Verdict — Better With Intel Panther Lake
Since the 2025 Blade 16 was such an immense update to the 2024 Blade 16, the 2026 Blade 16 understandably brings just smaller changes. Faster memory, better HDR support, slightly cooler core temperatures, and a more efficient CPU all lead to an improved gaming performance from the same GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and chassis design. Battery life in particular is much longer this time around which may attract more students or frequent travelers.
The major drawback is that the list of improvements come with a very noticeable bump in price. Whereas the 2025 Blade 16 with Ryzen AI 9 HX and RTX 5090 launched for $4500, the 2026 Blade 16 with the Core Ultra 9 and same GPU/RAM/SSD capacities would launch for $4900 instead. Thus, while the updates to the system this year are welcomed, the price increase can be a bit harder to justify for a model that already retails for higher than most competitors including those from Asus.
Pros
Cons
Price and Availability
The 2026 Blade 16 as configured in this review is now shipping directly from the manufacturer for $4900 USD.
The Razer Blade 16 is back for 2026 with brand new Intel configurations to complement the AMD-only options on the 2025 Blade 16. The 2025 and 2026 models otherwise share the same external chassis design and so we recommend checking out our review on the 2025 model to learn more about the physical features of the Blade 16. There are nonetheless several internal upgrades and differences worth mentioning that this review page will detail.
Our test unit is a top-end configuration with the Panther Lake Core Ultra 9 386H CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and QHD+ 240 Hz OLED display for approximately $4900 USD. Lesser configurations are available with the RTX 5080 or RTX 5060 if configuring with the Ryzen AI 9 365.
Competitors include other ultrathin gaming laptops like the Alienware 16 Area-51, Lenovo Legion 9 16IRX8, or MSI Crosshair.
More Razer reviews:
Specifications
Case
Connectivity
While port options are visually identical, the USB-C ports now support Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 for better docking capabilities and eGPU support.
SD Card Reader
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Communication
Webcam
Maintenance
Display
The OLED display has undergone no major changes when it comes to native refresh rate, resolution, P3 colors, or even panel manufacturer for an identical viewing experience as the 2025 Blade 16. However, the display for the 2026 Blade 16 is brighter on SDR mode and especially on HDR mode (500 nits to 1000 nits) for much improved HDR playback support.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 462.2 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 3.03 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.73}
calibrated: 0.6
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 0.6 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø4.98}
93.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
99.7% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.2
CCT: 6452 K
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H Samsung ATNA60HU06-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 ATNA60DL04-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Samsung 160HU05, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 Samsung ATNA60HU01-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | HP Omen Max 16 ah000 Samsung ATNA60DL02-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG AUO B160QAN02.3, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -4% | 1% | 0% | 2% | -5% | |
| Display P3 Coverage (%) | 99.7 | 96.1 -4% | 99.6 0% | 99.5 0% | 99.7 0% | 95.5 -4% |
| sRGB Coverage (%) | 100 | 99.9 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 99.7 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage (%) | 93.5 | 85 -9% | 95.6 2% | 94.4 1% | 98.2 5% | 83.9 -10% |
| Response Times | 9% | 0% | 0% | -6% | -1427% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * (ms) | 0.28 ? | 0.2 ? 29% | 0.29 ? -4% | 0.28 ? -0% | 0.29 ? -4% | 3.59 ? -1182% |
| Response Time Black / White * (ms) | 0.4 ? | 0.25 ? 37% | 0.41 ? -2% | 0.43 ? -8% | 0.47 ? -17% | 7.09 ? -1672% |
| PWM Frequency (Hz) | 1441 | 960 ? | 1440 ? | 1438 ? | 960 ? | |
| PWM Amplitude * (%) | 32 | 44 -38% | 30 6% | 29 9% | 31 3% | |
| Screen | -21% | 9% | -15% | -32% | -203% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 462.2 | 391 -15% | 383.3 -17% | 490.4 6% | 376.5 -19% | 472 2% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 465 | 393 -15% | 387 -17% | 498 7% | 382 -18% | 438 -6% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 97 | 98 1% | 97 0% | 97 0% | 96 -1% | 88 -9% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.4 | |||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.03 | 1.2 60% | 0.87 71% | 3.2 -6% | 3.67 -21% | 6.07 -100% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.84 | 3.2 45% | 2.23 62% | 6.04 -3% | 7.24 -24% | 9.76 -67% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.6 | 0.61 -2% | 0.84 -40% | 0.94 -57% | 2.25 -275% | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 0.6 | 1.8 -200% | 0.8 -33% | 1 -67% | 1.1 -83% | 6.4 -967% |
| Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.2 100% | 2.19 100% | 2.24 98% | 2.25 98% | 2.52 87% |
| CCT | 6452 101% | 6493 100% | 6395 102% | 6373 102% | 6319 103% | 7987 81% |
| Contrast (:1) | 1180 | |||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -5% /
-9% | 3% /
5% | -5% /
-8% | -12% /
-18% | -545% /
-358% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 0.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.2 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 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 0 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (19.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 0.28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.15 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.13 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. » 0 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (31.1 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 1441 Hz Amplitude: 32 % |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 1441 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 1441 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 7822 (minimum: 1.31 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set Synapse to Performance mode and the GPU to discrete mode prior to running the benchmarks below.
