance when you kick back with a game.

It looks like Razer is making that dream come true. I can't wait to find out.

Razer Blade Stealth full specs:

• 12.5 in. IGZO 16:9 aspect ratio, capacitive multi-touch display
• QHD model (2,560x1,440-pixel screen)
  • 128GB/256GB PCIe SSD storage options
• UHD model (3,840x2,160-pixel screen)
  • 256GB/512GB PCIe SSD storage options
• Intel Core i7-6500U dual-core processor (2.5 GHz/3.1 GHz)
• Intel HD Graphics 520
• 8GB Dual-Channel System Memory (LPDDR3-1866MHz)
• Windows 10 (64-bit)
• Wireless-AC (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.1)
• Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C)
• 2x USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
• Built-in webcam (2.0 megapixels)
• Chroma anti-ghosting keyboard with individually backlit keys
• HDMI 1.4b audio and video output
• Built-in stereo speakers
• 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo port
• Built-in array microphone
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
• Compact 45W USB Type-C power adapter
• Built-in 45Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
• 0.52x12.6x8.1 inches (13.1x321x206mm)
• 2.75 lbs (1.25kg)

Razer Core full specs:

• Connection to PC via Thunderbolt 3 using included 40Gbps cable
• Supports single double-wide, full-length, PCI-Express x16 graphics card
• GPU max dimensions: 5.98x1.73x12.2 inches (152x44x310mm)
• GPU max power support: 375W
• 4x USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
• Gigabyte Ethernet (10/100/1000)
• Chroma lighting (2 zones)
• Built-in 500W power supply
• 8.6x4.13x13.38 inches (218.4x104.9x13.38mm)