54 TECH ADVISOR • NOVEMBER 2019GAMING SPECIALthan its predecessor. Depending on what graphics
card you get, it’s 17.3- or 16.8mm – down from
17.99mm – so it’s the thinnest GTX laptop around.
This doesn’t affect its connectivity though, as
you still get full-size USB and HDMI.
Overall, the design is more squared off and mirrors
the lines of the Razer Phone. This includes front-facing
speakers on either side of the keyboard, just like on
the smartphone. The power button is now on the
right rather than central; it looks like it might have a
fingerprint scanner built in, but it sadly does not. The
idea is portability and the laptop is very much that at
2.07- to 2.15kg, depending on which model you buy.
The final thing to mention is the Blade 15 has a
new cooling system that includes dual fans and a
large vapour chamber. It looks nice on the underside,
but we’ll talk about how hot the laptop gets in the
performance section below.Keyboard and trackpad
You get the same Chroma-enabled Keyboard, so you
can mess around with lighting to your heart’s content
using the Synapse software. There’s more to say
here, though. With the speakers either side, there’s
no numberpad (although that means a more central
position) and there are no macro buttons either, which
many gamers will miss. The remaining keys provide a
nice experience, with a crisp action and a satisfying
soft click each time a key is pressed.
There’s also a game mode to avoid pressing
common Windows shortcuts and interrupting
your game. We didn’t experience any issues when54 TECH ADVISOR • NOVEMBER 2019
GAMING SPECIAL
thanitspredecessor.Dependingonwhatgraphics
cardyouget,it’s17.3-or16.8mm– downfrom
17.99mm– soit’sthe thinnest GTX laptop around.
Thisdoesn’taffectitsconnectivitythough,as
youstill get full-size USB and HDMI.
Overall, the design is more squared off and mirrors
the lines of the Razer Phone. This includes front-facing
speakers on either side of the keyboard, just like on
the smartphone. The power button is now on the
right rather than central; it looks like it might have a
fingerprint scanner built in, but it sadly does not. The
idea is portability and the laptop is very much that at
2.07- to 2.15kg, depending on which model you buy.
The final thing to mention is the Blade 15 has a
new cooling system that includes dual fans and a
large vapour chamber. It looks nice on the underside,
but we’ll talk about how hot the laptop gets in the
performance section below.Keyboard and trackpad
You get the same Chroma-enabled Keyboard, so you
can mess around with lighting to your heart’s content
using the Synapse software. There’s more to say
here, though. With the speakers either side, there’s
no numberpad (although that means a more central
position) and there are no macro buttons either, which
many gamers will miss. The remaining keys provide a
niceexperience,witha crispactionanda satisfying
softclick each time a key is pressed.
There’s also a game mode to avoid pressing
common Windows shortcuts and interrupting
your game. We didn’t experience any issues when