Finally debuting in 2020, the Razer Blade 15 has been setting the standard for gaming laptops for the past few years. Superior build quality, battery life up there, and outstanding performance have always been the trio that pushed the Blade 15 above all others. Can the latest Razer keep its crown and remain the king even as other companies significantly up their game? Absolutely. While more affordable gaming laptops are popping up all over the place, Razer's flagship laptops continue to hold the top spot, doubling down on performance and style.

So far, this has been a pretty good year for gaming laptops, with more manufacturers embracing RTX Super Max-Q graphics, AMD's full systems becoming more viable, and Intel announcing its 10th generation chips. And this Razer Blade 15 is a $3000 higher-end model with the latest Intel i7 CPU, 16GB RAM (expandable to 64GB), 1TB SSD, 300Hz 1080p IPS display, RTX 2080 Super with Max Q Design.

All of this is housed in a metallic black sub-5-pound CNC-machined aluminum chassis; the Blade 15 advanced model (starting at $2,599) is different from the base model, with RTX Super graphics, 300Hz display, 8-core Intel CPU, USB-C charging ports on both sides, and a built-in SD reader.

If advanced pricing is a concern, the base model starts at $1,599 and offers more affordable options. Both models have a 4K OLED touchscreen variant (which is inevitably more expensive), and the upgrade path for more memory and storage is reasonably easy. There are options for all specifications, from intermediate to advanced gaming performance.

We have to appreciate that Razer offers a variety of configurations to purchase from the start. You can have a simple configuration with a GTX 1660 Ti on a gaming-focused base model, or an overstuffed advanced model with an RTX 2080 Super and a 4K OLED screen; Dell G Series or Asus' Zephyrus Like the gaming laptops, we also wanted to look at AMD's options. The performance of these systems is nearly on par with much of Razer's latest lineup, but at a lower cost.

While not the lightest gaming laptop you can buy, 5 pounds is still much better than those mammoth workstation-style laptops out there that offer similar performance and specs. The Blade 15 can also be carried in a backpack or bag. It's a great option for gamers on the go, especially if you don't have room for a full-fledged gaming desktop and monitor.

As someone who uses a work-issued MacBook Pro, I've always found the Razer Blade to be a closet gaming laptop that nails the MacBook aesthetic I've come to love. The Blade, however, still manages to have its own unique flavor, even though at first glance it appears to be a close relative, with its vertical speaker arrangement across the keyboard.

Keyboard connoisseurs will be pleased with the larger shift keys and half-height arrow keys, and the Blade 15 Advanced offers per-key RGB lighting in addition to the zone lighting of the base model. Typing feel is excellent, and we always like the feel of the Blade's keycaps. As you can see from the images, many of the similarities between the Blade 15 Advanced and the MacBook Pro appear intentional when placed side-by-side. Other than this, the Blade's design remains unchanged from last year, with an emphasis on packing the best components into its thin frame.

While we like the sleek, modern design of the Razer Blade, we were surprised at how mediocre the built-in 720p webcam is; even at $3,000, the Blade 15's webcam leaves something to be desired; in an era of multiple video calls per day, a decent 1080p option in an age when we make multiple video calls a day, the idea that we need to spend another $100 for a decent 1080p option seems ridiculous.

The sample we received had a 300 Hz display with an IPS panel. The thin bezel allows many games to be displayed on a 15-inch screen area. If you are considering a 4K OLED display, remember that while the benefits of 4K for content creation are obvious, it is not ideal for remote work where you are working away from an outlet because of the extra strain on the system's battery. From a more practical approach, I would choose 1080p 300Hz games over 4K 60Hz; once you play Call of Duty or Valorent at 300Hz, it's hard to go back to anything else.

The Razer Blade 15 is beautiful to look at, but without performance to justify the $3,000 price tag, it's useless. Again, the Blade 15 does not disappoint, easily surpassing the benchmark scores of last year's model in both gaming and productivity, as evidenced by a score of 6,000 on Geekbench 5 and 2,331 (multi-core) on Cinebench. It can also comfortably perform tasks other than gaming, such as video editing, without any problems. That said, it did run a little hot in some gaming benchmarks, consistently hitting triple digits Fahrenheit.

Metro Exodus and Total War: Three Kingdoms are currently our favorite games to push the graphics card to its limits, and the Razer Blade 15 Advanced performed well in these games. Ultra settings, Raytracing on) at 52 fps and Three Kingdoms (1080p, Ultra settings, Battle Scenario) at an impressive 63 fps. In less system-intensive games, such as the optimized "Gears Tactics" and "Far Cry New Dawn," Blade 15 easily exceeded 80 frames, reaching 92 fps in "Gears" and 82 fps in "New Dawn."

The Blade 15's battery is capable of about 75 minutes of gaming time, which is typical for a laptop of this type. However, the nearly five hours of non-gaming battery life was more of a shock to me. Especially when you consider that my other favorite laptops only get a couple of hours of use.

The Razer Blade 15 Advanced has the size and power to be a serious contender for a desktop replacement. It's still my favorite of the gaming laptops I've tested this year, but it's closing the gap with other brands that offer impressive price/performance combinations that could put the Blade 15 ahead of the pack. Today's Razer Blade 15 Advanced may essentially be more of the same, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

With all that power, you can be sure that the Razer Blade 15 Advanced can perform any of the options on our list of best laptop gaming.