Razer Blade 18 review: A gaming laptop juggernaut

Razer is a name synonymous with PC gaming, and its Blade laptops have been making strong impressions in the gaming laptop space since the launch of the first Razer Blade in 2012. The Blade 18 is the latest and greatest gaming laptop that Razer has to offer, so I was excited to be able to test it out.

This latest edition of Razer’s flagship gaming laptop promised to be a juggernaut of compute and graphical power, aimed at delivering the best mobile PC gaming experience imaginable, while also being the perfect workhorse for photo and video editors, animators, or just about anyone with a job that demands a lot of computing power under the hood.

Editors Choice

Razer Blade 18 (2024)

$2799 $3099 Save $300

The Razer Blade 18 is the pinnacle of gaming laptops, bursting at the seams with Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU and an ultra-powerful Intel Core i9 processor.

Pros

• Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU’s
• Ultra-high build quality
• Versatile inputs for work and play

Cons

• High starting price point

See our process

How we test and review products at Pocket-lint

We don’t do arm-chair research. We buy and test our own products, and we only publish buyer’s guides with products we’ve actually reviewed.

Price, specs, availability

Razer’s lineup of gaming laptops consists of 14-inch, 15-inch, 16-inch, and 18-inch models. This review focuses on the 18-inch Razer Blade, which the company calls the “Biggest. Baddest. Blade.” The Blade 18 configuration options are somewhat convoluted but revolve around two main display choices. The first is a QHD+ 300Hz Mini-LED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, which could be loosely described as a “2.5K” screen. The upgraded version features a UHD+ 200Hz 4K display boasting 3840 x 2400 pixel resolution, which Razer highlights as the “world’s first 18-inch 4K 200Hz” display.

Depending on your choice, the available configurations for GeForce RTX graphics cards (4070, 4080, 4090), RAM (32GB or 64GB), and storage (up to 4TB). The black and Mercury color options further influence these selections. Notably, the 200Hz display is only available with the GeForce RTX 4090, and storage and RAM amounts differ between the black and Mercury models when the 200Hz display is selected. The Black model requires 4TB of storage and 64GB of RAM, while the Mercury model comes with 2TB of storage and 32GB of RAM. All configurations are powered by an Intel Core i9-14900HX with a whopping 24 cores. All configurations run on Windows 11.

The Razer Blade 18 starts at $3,099 for the most basic configuration and goes up to $4,800 for the Black model with GeForce RTX 4090, 4TB of storage, and 64GB of RAM. The model I tested was the Mercury version, which came with an RTX 4090, 2TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM. The Razer Blade 18 is available from a number of retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Razer.

Design

Slim, sturdy, and versatile

The Razer Blade 18 is true to its name with straight lines and sharp edges, as its physical appearance sets the tone for the precision and execution found in all facets of the device. The oversized glass trackpad is a sleek detail that makes for smooth operation. A unibody aluminum frame gives the Razer Blade 18 an incredibly sturdy feel and a smooth finish.

The build quality of this laptop is truly superb, and it has a heft to it that lets you know you don’t need to handle it with gloves on. In fact, when speaking with the Razer team about the Blade 18, they encouraged me to try to flex the laptop to see that it wouldn’t give at all. While I declined any attempt to forcibly bend this precious piece of equipment, I can tell you with certainty that this is the most solidly built laptop I’ve ever used. The model I tested was Mercury-colored, which carried a stunning presence on my desk and paired beautifully with Razer’s ever-growing selection of white peripherals.

The built-in ports on the Razer Blade 18 are varied and versatile. While there were plenty of USB-A and USB-C ports for peripherals, the inclusion of a 2.5G Ethernet port, a full-size SD card reader, and a built-in HDMI port were thoughtful additions that rounded out a stunningly versatile design. Among the various ports on the Razer Blade 18 is a single Thunderbolt 5 port.

Though few use cases currently exist for the breakneck speeds supported by this standard, it’s Razer’s belief that this port will serve to future-proof this high-performance gaming laptop and help extend its useful life substantially. As a user, I hope to see the full potential of Thunderbolt 5 in the near future, which is powerful enough to drive a string of multiple monitors from a single port, and offers an insane two-way data transfer bandwidth of 80 Gbps.

The 18-inch screen sports a unique aspect ratio of 16:10, offering more vertical space. This design lends itself not only to more immersive gaming, but to productivity tasks like coding, and photo or video editing.

RGB like there’s no tomorrow

No gaming laptop would be complete without an RGB keyboard, and the one on the Razer Blade 18 is an absolute beauty. With individual key lighting, the Razer Blade 18 keyboard allows for almost unlimited customization through the Razer Chroma Studio, found within the Razer Synapse software.

Chroma Studio is packed with gorgeous presets, like a rainbow wave, color-shifting “Breath,” and area-of-effect presets like “Ripple.” The real power of Chroma Studio, however, is the ability to create intensely customized lighting profiles. For instance, I was able to create a custom profile that highlighted the keys I use most often within Adobe Lightroom. I also enjoyed creating profiles that lit the keys I most commonly used in my favorite games like Counter-Strike 2 and Destiny 2.