Processor
The Core Ultra 9 386H is about 10 to 15 percent slower than the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in last year's Blade 16 to be more in line with the Ryzen AI 9 365. Performance would also dip slightly by about 8 percent when running CineBench R15 xT in a loop as shown by the graph below due to Turbo Boost limitations.
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 6.6: Multi-Core | Single-Core
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
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Schenker XMG APEX 16 MAX | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Lenovo Legion 7 16IAX10 | |
| Lenovo Legion 9 16IRX8 | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (24.5 - 24.8, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 RTX 5080 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Alienware x16 R2 P120F | |
| Maingear ML-16 MK2 | |
* ... 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 | CPU CheckMate
| Performance rating | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus -1! | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 -1! | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG -1! | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 -1! | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 -1! | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H -1! | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H -1! | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (20588 - 21727, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (109555 - 113595, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (5379 - 5604, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (7267 - 7332, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (58275 - 61578, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (69610 - 70433, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (1245 - 1271, n=3) | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (10023 - 11627, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (74945 - 89891, n=3) | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 (v6.92.6600) | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU CheckMate | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (4689 - 4826, n=3) | |
System Performance
PCMark 10: Score | Essentials | Productivity | Digital Content Creation
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| Performance rating | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 -1! | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 -4! | |
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (9457 - 10164, n=2) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (9755 - 10840, n=2) | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (16063 - 16479, n=2) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (14280 - 16364, n=2) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (2073 - 2185, n=2) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (1876 - 1972, n=2) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (2420 - 2558, n=2) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (1755 - 1854, n=2) | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (307 - 325, n=2) | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (242 - 301, n=2) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop (444 - 456, n=2) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 10164 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (107528 - 129946, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (99207 - 118858, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (106443 - 135096, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (87.2 - 105.9, n=3) | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The GeForce RTX 5090 in our Blade 16 performs within 1 percent of the average laptop in our database with the exact same GPU option. Thicker laptops like the Lenovo Legion 9 18 may run up to 10 percent faster than our Razer if configured with the same GPU.
Dropping from Performance mode to Balanced mode or Quiet mode would impact performance by roughly 5 percent and 15 percent, respectively, as shown by our Fire Strike results table below.
| Power Profile | Graphics Score | Physics Score | Combined Score |
| Performance Mode | 52405 | 31895 | 16087 |
| Balanced Mode | 50375 (-4%) | 31874 (-0%) | 15922 (-1%) |
| Battery Power | 13799 (-74%) | 24300 (-24%) | 11871 (-26%) |
| Quiet Mode | 45285 (-14%) | 26717 (-16%) | 12713 (-21%) |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 25151 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 64882 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 39634 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 21685 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 5915 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
Average frame rates with our Intel-powered Blade 16 would consistently outperform last year's AMD-powered Blade 16 by about 5 to 20 percent depending on the title and settings. The results are notable since the Core Ultra 9 386H itself is not faster than the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 when it comes to raw multi-threaded workloads.
