Razer Blade 15 Advanced adds new Nvidia RTX graphics at CES 2019
Razer also has a new 27-inch gaming display, called the Razer Raptor.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Razer is kicking off 2019 with the Razer Blade 15 Advanced, a new edition of its 15-inch Blade laptop. And while it's not as eye-popping as some of Razer's past prototypes, but a new concept design for a high-end gaming display gives us a peek at what future products the innovative gaming hardware company is working on.
The Blade is already one of our favorite gaming machines, fitting premium parts including eighth-gen Intel CPUs and Nvidia 1060 and 1070 GPUs, into a slim body. And it's not outlandishly expensive, by premium laptop standards. The latest Blade is a gaming laptop that works equally well when you're not gaming.
If this sounds familiar, it could be because we've already seen two new 15-inch Blade models in 2018. In my hands-on time with the new system, it felt nearly identical to the previous model from the outside, so the biggest difference here is the jump to Nvidia's new RTX 20-series laptop GPUs. That's one of the biggest storylines of CES 2019, so it's a bigger deal than it may seem at first.
The new graphics options are the RTX 2060 (6 GB), RTX 2070 Max-Q (8 GB) or the RTX 2080 Max-Q (8 GB). The Max-Q designation is a GPU variant that trades a little horsepower to fit the thermal and power consumption limitations of a slim laptop.
Also new in the Razer Blade 15 Advanced is a Windows Hello-compatible IR camera, which allows for facial recognition login. Display options will include a 144Hz 1,920x1,080-pixel screen and a 4K version with touchscreen support. On display, but not currently available for purchase, are two experimental screen options, one at 1,920x1,080 pixels with a 240Hz refresh rate and a second with a 4K OLED touchscreen.
The base model of the Razer Blade with Nvidia 1060 graphics will still be available, at a reasonable $1,599. The new RTX 20-series version is coming Jan. 29, with pricing between $2,299 and $2,999.
Razer also showed off a couple of prototype new displays for the Blade 15, including a 240Hz version, and a 4K OLED screen, both of which looked great, but there's no firm information on when or if either will be available.
An even bigger screen
Razer is also introducing a new gaming monitor, or at least a prototype of one. Referred to as a "concept" rather than a fully realized product, the Razer Raptor is a 27-inch display designed with eSports in mind.
It has a 144Hz 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution in an edge-to-edge design with very thin 2.3mm bezels around it. It also displays 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports HDR content. The wide stand includes channels for routing and hiding cables, which also gives it a unique look.
The unique cable routing on the Raptor display.
Being a Razer, it naturally has Chroma-powered lights built into the base, which will sync with the rest of your Chroma gear, from Razer mice to Razer laptops to Razer speakers.
Unlike many of the concept pieces we've seen from Razer over the years, the company claims this one is definitely headed to stores, later in 2019 for $699.
CES 2019: See all of CNET's coverage of the year's biggest tech show.
CES schedule: It's six days of jam-packed events. Here's what to expect.