Razer Blade 16 (2025) review: The best gaming laptop I've ever tested
£3,899.99
Buy Now
Price at
Razer for configuration tested
What is the Razer Blade 16?
If you want the best gaming gear, be it a gaming chair, keyboard, mouse, gaming headset or PC, Razer's catalogue of devices is a good, if pricey, place to start. In a nutshell, they make luxury gaming products for grown-ups, and if you're after a stellar gaming laptop that hides its light under a bushel, you should look to Razer.
The new Blade 16 might look more like an upmarket productivity device, but this is the first laptop I've reviewed with the latest RTX 50 series Nvidia graphics. Apart from improvements in efficiency and baseline performance, this also brings the latest iteration of Nvidia's DLSS upscaling technology, DLSS4, promising major frame rate increases in the latest games.
How we test laptops
Testing gaming laptops combines the subjective and the empirical. A colorimeter can tell you how good a display is technically, but the eyeball is the final arbiter, especially when it comes to motion fidelity. A sound meter will tell you how loud a laptop's speaker system can go, but your ears will tell you what the sound quality is like and how good the directionality is.
Gaming performance is the key metric. I run some demanding gaming benchmark tests to get a handle on performance, primarily Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong. I also run productivity tests to see how the machine handles more day-to-day tasks and intense workloads such as 3D modelling.
Not every reviewer opens up the laptops they are given to test, but I do so I can tell you how easy it is to get inside to add more storage, more memory or just perform basic maintenance like blowing dust out of the fans or replacing the battery.
Why you can trust Telegraph Recommended
Our tech experts continuously conduct in-depth, independent, real-world tests, scoring devices against pre-set testing metrics and industry benchmarks, so we can deliver definitive and comprehensive buying advice.
Telegraph Recommended reviews are never shared with product manufacturers before publication, we don't accept payment in exchange for positive reviews, nor do we allow brands to pay for placement in our articles. Visit our Who We Are page to learn more.
Design and usability
Score: 9/10
Made from aluminium with an anodised black finish, the Blade 16's design can best be described as angular-industrial with a pinch of Bauhaus. The only nod towards the adornments you may expect on a gaming laptop is the green backlit logo on the lid.
The aluminium construction makes for a stiff and solid laptop, but Razer has managed to keep the weight and thickness down. The 2025 Blade 16 is just 15mm thick compared to the 2024 model's 22mm. At 2.2Kg, it's also surprisingly light for a high-end gaming laptop: I've tested many at over 4Kg.
Despite the slender profile, Razer has found room for a comprehensive range of ports. On the left side, I found two 10Gbps USB-A connections, a USB-C 4.0 port that also supports DisplayPort 1.4 video output, a 3.5mm audio jack and the proprietary power socket. On the right, there is another Type-A and Type-C port as well as an HDMI 2.1 video connection and an SD card reader.
The only thing it's missing that some gamers may bemoan is an Ethernet port, but in these days of blazing fast Wi-Fi (the Blade 16 supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 standards), that's not such an issue.
The only negative aspect of the design is that the bodywork shows fingerprints more than I would have liked, and that's despite having what Razer calls a 'fingerprint resistive coating'.
Getting inside the Blade 16 is a straightforward affair, and while you can't add more memory, you can add a second SSD for additional storage, which means you can buy the basic 1TB model and up that to a whopping 8TB as your game library expands.
Incidentally, the 2TB SSD in my review machine performed like a champ, recording sequential read and write speeds of 5,500MB/s, which is perfect for moving large game and media files around in no time at all.
Keyboard and touchpad
The Blade's keyboard is a standard albeit high-quality chiclet affair that doesn't look or feel particularly 'gamey'. I understand Razer's thinking here; anyone who buys a hardcore gaming laptop will probably invest in a separate mechanical keyboard for the best experience, like I did.
Aesthetics aside, the keyboard benefits from being rock solid with a well-engineered 1.5mm of key travel and a full per-key RGB lighting system that you can modify via the Razer Chroma app. For example, you can set up the WASD and arrow keys to glow a different colour from the rest of the deck.
The speaker grilles that flank the keyboard preclude the fitting of a numeric keypad, but there is a very useful column of five customisable macro keys on the far right to give faster access to whatever you deem the most important functions.