| Cyberpunk 2077 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (FSR off) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 | |
| Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG | |
| HP Omen Max 16 ah000 | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H | |
| Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 | |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD DLSS | QHD | 4K DLSS | 4K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 162.5 | 170.5 | 156.2 | 102.9 | 62.7 | 178.6 | ||
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 189.5 | 169.1 | 162.3 | 153.8 | 147.6 | |||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 222 | 218 | 175.5 | 154.1 | 95.5 | |||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 121.8 | 120 | 98.5 | 84.6 | ||||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 504 | 374 | 353 | 326 | 310 | 174.9 | ||
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 183.2 | 177.5 | 195.5 | 202 | 199.8 | 157.3 | 134.9 | 84.5 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (2023) | 161.6 | 159.5 | 149.4 | 139.5 | 116.6 | 105.8 | 60.9 | 50.9 |
| F1 24 (2024) | 254 | 247 | 258 | 132.3 | 132.8 | 94.7 | 81 | 48.4 |
| Black Myth: Wukong (2024) | 97 | 57 | 64 | 43 | 45 | 26 | ||
| Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025) | 86 | 67 | 66 | 56 | 53 | 42 |
Emissions
System Noise
Fan noise and behavior have not noticeably changed from last year's AMD version, if at all, despite the slightly faster gaming performance mentioned above. Running Cyberpunk 2077 averages 53.6 dB(A), 49.7 dB(A). and 45 dB(A) when set to Performance, Balanced, and Quiet modes, respectively.
Noise level
| Idle |
| 23.4 / 25.4 / 29.3 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 42.6 / 53.7 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.1 dB(A) | ||
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H Ultra 9 386H, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | HP Omen Max 16 ah000 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -4% | 4% | 8% | -9% | -11% | |
| off / environment * (dB) | 23.1 | 24.1 -4% | 23.1 -0% | 22.9 1% | 22.8 1% | 25.56 -11% |
| Idle Minimum * (dB) | 23.4 | 24.1 -3% | 23.2 1% | 22.9 2% | 29 -24% | 28.3 -21% |
| Idle Average * (dB) | 25.4 | 30.6 -20% | 28.2 -11% | 22.9 10% | 29 -14% | 28.3 -11% |
| Idle Maximum * (dB) | 29.3 | 30.6 -4% | 28.3 3% | 26.3 10% | 29 1% | 28.3 3% |
| Load Average * (dB) | 42.6 | 45.5 -7% | 28.8 32% | 27.8 35% | 47.7 -12% | 50.26 -18% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (dB) | 53.6 | 48.2 10% | 49 9% | 54.2 -1% | 54.8 -2% | 57.8 -8% |
| Load Maximum * (dB) | 53.7 | 53.4 1% | 57.1 -6% | 53.9 -0% | 61.1 -14% | 57.95 -8% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.6 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 47 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.2 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(±) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the class Gaming.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.6 °C / 94.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-5.8 °C / -10.5 F).
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H Ultra 9 386H, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | HP Omen Max 16 ah000 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 5% | 13% | 10% | 13% | 11% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * (°C) | 45.6 | 48.3 -6% | 45.2 1% | 42.6 7% | 42.8 6% | 44.8 2% |
| Maximum Bottom * (°C) | 47 | 53.3 -13% | 37.4 20% | 41.2 12% | 50.2 -7% | 43.4 8% |
| Idle Upper Side * (°C) | 35.2 | 28.3 20% | 31.6 10% | 32.6 7% | 27.6 22% | 31.2 11% |
| Idle Bottom * (°C) | 37.6 | 30.3 19% | 30.2 20% | 32.4 14% | 26.2 30% | 28.8 23% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
The CPU would boost to 3.2 GHz and 81 W when initiating Prime95 stress before hitting 91 C roughly 60 seconds later. Thereafter, it would drop to 2.8 GHz and 56 W in order to maintain a more manageable core temperature of 74 C.
