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Familiar designNew hardwareThunderbolt 5Impressive & expensive
One of my many meetings while in San Francisco forGDC 2024was with Razer.
I was able to go hands-on with these products and put together my first impressions.
This isn’t a generational leap; it looks almost identical to the last version.
Today, I can only talk about one: the Razer Blade 18 (2024).
On the surface, Razer’s largest and most powerful gaming laptop hasn’t changed all that much.
Namely, it’s the very first laptop on the market with fullThunderbolt 5support.
This isn’t a generational leap; it looks almost identical to the last version.
Razer did not see the contents of this article before publishing.
So, what’s the same versus last year’s Razer Blade 18?
This is one area I’d like to see Razer make some major changes.
It looks quite slick in both black and white.(Image credit: Razer)
In the next section, I’ll go over whatisnew and improved.
I’ll get into what Thunderbolt 5 support means in the next section, though.
Let’s talk about theotherchanges Razer has made.
A huge trackpad and improved speakers flank the same lacklustre keyboard.(Image credit: Razer)
Mostly, it’s the displays!
Gone is the average QHD+, 240Hz display we see on many laptops.
New for 2024, you could now toggle the local dimming on and off if you want.
A superior thermal management system will hopefully translate to better performance versus the Blade 16.(Image credit: Razer)
Minor performance improvements and new displays are great, but I/O is where the new Blade 18 stands out.
So, what does that mean?
You also get double the PCIe bandwidth.
Razer cites multiple improvements to the six-speaker system in the Blade 18, but you’ll have to wait for our testing to verify that.(Image credit: Razer)
For current Blade 18 owners, though, there isn’t much reason to upgrade.
However, you’ll be payinga lotto get this laptop on your desk.
Simply jumping up to an RTX 4080 and Thunderbolt 5 will run you $3,699.
It may be the most premium gaming laptop on the market, and it’s better than ever now.(Image credit: Razer)
That configuration is a blisteringly expensive $4,799.
You’ll also likely want to pair it with one of thebest Thunderbolt docks, too.
I’ve no doubt the Razer Blade 18 will serve buyers well.
These displays are new, though, and they look amazing in person.
Depends on how much power you need and how much you truly value the ultra-premium.
Thunderbolt 5 opens up a lot of options for the Blade 18, once accessories start taking advantage of it.
All the monitors and peripherals you could ever need with a single cable.
The new Razer Blade family is impressive, even if they’re not that exciting.
