Razer Blade 16 (2024) review

pcgamer.com:

Not a lot has changed with the latest Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop. It's still vastly expensive, it's still a lot chonkier than its Blade 15 forebear, and I still think Razer's notebooks have kinda lost their edge. But what sets it apart is that goddamn glorious 240 Hz OLED display, because hoo boi, it is a doozy. 

And maybe, just maybe, so good that the Blade 16 might be back at the top of my most wanted list for money-no-object big screen gaming laptops.

While I do think these slabs of expensive gaming MacBook chic do need a serious update with their next iteration, I still have a lot of affection for these machines. Not that I could seriously suggest someone spends $3,600 on the Blade 16 over the $2,000 you could spend on either the similarly-sized Lenovo Legion 7i Pro, or the diminutive Asus Zephyrus G14, but this review of Razer's latest is a lot more positive than I was expecting it to be.

I guess I'm a sucker for a good screen, hence why I went all giddy over the Legion 9 and its mini-LED panel, despite its weird keyboard layout and strange vapour chamber cooling. That was the system I was calling the money-no-object gaming laptop I'd buy in the pre-Christmas madness. But today, after the launch of Asus' new generation of Zephyrus machines, the laptop I truly covet is the glorious G14 with its lovely OLED display. Though I'd maybe have some pause in making such a personal recommendation in light of the recent RMA issues with Asus support around the world.

CPU: Intel Core i9 14900HX
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4080 (175 W)
Display size: 16-inch
Panel tech: OLED
Native resolution: 2560 x 1600
Refresh rate: 240 Hz
Response time: 0.03 ms
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Memory: 32GB DDR5-5600
Connections: 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen2, 3 USB-A 3.2 Gen2, HDMI 2.1, UHS-II SD card reader, 3.5mm audio
Dimensions: 21.99 mm x 244 mm x 355 mm (0.87" x 9.61" x 13.98")
Weight: 2.45 kg | 5.40 lbs
Price: $3,600 | £3,600

But in terms of the product alone, it would be that G14 machine for me