The touchpad is a large 150 x 95mm affair with a glass surface that offers excellent sliding characteristics. The click-action on the lower part of the pad is crisp and quiet. There's no fingerprint scanner on the keyboard, but the rather basic 1080p webcam does support Windows Hello IR facial recognition for secure unlocking.
Display and audio
Score: 10/10
The Blade 16's display is a 2,560 x 1,600 OLED with a 240Hz refresh rate, and by every measurable metric, it's a cracker. Maximum brightness is good at up to 630 nits, and there's colour aplenty with gamut volumes of 162% in sRGB and 115% DCI-P3.
It's extremely accurate, too, with a Delta E variance score of just 0.74. That's as close to perfect as you'll get on a laptop and makes the Blade 16 perfect for colour-critical work.
Razer claims a 0.2ms response time, which, when combined with that high 240Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync technology, delivers superb levels of motion fidelity at incredibly high frame rates.
The Blade 16's panel is also VESA-certified HDR500, which makes for a high level of HDR performance when playing High Dynamic Range games. Both Alan Wake 2 and The Last of Us Part II looked great in HDR, with both bright and dim environments looking more detailed than ever.
Squeezed inside the Blade 16 are no less than six speakers, pumping out plenty of volume with rich bass and high levels of detail and good stereo separation, with the latter helping with the directionality of sound effects. Whether it was playing music or game soundtracks, the Blade 16's audio system never failed to impress.
Performance and configurations
Score: 10/10
The Blade 16 can be purchased with an Nvidia RTX 5070Ti, 5080 or 5090 GPU and an AMD AI 9 HX 365 or HX 370 processor. You can also choose up to 4TB of storage and 64GB of RAM.
Prices start at £2,699.99, but the big price hikes come when you move to the RTX 5080 (a £400 jump) or the top-end RTX 5090, which is another £800 increase.
To get a grip on base-level performance, I ran the Black Myth: Wukong benchmark on the RTX 5090 Blade 16 and the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, which uses the older generation RTX 4070.
The game ran at 2.5K screen resolution in both tests with ray tracing, high detail, DLSS 3.5 upscaling, and Frame Generation. On the Acer laptop, the game recorded an average frame rate of 63fps, which is a healthy showing. However, on the Blade, with the same settings, it ran at nearly twice the speed at 120fps.
I also tested it against the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, with DLSS 4 enabled. Set to the highest Frame Generation setting, which had no noticeable detrimental impact on image quality, and again at 2.5K resolution with ray tracing and high detail levels, the Blade managed a staggering 231fps.
Moving away from games, the Blade 16 ran the SPECviewperf 3dsmax 3D modelling benchmark at a blistering 220fps, which is the fastest I've ever seen on a laptop and by some margin.
There's no such thing as a truly quiet gaming laptop. All that heat generated by the GPU has to go somewhere, and the fans have to shift serious volumes of air to keep things cool. That said, even when running under heavy stress, the Blade 16 can run both the CPU and Nvidia GPU at full utilisation without it sounding like you are standing underneath an aeroplane.
Battery life
Score: 8/10
The AMD Ryzen 9 AI 370HX processor in my review Blade 16 is the same as that used in the Asus Zenbook S16, leaning more towards efficiency rather than outright power. That may sound a little odd in a gaming laptop, but it makes sense considering the Blade 16 ran for 9 hours and 28 minutes in our battery test.
That may not sound like much, but I've tested many gaming laptops with equally large batteries that haven't lasted half as long in the same test. Of course, that result is achieved without the power-hungry Nvidia GPU playing any part in proceedings. Fire it up, and that runtime will drop by 75 per cent, such is the power draw of a powerful discrete GPU.
Technical specifications
In my recent round-up of the best laptops on the market, I singled out the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 as the best gaming laptop. Of course, that was written before the arrival of the new batch of machines running Nvidia's latest RTX 50 graphics.
The two machines are similar in many areas, but it's the price and dimensions that are the most stark differences. These laptops will come down in price, but for the time being, if you don't want to spend an arm and a leg, then a machine with a previous-gen RTX 40 is still a good option. The Razer Blade 16 starts at £2,699.99, but I was sent the top-end specification for review:
Should you buy the Razer Blade 16?
