This year Razer will unveil its first ever 18-inch gaming laptop (a desktop PC replacement, to be exact) powered by one of Intel's 13th generation Core i9 HX series chips and Nvidia's RTX 4090 mobile GPU (opens in new tab). Razer has also announced that the new Razer Blade 16 will fit into a much smaller chassis than expected. There is a bit of minimalism going on with these next-generation gaming laptops, and from what I've seen, it's an impressive feat on both ends.

The first introduction to Razer's 2023 gaming notebook lineup comes in the form of the Blade 16, which Razer is offering alongside a 13th generation Intel Core i9 HX series CPU and Nvidia RTX 40 series mobile GPU in the current Blade 15 Not only has the company managed to pack a 16-inch panel into a chassis that is only slightly larger than the current Blade 15, but it also announced that the Blade 16 will feature "the world's first dual-mode Mini LED display."

Neither dual-mode nor Mini LED are novel concepts for laptop panels. Combining the two, the Blade 16's 16:10 panel (another in a long line of 16:10 gaming laptops (open in new tab) to be unveiled at CES in 2023) will be available in creative mode (2560x1600 at 120Hz, or 3840x 2400 resolution) to a dedicated gaming mode. The gaming mode will boost refresh to 240 Hz, increasing the frame rate instead of reducing the resolution. The panel will also support HDR, with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and a DCI P3 of 100%.

Now, we know from previous reviews that Razer laptops tend to get a little hot during testing. In fact, the CPU temperature of the Blade 17 (open in new tab) with the 12th generation Core i7/RTX 3080 Ti specs averaged 100°C. So we will have to wait and see if packing even more power into a smaller chassis results in higher temperatures or simply more thermal throttling.

The Razer 16 is powered by a 95W per hour battery, which hopefully will not need to be recharged often. Also, the new 330W GAN adapter for this machine is for some reason a much smaller charger than previous models. Always appreciated when portability is a top priority.

The focus on portability keeps it looking sleek with the gorgeous CNC machined housing we love. The combination of high-end manufacturing and components comes at a high price, of course, with many configuration options for the Blade 16 starting at $2,700. We would likely lean toward lower specs for this product, if only to avoid the throttling issues that can arise from such a small chassis.

Completely outperforming the Blade 16, Razer will introduce the Blade 18, "the most powerful Razer Blade ever produced. Pumped up to the highest possible TGP, this beast will feature vapor chamber cooling, a 5 megapixel webcam, 240Hz, and a 2560x1600 panel (again with a 16:10 aspect ratio).

Razer is pursuing a very desktop-like experience with the Blade 18, which may allow for upgrades to internal components. Prices start at $2,900 for the Blade 18 with the lowest specs, so it's a little scary that the warranty would be voided, right?

This kind of price is to be expected when it comes to the brand that brought us the "Cult of Razer. It's the "everyone will buy it anyway" mentality. We'll see how that plays out when I have to remortgage to buy a gaming laptop.