Repair friendly and customizable

As a gamer with a background in electronic and computer repair, I absolutely loved how easy the Razer Blade 18 makes it to swap out or upgrade its most crucial components. A simple set of 10 T4 screws secures the bottom panel of the Blade to its frame. Once these screws were removed, the panel popped off easily.

Inside, I found a clean and simple arrangement of the Blade’s SSD drive, RAM, battery, and fans. The Blade 18 has 2 M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 ports for SSD’s, and in the configuration I tested, only one was being taken by the 2TB SSD. One of the simplest things you can do is add your own additional SSD into the spare slot if you ever feel like you need more storage.

Any of these can be easily replaced or upgraded by the user, which can’t be said for many robust workstation laptops on the market today (looking at you, MacBook Pro). This easy access also makes it really simple to clean out the fans and any accumulated dust inside the computer. Always make sure your device is completely shut off and, preferably, wear a static wrist strap when touching the internals of the Blade.

Performance

So powerful it’s almost ridiculous

To say that the configuration I tested is a powerhouse would be a gross understatement. Razer’s top-of-the-line Blade 18 configuration ships with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU and a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX 2.4 GHz, boasting 24 cores and up to 5.8 GHz of computing clock speed. In my extensive time testing the Blade 18, I practically made it my mission to push the laptop beyond its limits.

But no amount of running multiple programs at once, driving external monitors in clamshell mode, or gaming in 4K with maximized graphics and ray tracing enabled seemed to put a dent in the immense capability contained within its slim frame. Not even opening 30 Chrome tabs was enough to slow down this freight train of gaming performance.

I booted up Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and cranked every single graphics option to 11 as I swung through the streets of Manhattan with my Spidey reflection looking back at me from every passing window, thanks to ray tracing on the RTX 4090. As the three fans started spooling up it sounded like a plane taking off, but I didn’t care because I was holding 100+ frames per second steadily on a game that I’m pretty sure could send your average gaming PC to an early grave when all settings are set to their max.

In the configuration I tested, the 200hz frame provided a smooth and clear picture, particularly on games where I was able to achieve a steady frame rate above 144 frames per second, which is most games I own and play. Only extremely graphically intensive games like Spider-Man and Cyberpunk that leverage ray tracing were able to bring my frame rate down below 144.

In my opinion, it’s a huge standout feature that, at least for now, none of the other major players can match the Blade 18 for the refresh rate to resolution ratio found on either of its display configurations. The largest names in the space this year offer mostly lower resolutions to match the frame rates, or higher resolution with lower frame rates than either option for the Blade 18.

Huge sound for a laptop

While I typically game and work wearing my headset, I spent some time gaming out loud in situations where a headset microphone wasn’t needed. I came away thoroughly impressed with the sound quality emitted by the six-speaker design in the Blade 18. Video games, music, and movies had surprisingly rich and full sound for a laptop, with plenty of volume to feel immersed in whatever I was doing.

Battery and charging

It’s important to note that while the Blade 18 can certainly run for hours on battery when answering emails or browsing the web, it was definitely designed with plugged-in play in mind. Razer Synapse allowed me to set distinct profiles for power consumption when operating only from battery power and when operating while plugged in.

The high power needs of the Blade 18’s super-sized GPU and CPU are best served by plugging the charger into the laptop before booting up any graphically intensive, modern gaming titles. This, in large part, is why the Blade 18 ships with a 330W GaN (gallium nitride) power adapter, which allows more efficient output of higher wattage without overheating. I simply made sure that wherever I went with the Blade 18, the power adapter came with me.

Related

Razer’s BlackShark V2 Pro is a must-have for serious Xbox and PlayStation gamers

The BlackShark V2 Pro is the perfect headset for that next Call of Duty session.

Even more options when you close the lid

The ability to run smoothly in clamshell mode was truly a highlight in my time with the Blade 18. Not only is this the most capable portable gaming device I’ve had the pleasure of using, but it serves as an equally formidable desktop machine when connected to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The clamshell mode also worked brilliantly for gaming in my living room, since I could plug it into my TV and then play any controller-friendly games via Bluetooth controller.

I found myself doing this a lot, and I have a pretty powerful gaming PC that I built myself. It was absolutely top of the line when I built it four years ago, but I kept finding myself pulled away, and towards the Blade 18, since it consistently outperformed my (in 2020 dollars) $3,000+ build.

Verdict: Should you buy the Razer Blade 18?

The Razer Blade 18 is hands down the most impressive gaming laptop I’ve ever used, and is the complete package in a way few products are. While other gaming laptops on the market may share many of the specific internal components as the Razer Blade 18, none share the harmony of design, performance, and beauty like the Blade 18.

Whether you are looking for a dedicated gaming laptop, a battle station for both work and play, or an ultra high-performance device to run complex and intensive software, the Razer Blade 18 can do it all. There’s no doubt that the Blade 18 costs a pretty penny, as even its base configuration costs more than a decent vacation, but if being on the cutting edge of mobile PC performance is important to you, and you have the money, then I would highly recommend the Razer Blade 18.

Razer Blade 18 (2024)

$2799 $3099 Save $300