As a combination of quality and gaming performance, the Razer Blade 16 is without equal. Thanks to the high-quality OLED display and the immensely potent Nvidia RTX 5090, the Blade 16 delivers a gaming experience that is simply outstanding.
That could equally be applied to the latest range-topping RTX 5090 gaming laptops from the likes of Asus, Alienware, and Lenovo, but none of them are smaller and lighter than a 16-inch MacBook Pro, which the Blade 16 is. Add the useful battery life into the mix, and the Razer Blade 16 is the most omni-competent laptop money can buy.
It's powerful enough to run even the most demanding games incredibly fast at the highest settings, yet it has a civilised keyboard and a good selection of data ports. It even looks every bit as professional as a MacBook Pro, so you can whip it out and plonk it on a boardroom table without a second thought.
Yes, if:
No, if:
Razer Blade 16 FAQs
How much is the Razer Blade 16 and when is it available to buy?
The Razer Blade 16 (2025) starts at £2,699.99. This is for the model with an RTX 5070 Ti GPU, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. The top-end configuration, with an RTX 5090, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD costs £4,299.99. The Razer Blade 16 is available to buy right now.
Should a gaming laptop have a mechanical keyboard?
Arguably yes, but very few manufacturers now offer that option due to issues of size, weight and cost. There's also an increasing tendency for people to use their gaming laptops as 'desktops' when gaming with a separate gaming-optimised keyboard and mouse. A laptop keyboard and touchpad are suboptimal for gaming, no matter what type they are.
How can I tell what games support Nvidia's new DLSS4 upscaling?
Nvidia lists all the games that support DLSS4 and Multi Frame Generation. At the moment, this list runs to over 100 titles, which puts adoption ahead of what we saw at the launch of DLSS3 on the RTX 40-series GPUs. Expect most AAA games to support DLSS4 going forward.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
US government turmoil stalls thousands of export approvals, sources say
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of license applications by U.S. companies to export goods and technology around the globe, including to China, are in limbo because turmoil at the agency in charge of approving them has left it nearly paralyzed, two sources said. While U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has become a familiar face touting President Donald Trump's tariff and trade deals, sources said the export bureau under Lutnick's command has failed to issue expected new rules, stifled communications with industry representatives, pushed out experts, and lost staff through buyouts and resignations. Shipments of artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab to China are the most high-profile example of licenses not being swiftly approved. The company said July 14 the government assured it licenses would be granted for its H20 chip, and it hoped to start deliveries soon. Lutnick and other officials confirmed sales would be allowed. But sources said this week no licenses have yet been issued, and billions of dollars of AI chip orders are at stake. One U.S. official said the backlog of license applications is the lengthiest in more than three decades. A spokesperson for Nvidia declined to comment. The Department of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment. The turmoil and resulting inaction at an agency tasked with promoting overseas trade and safeguarding American technology are alarming both those seeking tougher restrictions on exports to China and companies trying to sell their wares abroad. 'Licensing is how the U.S. does business and competes globally,' said Meghan Harris, who served on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration and has worked at Commerce. "Delays and unpredictability put us at an unnecessary disadvantage." The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security averaged 38 days per export license application in fiscal year 2023, the most recent data available, denying 2% of 37,943 applications. The license process enforces U.S. export restrictions in an effort to make sure sensitive goods and technology do not reach countries or entities whose use of the items could harm U.S. national security. Some staff have criticized Jeffrey Kessler, who became BIS undersecretary in March, saying he has micromanaged the bureau and failed to communicate adequately. Kessler did not respond to a request for comment. At a staff meeting soon after he took office, Kessler urged BIS staff to limit communications with company representatives and industry officials, according to two additional sources, who said he later asked for all meetings to be entered on a spreadsheet. Getting approval from Kessler's office to attend meetings with other government agencies has also been tricky, those sources said. Sources spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Frustration is growing within U.S. industry. 'We're seeing whole sectors where there is no movement or indication if or when licenses will be issued," including license applications for semiconductor manufacturing equipment worth billions of dollars, said Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council. While the clock is ticking on license applications, 'Chinese companies are exploring and doing deals with suppliers in China and other countries,' he said. 