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MagyarMobile GeForce RTX 4080 debut: Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 laptop review
The 2023 Blade 16 is the first 16-inch model in the Blade series. Its launch coincides with the launches of both the mobile Intel 13th gen Raptor Lake CPUs and the mobile Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 Ada Lovelace GPUs. As a high-end gaming machine like the rest of the Blade models, the Blade 16 occupies the increasingly popular 16:10 16-inch space in between the 15.6-inch Blade 15 and 17.3-inch Blade 17.
Our review unit is a high-end SKU with the Core i9-13950HX CPU, GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, fast 32 GB DDR5-5600 RAM, and 240 Hz QHD+ display for approximately $3600 USD retail. An even higher-end SKU is available with the same CPU but a fancier 4K UHD+ mini-LED display and RTX 4090 GPU for $4300 USD. Additional options will become available in the future as detailed by the table below.
Alternatives to the Blade 16 include the 16-inch Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7, Dell Alienware x16, Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, and the HP Omen 16. MSI has yet to announce a 16-inch gaming laptop as of this writing.
More Razer reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91.2 % | 02/2023 | Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 21.99 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 88.3 % | 05/2022 | Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 i7-12800H, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU | 2.1 kg | 16.99 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 89.3 % | 11/2022 | Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6800S | 2.2 kg | 16.9 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 86.1 % | 10/2022 | Dell G16 7620 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU | 2.6 kg | 26.9 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 88.2 % | 05/2022 | Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX R9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU | 2.6 kg | 20.5 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 | |
| 86.4 % | 11/2022 | HP Omen 16-n0033dx R7 6800H, Radeon RX 6650M | 2.4 kg | 22.6 mm | 16.10" | 1920x1080 |
Case — Blade 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and now 16
Razer deviates very little from the recognizable Blade design and the Blade 16 is no different. If you've ever handled a Blade Stealth 13, Blade 14, Blade 15, or Blade 17 from 2019 or newer, then you'll already have a very good idea of how the Blade 16 looks and feels. It continues to be one of the strongest designs in terms of rigidity and minimalism and the most "MacBook-like" of any Windows laptop thus far.
Nonetheless, there is one noteworthy update to the chassis not yet found on any other Blade model and that relates to the significantly thinner chin bezel along the bottom of the display. The Blade 14 and Blade 15, for example, have visibly thicker chin bezels than on the Blade 16. Screen-to-body ratio is therefore higher on the Blade 16 at 89 percent and its footprint is relatively small for a 16-inch form factor. Other than that, the design retains the Blade spirit and familiarity that Razer fans admire.
The Blade 16 is thankfully much closer in size and weight on average to the Blade 15 than to the Blade 17 as shown by our comparison chart below. Even so, it is noticeably larger than the Blade 15. Thickness and weight have increased by 5 mm and 300 grams, respectively, to be even thicker than the Blade 17. It still manages to be smaller than the competing HP Omen 16 or Lenovo Legion S7 16 due to the aforementioned high screen-to-body ratio.
Connectivity — Thunderbolt 4 Support
All ports on the Blade 15 Advanced Model have returned on the Blade 16. Users hoping for a dedicated RJ-45 port will have to upgrade to the larger Blade 17 or consider an older Blade 15 Base Model. Keep in mind that Thunderbolt devices are only supported on the USB-C port along the right edge and not the left.
Razer has confirmed that the Blade 16 is compatible with last year's Blade 15 and Blade 17 AC adapters, but performance and/or charging may be slower due to the higher power demands of the Blade 16.
SD Card Reader
Razer has retained the integrated SD card reader from the Blade 15 and Blade 17 series. Transfer rates are roughly 2x faster than the card readers on the Lenovo Legion S7 16, HP Omen 16, and even the MSI GE67 HX.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Communication
An Intel AX211 comes standard for 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. We experienced no performance issues when paired to our Asus AXE11000 router.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
Webcam
The IR-enabled webcam appears to be the same 2 MP sensor as found on the Blade 17. There is an integrated physical camera shutter for privacy whereas most MSI models utilize an electronic kill switch in lieu of a physical cover.
(February 8, 2023 update: Fixed an error relating to the camera shutter.)
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by eight T5 Torx screws for easy servicing. Users have direct access to 2x DDR5 SODIMM slots, 2x M.2 2280 SSD slots, both batteries, and the WLAN module. Up to 64 GB of RAM can be installed, but RAM performance will be capped at 5200 MHz compared to 5600 MHz if installed with 32 GB or lower. The performance ceiling is due to the limitations of the SODIMM interface.
