Skip to main content

CES 2023: Razer teases Blade 16 and Blade 18, a return to large gaming laptops

Large gaming laptops are back, and even Razer is getting in on the fun. The company has teased the launch of two new large-format gaming laptops: the Razer Blade 16 and the Razer Blade 18. Both laptops are new to the lineup and don’t yet replace the existing models, which include the Razer Blade 15 and Blade 17.

There’s very little being revealed at the moment, though — beyond the sizes, of course. Razer has only added a smattering of details for now, though more is surely coming on these new gaming laptops. First off, both new gaming laptops will use the latest 13th-gen Intel Core i9 HX processors, as well as RTX 40-series graphics up to an RTX 4090.

The result? The Razer Blade 18 is the company’s most powerful laptop ever, while the Razer Blade 16 has “more graphics power per inch than any other 16-inch laptop on the market.” We’ve not seen gaming laptops with that specific comparison used before, which emphasizes performance within the limitations of a very thin-and-light laptop.

It will be interesting to see the performance difference between these two laptops, especially since the delta between the Blade 15 and 17 was fairly small. Razer seems to be promising a larger difference with the Razer Blade 18.

Most of the major gaming laptop manufacturers have brought an 18-inch gaming laptop to CES this year. In addition to the Razer Blade 18, the Alienware m18 and Acer Predator Helios 18 300 have been introduced.

More details on the Razer Blade 16 and 18 will be announced as CES 2023 progresses, but they’re already some of the most anticipated new gaming laptops from the show so far.

Editors' Recommendations

Luke Larsen
Senior Editor, Computing
Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
Lenovo just made my favorite gaming laptop even better
The lid of the Lenovo Legion 9i.

I've only given one gaming laptop a perfect score -- the Lenovo Legion 9i. And at CES 2024, Lenovo is making that laptop even better.

There are a few big upgrades here. First, Lenovo is switching the processor to Intel's new Core i9-14900HX and, in the process, introducing the Raptor Lake refresh chip to mobile. I suspect it won't offer a huge performance improvement over the previous version -- read our review of the desktop Core i9-14900K to learn why -- but it's still the latest and greatest.

Read more
The Razer Blade is losing its edge
The Razer Blade 14 and 18 on a table.

For years, a more cutting-edge gaming laptop than the Razer Blade has not existed. But at CES 2024, other companies have started pulling ahead in some key areas.

It's not that Razer didn't bring updates this year -- don't get me wrong. The Razer Blade 16 now has what Razer calls the first 16-inch 240Hz OLED gaming laptop, and while that is technically true, it's not as impressive as it sounds. In fact, Razer had a 15-inch 240Hz OLED laptop just last year, which is nearly identical. It comes with Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh HX chip and still can be configured up to an RTX 4090 for graphics.

Read more
I tried the world’s lightest 14-inch gaming laptop — here’s what surprised me
HP Omen Transcend 14 sitting next to a window.

I've been on the hunt for a gaming laptop that doesn't feel like one. Something thin, highly portable, but still plenty powerful. HP says it has the laptop I've been looking for: the Omen Transcend 14, which it says is the "world's lightest 14-inch gaming laptop." And yes, that's a quote.

It is, indeed, super thin and light, which was immediately noticeable when I had a chance to try out the laptop ahead of CES 2024. HP has a lot of competition to get through, but the Omen Transcend 14 looks like it's up for the fight.

Read more