CES 2022 is in full swing, and with it come plenty of exciting announcements from the world of technology. Among them is the news that Razer has more gaming laptops on the way, including the brand-new Razer Blade 17.
Razer promises that the Razer Blade 17, alongside the 14- and 15-inch models, will be the “fastest laptops for gamers and creators”. In other words, if you want to do some PC gaming on the go, Razer is competing for your attention. With that in mind, here’s everything we know about the Razer Blade 17 2022.
| Starting price | $2,699 |
| Display | 17.3-inch |
| CPU | 12th-gen Intel Core up to i9-12800HK |
| GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (16GB DDR6 VRAM) |
| RAM | 16GB, 32GB |
| Storage | 1TB, upgradable to 4TB |
| Ports | 3x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, power port, 1x HDMI 2.1 port, UHS-II SD Card Reader |
| Size | 15.55 x 10.24 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 6.06 pounds |
Razer Blade 17: Price and release
The Razer Blade 17 will start at $2,699 for an entry-level model and go as high as $4,299 for the top-tier option that comes with all the bells and whistles that money can buy.
All six Blade 17 models are set to be available to purchase from “select retailers” in Q1 2022. Pre-orders will begin at Razer.com and Razer store locations on Jan. 25. In other words, expect the laptop to arrive anytime between then and the end of March.
Razer Blade 17: Design
As its name suggests, the Razer Blade 17 has a 17.3-inch display, available in FHD or QHD configurations. Variants available include QHD with a 165Hz refresh rate, FHD up to 360Hz, QHD up to 240Hz and UHD up to 144Hz.
The laptops also include eight speakers (up from four) with 360-degree sound powered by THX Spatial Audio. That means you can have fully-immersive audio no matter what you’re doing, provided you’re using analogue headphones or the built-in speakers.
The famed Razer Chroma RGB keyboard is back again, with all the customization you’d expect from Razer’s machines. The glass touchpad has been improved and offers Microsoft Precision Touch for multi-touch gestures.
Port-wise, the Blade 17 is set to come with three USB-Type A ports, two Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C ports, a RJ-45 2.5GB Ethernet port, a dedicated power port, an HDMI 2.1 port and a UHS-II SD card reader. The idea is that you’ll be able to connect the laptop to anything without having to resort to using a dongle.
Finally, the Blade 17 comes with a CNC-milled aluminum chassis, a refreshed keyboard design that offers more ergonomic typing thanks to slightly larger keys, laser-cut speakers, a new hinge design, and a thinner profile than before. Razer has also added rubber feet to create additional airways for improved cooling and ventilation.
Razer Blade 17: Graphics and hardware
The most exciting thing about the Razer Blade 17 is that it comes with the recently announced NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series laptop GPUs, up to the RTX 3080 Ti. These pack in 2nd-generation RT cores for ray tracing and 3rd-generation Tensor cores for DLSS and AI, plus 16GB of GDDR6 memory.
According to Razer, that is the fastest GDDR6 memory to ship in a laptop, while the 3080 Ti can supposedly offer better performance than a desktop TITAN RTX.
The Razer Blade 17 also comes with a 12th-gen Intel Core H-Series processor, up to the i9-12900 with 14 cores. That particular processor can offer up to 5.0-GHz speeds. The three cheapest Blade 17 models will come with 16GB of DDR5 memory, offering 4,800 MHz speeds, with room to upgrade to 64GB. The three more premium offerings will offer 32GB of the same RAM as standard, also upgradeable to 64GB.
Other hardware of note includes an 82 Whr battery powered by a compact 280W charger, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, Bluetooth 5.2, a 1080p webcam and a 1TB SSD that can be upgraded up to 4TB. There’s also an extra M.2 slot, with room for PCIe and SATA SSDs up to 4TB in size.
Razer Blade 17: Software
The Razer Blade 17 ships with Windows 11 pre-installed alongside a bunch of gaming benefits the new OS has to offer. Those include DirectStorage, the Xbox GameBar and Xbox Game Pass.
The laptop also takes advantage of the NVIDIA Studio platform, which allows creators to take advantage of RTX acceleration in 70+ creative apps. It also comes with access to NVIDIA’s own Omniverse, Broadcast and Canvas apps.
Razer also promises 4th-generation Max-Q technologies will also be installed, including CPU Optimizer, Rapid Core Scaling and Battery Boost 2.0. All that is designed to enhance performance, battery life and efficiency and give you an all-round better experience.
Razer Blade 17: Outlook
From the looks of things, the new Razer Blade 17 is set to be a pretty impressive refresh of the previous model. With the latest and best mobile GPU, and a 12th-gen Intel Core CPU to match it, as well as all the latest gaming enhancements from Windows 11, there’s a lot of great things this laptop should be able to handle.
The only downside is the price. With the base model costing $2,699, and the most expensive UHD model clocking in at $4,299, this isn’t, by any means, a casual purchase. Still, there are bound to be plenty of people willing to pay that much, especially given how difficult it is to get hold of a desktop RTX 3080 right now. Having a laptop GPU instead is not quite the same, but it sure beats having nothing.