When running Cyberpunk 2077, the GPU would stabilize at 142 W, 115 W, and 90 W when set to Performance, Balanced, and Quiet modes, respectively. Overall core temperatures are a few degrees C cooler when compared to the 2025 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 configuration.
| Average CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 49 | 46 |
| Prime95 Stress | 2.8 | -- | 74 | 51 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.6 | 1635 | 89 | 75 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Quiet mode) | 1.6 | 1567 | 75 | 71 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Balanced mode) | 1.5 | 1762 | 74 | 71 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Performance mode) | 1.7 | 2032 | 80 | 75 |
Speakers
Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 7.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (8.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 2% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 97% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 97% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 17%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Power consumption when idling on desktop can be as low as 4.4 W to be noticeably lower than the AMD-powered Blade 16. Otherwise, consumption can actually be higher when gaming by over 20 W or 30 W which aligns with the generally faster frame rates.
| Off / Standby | 0.04 / 3.1 Watt |
| Idle | 4.4 / 22.3 / 30.4 Watt |
| Load |
110.7 / 251.3 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H Ultra 9 386H, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, Lexar NM790 2TB, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, SSSTC CA6-8D2048, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, SK hynix PCB01 HFS001TFM9X186N, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | HP Omen Max 16 ah000 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, WDC PC SN810 2TB, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, Micron 2500 1TB MTFDKBA1T0QGN, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -4% | -96% | -120% | -36% | -84% | |
| Idle Minimum * (Watt) | 4.4 | 10.9 -148% | 23.9 -443% | 28.5 -548% | 9.9 -125% | 26.2 -495% |
| Idle Average * (Watt) | 22.3 | 13.5 39% | 25.2 -13% | 38.8 -74% | 28.6 -28% | 33.8 -52% |
| Idle Maximum * (Watt) | 30.4 | 13.7 55% | 49.6 -63% | 45.6 -50% | 47.1 -55% | 34 -12% |
| Load Average * (Watt) | 110.7 | 120.2 -9% | 141.2 -28% | 132.2 -19% | 141.8 -28% | 112 -1% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (Watt) | 216 | 178.2 17% | 298 -38% | 318 -47% | 253 -17% | 224 -4% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * (Watt) | 216 | 177.6 18% | 297 -38% | 319 -48% | 230 -6% | 220 -2% |
| Load Maximum * (Watt) | 251.3 | 246.1 2% | 372.8 -48% | 384 -53% | 233 7% | 315 -25% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
Power Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
WLAN runtime is several hours longer this time due to the improved CPU efficiency during lower workloads.
| Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H Ultra 9 386H, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 90 Wh | Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 90 Wh | Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, 96 Wh | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, 99 Wh | HP Omen Max 16 ah000 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 83 Wh | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 90 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery runtime | -32% | -73% | -54% | -50% | -5% | |
| WiFi v1.3 (h) | 11.7 | 7.9 -32% | 3.2 -73% | 5.4 -54% | 5.8 -50% | 11.1 -5% |
| H.264 (h) | 9.9 | 14.2 | ||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra 150cd (h) | 1.2 | |||||
| Load (h) | 0.8 | 1.2 | ||||
| Reader / Idle (h) | 8.7 |
Notebookcheck Rating
The Intel-based 2026 Razer Blade 16 is more efficient and slightly faster for gaming than last year's AMD version, but prices are also a lot higher.
Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H
- 05/27/2026 v8
Allen Ngo
Total Sustainability Score: Potential Competitors in Comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 87.7%  | Razer Blade 16 Core Ultra 9 386H Intel Core Ultra 9 386H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | Amazon: 1. $4,439.99 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gaming... 2. $3,999.99 Razer Blade 16 Gaming Laptop... List Price: 4900 USD | 2.1 kg | 17.4 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
2. 87%  | Razer Blade 16 2025 RTX 5090 AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 4399€ | 2.1 kg | 17.4 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
3. 88.1%  | Alienware 16 Area-51 Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, SSD | Amazon: List Price: 4000 USD | 3.3 kg | 28.5 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
4. 87.5%  | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Gen 10 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 4200 USD | 2.6 kg | 26.65 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
5. 81.9%  | HP Omen Max 16 ah000 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 3800 USD | 2.8 kg | 24.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
6. 81.9%  | MSI Crosshair 16 HX AI D2XWGKG Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 2500 EUR | 2.5 kg | 27.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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