'The longer we have the delay, the more market share we're going to lose." Jim Anzalone, president of Compliance Assurance, a Florida-based trade consultancy, said he has seen delays in license approvals for sensors, radars, and sonar to Latin America and other parts of the world. 'There's nothing official about what the policy is and when the backlog would be cleared,' he said. He has received denials sporadically after submitting some two dozen applications months ago to export semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, including four denials on Wednesday, he added. Sources stressed that some licenses are getting approved, especially exports to allied countries, and they noted that some communication with companies continues, especially around license applications. Commerce is also delaying regulatory changes. The agency said in May it would rescind and replace a Biden administration rule before it went into effect that month restricting where AI chips can be exported, but the agency has not done so yet. Other rules, which sources said have been drafted for months, have not been published, including one to expand export restrictions to subsidiaries of companies already banned from receiving controlled U.S. exports. Meanwhile, important staff vacancies such as China-based export control officers have not been filled, and high-level career employees have resigned. A retirement party was held this week for Dan Clutch, acting director of the BIS Office of Export Enforcement, the latest experienced staff member to leave.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
China state media says Nvidia must provide 'security proofs' to regain trust
BEIJING, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Nvidia must produce "convincing security proofs" to eliminate Chinese users' worries over security risks in its chips and regain market trust, a commentary published China's state-run media People's Daily said on Friday. Foreign companies must comply with Chinese laws and take security to be a basic prerequisite, the commentary said. In a statement sent to Reuters, a Nvidia spokesperson said: "Cybersecurity is critically important to us. NVIDIA does not have 'backdoors' in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them."
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Alphabet's CapitalG, Nvidia in talks to fund Vast Data at up to $30 billion valuation, sources say
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab growth-stage venture arm CapitalG and Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab are in talks to invest in artificial intelligence infrastructure provider Vast Data in a new funding round that could value the startup as high as $30 billion, two sources said. The startup is raising several billion dollars from tech giants, private equity and venture capital investors, which could make it one of the most valuable AI startups, the two sources with knowledge of the matter said, as companies building the backbone for the AI boom come into sharper focus. CapitalG and existing backer Nvidia are in discussions to participate in the round, which could close in the next few weeks, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to speak on private matters. New York-headquartered Vast Data develops storage technology specifically designed for large AI data centers, enabling efficient data movement between graphics processors (GPUs) made by the likes of Nvidia. Its clients include companies such as Elon Musk's xAI and CoreWeave (CRWV.O), opens new tab , and its value in the AI supply chain makes it an attractive acquisition target, bankers and analysts said. Nvidia declined to comment, while Vast Data and CapitalG did not respond to requests for comment. TechCrunch earlier reported Vast Data's fundraising efforts, but the valuation of up to $30 billion and the expected involvement of CapitalG and Nvidia have not been reported previously. Vast Data CEO Renen Halak has said the company is free cash flow positive. The company earned $200 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by January 2025, with a strong backlog of orders and projections to grow ARR to $600 million next year, according to a separate source familiar with its financials. The company has raised roughly $380 million to date, and its last funding round in 2023 valued it at $9.1 billion. Vast Data has said it would consider an initial public offering at the right time. While no listing is imminent, according to another source familiar with the matter, investors and bankers view the data infrastructure firm as a likely IPO candidate. Vast Data last year hired Amy Shapero, its first chief financial officer, who was previously in the same role at publicly listed e-commerce giant Shopify ( opens new tab, in a move that could signal preparations for an IPO. Mergers and acquisitions activity has also been heating up in the sector, and Nvidia has been acquiring companies that add complementary software and hardware products beyond its flagship GPUs. In 2020, it bought networking chip and cable maker Mellanox, which has helped Nvidia build integrated systems featuring its latest Blackwell chips. It has also acquired software companies such as Run:ai, which helps engineers optimize data center AI hardware. Vast Data's storage architecture is based on a system of flash storage devices and other off-the-shelf hardware, combined with its specialized software for data access and movement. The company says adopting its technology can reduce the cost of building and running large AI models. Several early-stage companies, such as Weka and DDN, are pursuing similar efforts, but analysts and industry executives say Vast Data's technology is more mature than that of its rivals.