Accessories and Warranty
The retail box includes no extras outside of the AC adapter or paperwork — not even a velvet wiping cloth. A one-year limited manufacturer applies if purchased in the US.
Input Devices — Much Larger Clickpad
Keyboard
The keyboard remains identical to the 2022 Blade 15 down to the key sizes, travel, font, and per-key RGB lighting. Razer already lengthened the Shift keys between the 2021 and 2022 Blade 15 models and so the Blade 16 has inherited this change. It would have still been nice to see a fingerprint-enabled Power button, though.
Older Blade 15 models incorporated optical key switches, but the feature has all but disappeared on the latest Blade models.
Touchpad
When Razer introduced the larger 17.3-inch Blade Pro or Blade 17, we were surprised to find that its clickpad would be exactly the same size as on the smaller 15.6-inch Blade 15. For the Blade 16, the maker has finally bumped up the surface area from 13 x 8 cm on the Blade 15/17 to a super-spacious 17 x 9.7 cm. Cursor controls and multi-touch inputs are therefore easier, but feedback when clicking is still spongy similar to the existing Blade models or the Dell XPS 15/17. If you find clickpad feedback on the Blade 15 or 17 to be too soft, then the Blade 16 clickpad will feel no different.
Display — IPS, 240 Hz, QHD+, 16:10, Full AdobeRGB
Two options are available both of which are matte and calibrated at factory:
- QHD+, 240 Hz, 100% DCI-P3, IPS
- Dual-mode (UHD+@120 Hz or FHD+@240 Hz), 100% DCI-P3, mini-LED
Our measurements below reflect only the bolded option above. The Blade 16 is the first 16-inch laptop to ship with a 240 Hz QHD+ IPS display offering both full DCI-P3 colors and fast black-white response times. Other 16-inch panels with full P3 colors exist, but they are all either UHD+ or OLED with slower native refresh rates. This particular panel is excellent for both gaming and graphics editing alike and we expect to see it on more Creator or Studio-type laptops in the near future.
Brightness distribution could be better on our unit considering the high selling price. The bottom half of the screen is dimmer than the top half for a brightness distribution of only 83 percent. Upgrading to the mini-LED SKU will likely solve this minor issue, but the Blade 16 is already expensive as it is.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 456.8 cd/m²
Contrast: 1305:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.94, calibrated: 0.66
ΔE Greyscale 2.6 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
89.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 CSOT T3 MNG007DA4-1, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 TL156VDXP02-0, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 BOE CQ NE160QDM-NY1, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Dell G16 7620 BOE NE16QDM, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX BOE NE160QAM-NX1, IPS-Level, 3840x2400, 16" | HP Omen 16-n0033dx BOE0AAE, IPS, 1920x1080, 16.1" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -25% | -17% | -18% | -2% | -14% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 98.5 | 65.3 -34% | 69.8 -29% | 68.3 -31% | 98 -1% | 74.4 -24% |
| sRGB Coverage | 100 | 85.1 -15% | 98.1 -2% | 98 -2% | 99.9 0% | 99.2 -1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 89.7 | 67.4 -25% | 71.9 -20% | 70.5 -21% | 86.3 -4% | 73.4 -18% |
| Response Times | 24% | -30% | -9% | -34% | -80% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 6.6 ? | 4.3 ? 35% | 10 ? -52% | 8.6 ? -30% | 14.6 ? -121% | 17.6 ? -167% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 12 ? | 10.5 ? 12% | 12.8 ? -7% | 10.4 ? 13% | 5.6 ? 53% | 11.2 ? 7% |
| PWM Frequency | ||||||
| Screen | 16% | 9% | -7% | -21% | -28% | |
| Brightness middle | 456.8 | 330 -28% | 492.4 8% | 369.4 -19% | 459 0% | 373.3 -18% |
| Brightness | 437 | 315 -28% | 471 8% | 348 -20% | 434 -1% | 361 -17% |
| Brightness Distribution | 83 | 89 7% | 90 8% | 83 0% | 88 6% | 79 -5% |
| Black Level * | 0.35 | 0.24 31% | 0.4 -14% | 0.32 9% | 0.44 -26% | 0.44 -26% |
| Contrast | 1305 | 1375 5% | 1231 -6% | 1154 -12% | 1043 -20% | 848 -35% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.7 | 1.47 60% | 1.9 49% | 1.78 52% | 2.97 20% | 2.12 43% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.42 | 2.73 57% | 3.81 41% | 4.41 31% | 8.13 -27% | 5.62 12% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.66 | 0.63 5% | 0.99 -50% | 1.22 -85% | 1.03 -56% | 2.06 -212% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.6 | 1.8 31% | 1.7 35% | 3.2 -23% | 4.9 -88% | 2.5 4% |
| Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.282 96% | 2.36 93% | 2.2 100% | 2.235 98% | 2.3 96% |
| CCT | 6108 106% | 6499 100% | 6497 100% | 6750 96% | 6775 96% | 6408 101% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 5% /
8% | -13% /
-2% | -11% /
-10% | -19% /
-19% | -41% /
-33% |
* ... smaller is better
