R
azer’sBlade 15 is arguablythebest-
lookinglaptopintheLabs,withits
aluminiumframe,cleanlinesand
smartlogos.It’sslimandlight,witha weightof
2.1kganda 20mmbody,andbuildqualityis
exceptional.Acer’srivalofferssimilar
dimensionsalongsidemorebasiclooksand
buildquality,whilethe HPandScanmachines
aremuchlarger.Connectionoptionsaresolid
too,withThunderbolt3 supportincluded.
It’sa goodstart,buttheRazerfaltersin
practicalareas.It usesanRTX2060,justlike
theAcer,anditsTombRaider,Warhammer
andBattlefieldminimumsof60fps,55fpsand
50fpsarevirtuallyidenticaltothoseofthe
Acer.However,theRazer’sbiggercompetition
comesfromtheScanandHP,bothofwhich
haveRTX 2070 Max-QGPUs.Bothmachines
arefasteringaming,withtheScaninparticular
RAZER BLADE 15
/£1,899 inc VAT
SUPPLIER razer.com
open
TheR
1080
getm p p g
Thesameis trueforapplication
performance, despite this machine having
a Core i7-9750H CPU alongside 16GB of
memory. The Blade’s overall RealBench score
of 128,252 is the slowest result on test, and its
SSD read and write speeds of 3,054MB/sec
and 1,756MB/sec are unimpressive for this
price too. Again, the Razer will still handle Office
applications and web browsing fine, but more
CPU power is available elsewhere.
The sluggish CPU performance can be
attributed to throttling. In a full-system stress
test, the Blade’s CPU hit a high delta T of 71°C
and ran at just 2.1GHz. In this test, the area
above the keyboard was also too hot to touch.
The thermals were better in gaming tests,
where temperatures remained fine and noise
levels were comfortably low. Don’t expect
brilliant battery life either – the Razer lasted for
an hour in games but couldn’t match the Acer’s
lifespan in an application test.
The screen is mediocre too. Its contrast
ratio of 1,254 is high enough to deliver good
punch, but the delta E of 2.4 is one of the worst
colour accuracy results on test, and the colour
temperature of 7,233K is chilly. The brightness
level of 301cd/m² sits at the bottom of the
table this month as well.
The panel has enough contrast and
colour accuracy to make games look decent,
alongside a 144Hz refresh rate, but better
panels are readily available. The speakers are
better, with decent bass and punchy, clear
audio. The keyboard and trackpad aren’t great
though. The keyboard has no numberpad,and the buttons are shallow – they don’t
have the travel and solid feeling needed for
gaming. Meanwhile, the trackpad’s buttons are
pleasingly shallow, but the action feels too soft.Conclusion
Razer’s machine looks good and has enough
power for mainstream gaming. However,
far more gaming and application power is
available from rivals, alongside better screens
and keyboards. If you’re willing to sacrifice the
Razer’s keen sense of style then your money
will go further elsewhere.SPEC
CPU 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H
Memory 16GB 2666MHz DDR4
Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB
Screen 15.6in 1,920 x 1,080 IPS 240Hz
Storage 512GB Lite-On CA3 M.2 SSD
Networking Gigabit Ethernet,
dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Weight 2.1kg
Ports 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x Thunderbolt
3/USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, 1 x mini-
DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI 2, 1 x audio jack
Dimensions (mm) 355 x 235 x 20 (W x D x H)
Operating system Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Extras Bluetooth 5
Warranty One year parts and labour return to baseVERDICT
It looks the part and has good 1080p gaming
power, but the Razer is let down by a
disappointing screen and a high price.SHARP
+ Gorgeous exterior
design
+ Enough speed for
1080p gaming
+ Quiet in gaming testsBLUNT- Rivals are often faster
- Disappointing
keyboard - Mediocre screen
quality - CPU throttles
PERFORMANCE
16 / 25
HARDWARE
19 / 25DESIGN
22 / 25
VALUE
18 / 25OVERALLSCORE
75 %
inga substantiallead.
Razerhasenoughpowerfor
0 p gaming,butyoucanclearly
more performance in this price league.