Our X-Rite colorimeter can confirm the full DCI-P3 colors, but the maximum brightness of 466 nits is shy of the 500-nit advertised by the manufacturer. Average grayscale and color deltaE values are nevertheless low at just 2.6 and 3.7, respectively, before any end-user calibration.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 12 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 5.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 28 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.1 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 6.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 3.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 15 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.1 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17204 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is decent if under shade as brighter conditions will wash out the screen. The ~450 nit display is brighter than the 1080p panels on the Blade 15 or Omen 16 while being on par with the UHD+ and QHD+ displays of the Zephyrus Duo 16 and Lenovo Legion S7 16, respectively. Cheaper gaming laptops tend to average around 300 nits at best in comparison.
Performance — 13th Gen Intel + Nvidia Ada Lovelace
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows and dGPU mode via the Nvidia Control Panel prior to running any benchmarks below. We also made sure to set the Razer Synapse profile to Custom with the CPU and GPU to Boost and High, respectively, which should be the fastest settings available. It's recommended that owners become familiar with Synapse as it the central hub for Razer settings as shown by a few screenshots below.
Advanced Optimus comes standard meaning users can switch between Optimus and discrete graphics on the fly via the Nvidia Control Panel without needing a soft reboot. G-Sync is supported albeit only on dGPU mode. Keep in mind that Optimus mode must be enabled at all times if any external monitors are connected.
Processor
Our 13th gen Core i9-13950HX is about 30 percent faster than the previous generation champion the Core i9-12900HX. Performance sustainability is excellent as well when running CineBench R15 xT in a loop as shown by our comparison graph below. Results are significantly faster than any 2022 or older Blade 15 or Blade 17 especially since the 2022 Blade 15 had a severely underperforming Core i7-12800H.
On the other hand, single-thread performance has remained flat gen-over-gen. Your applications will have to exploit as many cores and threads as possible to make the most of the 13th gen CPU.
AMD's current fastest mobile CPU, the Zen 3+ Ryzen 9 6900HX, is almost 2x slower than our Core i9-13950HX in multi-threaded applications. All eyes will be on mobile Zen 4 when it launches later this year as it will compete directly with the mobile Raptor Lake series.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
System Performance
PCMark 10 scores are higher than previous generation Blade models on average even if the differences are slight. Gaming laptops with the faster Samsung PM9A1 like the MSI GE67 HX may still have an edge particularly in the Productivity subtest.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 Score | 7888 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (61938 - 78494, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (21842 - 94222, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (62368 - 86207, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (23681 - 99713, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (59501 - 80441, n=7) | |
| Average of class Gaming (22986 - 108954, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| Average of class Gaming (59.5 - 259, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13950HX (84.4 - 99.5, n=7) | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth and without any dropped frames.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2022 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 | |
| MSI GE67 HX 12UGS | |
| HP Omen 16-n0033dx | |
| Lenovo Legion S7 16ARHA7 | |
| Dell G16 7620 | |
| Razer Blade 17 (i7-12800H, RTX 3070 Ti) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 GX650RX | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices — Supports up to 2x PCIe4 SSDs
Our Blade 16 unit ships with the same 1 TB SSSTC CA6-8D1024 drive as found on the 2021 and 2022 Blade 15 models. Though sequential transfer rates are still very good at up to 6900 MB/s on our tests, its read and write rates of smaller SEQ Q8 T1 workloads fall behind the competing Samsung PM9A1. Razer is still shipping Blade 17 units with the Samsung drive and so it's likely that current Blade 16 shipments may carry SSDs from both manufacturers.
Up to two internal M.2 SSDs are supported much like on the Blade 15 and Blade 17. On the Blade 16, however, Razer has stacked the two drives on top of one another to preserve motherboard space for other components such as the larger battery capacity and cooling solution.
