Razer Blade Stealth 13 2021 in review: Mobile gamer with OLED panel
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a compact gaming subnotebook in a 13.3-inch format and relies on a combination of Intel's Tiger-Lake U processors and a fast graphics card from Nvidia (GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q). The manufacturer offers two versions, one with a matte Full HD IPS display for 2,000 Euros (~$2,362), which we already tested at the end of last year, and the version with the glossy 1080p OLED touchscreen for 2,250 Euros (~$2,657), which we will take a closer look at today. Since the screens are the only differentiating factor, we will only limit ourselves to the new OLED touchscreen as well as the impact on the battery life in this review. All other info and details about the performance are available in our detailed review of the IPS variant.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83.8 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2021 | Razer Blade Stealth 13 2021 OLED i7-1165G7, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q | 1.5 kg | 15 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.5 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2020 | Razer Blade Stealth i7-1165G7 GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q i7-1165G7, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q | 1.4 kg | 15.3 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | |
| 87.8 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.3 kg | 14.6 mm | 13.90" | 3000x2000 | |
| 85.3 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2021 | HP Envy 13-ba1475ng i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450 | 1.3 kg | 17 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | |
| 86.9 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2020 | Microsoft Surface Book 3 13.5 i7-1065G7, GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q | 1.6 kg | 23 mm | 13.50" | 3000x2000 | |
| 88.3 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2021 | Dell XPS 13 9310 OLED i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 14.8 mm | 13.40" | 3456x2160 |
Display - Blade Stealth with OLED touchscreen
We have already reviewed the matte 1080p IPS screen of the Blade Stealth 13 in a previous test. It was by no means a bad panel, but the response times were quite slow, especially for a gaming laptop. The optional OLED touchscreen also offers the Full HD resolution, but relies on a glossy surface due to the additional touchscreen.
As expected, the OLED screen has no problems with slow response times and otherwise impresses with an excellent subjective picture quality. The colors are brilliant, the contrast ratio is extremely high thanks to the perfect black level, and there are no halos due to the technology. However, we can measure the typical OLED PWM flickering at 240 Hz from a brightness of 40% or less, which can lead to problems for sensitive users.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 386 cd/m²
Contrast: 9625:1 (Black: 0.04 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91, calibrated: 2.5
ΔE Greyscale 1.3 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
97.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.2
| Razer Blade Stealth 13 2021 OLED ATNA33XC01-0, OLED, 1920x1080, 13.3" | Razer Blade Stealth i7-1165G7 GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q Sharp LQ133M1JW46, IPS, 1920x1080, 13.3" | Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021 TIANMA XM, IPS, 3000x2000, 13.9" | HP Envy 13-ba1475ng CMN139D, IPS, 1920x1080, 13.3" | Microsoft Surface Book 3 13.5 Panasonic MEI96A2, IPS, 3000x2000, 13.5" | Dell XPS 13 9310 OLED Samsung 134XK01, OLED, 3456x2160, 13.4" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -23% | -24% | -22% | -25% | 0% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 100 | 66 -34% | 64.9 -35% | 66.4 -34% | 63.5 -36% | 99.7 0% |
| sRGB Coverage | 100 | 97.4 -3% | 94.4 -6% | 97.6 -2% | 95.1 -5% | 100 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 97.5 | 67.1 -31% | 66.3 -32% | 67.5 -31% | 65.7 -33% | 97.7 0% |
| Response Times | -1288% | -835% | 2739% | -1286% | 23% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 3.6 ? | 57.6 ? -1500% | 37.6 ? -944% | 66 ? -1733% | 57 ? -1483% | 2.2 ? 39% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 3.2 ? | 37.6 ? -1075% | 26.4 ? -725% | 28.8 ? -800% | 38 ? -1088% | 2.2 ? 31% |
| PWM Frequency | 240 ? | 26040 ? 10750% | 240.4 ? 0% | |||
| Screen | -99% | -73% | -87% | -68% | -29% | |
| Brightness middle | 385 | 356.8 -7% | 502 30% | 423 10% | 391 2% | 384 0% |
| Brightness | 390 | 336 -14% | 474 22% | 405 4% | 367 -6% | 387 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 97 | 88 -9% | 89 -8% | 83 -14% | 86 -11% | 97 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.04 | 0.34 -750% | 0.33 -725% | 0.23 -475% | 0.19 -375% | |
| Contrast | 9625 | 1049 -89% | 1521 -84% | 1839 -81% | 2058 -79% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.3 | 1.63 29% | 1.35 41% | 3.2 -39% | 3.07 -33% | 4.56 -98% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.8 | 5.03 26% | 3.67 46% | 5.8 15% | 4.74 30% | 7.27 -7% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.5 | 1.08 57% | 1.2 52% | 1 60% | 1.52 39% | 4.52 -81% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.3 | 3 -131% | 1.7 -31% | 4.7 -262% | 3.6 -177% | 1.5 -15% |
| Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.23 99% | 2.24 98% | 1.99 111% | 2.29 96% | 2.26 97% |
| CCT | 6507 100% | 6434 101% | 6440 101% | 6362 102% | 6330 103% | 6219 105% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 62 | 61.1 | 61.9 | 61 | 87.1 | |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 97.6 | 94.3 | 97.5 | 95 | 100 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -470% /
-252% | -311% /
-171% | 877% /
491% | -460% /
-233% | -2% /
-10% |
* ... smaller is better
The brightness of around 390 cd/m² is slightly better than the IPS model. We use the professional CalMAN software for the analysis and the Blade Stealth 13 is already equipped with a corresponding color profile at the factory and a subsequent calibration by the user is not necessary. Some colors show a higher DeltaE-2000 deviation than 3 (compared to the P3 reference), but there is no visible color cast in the grayscale.
With our own calibration (X-Rite i1 Pro 2), we can improve the deviations in the grayscale levels slightly, but the color accuracy even gets minimally worse overall. Despite the full P3 coverage, the panel is therefore not optimally suited for editing pictures/videos, although that is certainly not the focus in a gaming laptop.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 1.2 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. » 11 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 3.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 1.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 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. » 10 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 240 Hz | ≤ 40 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 240 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 40 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 240 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
The viewing angle stability of the OLED touchscreen is very good, even though slight discoloration occurs depending on the angle, but that is typical for OLED panels. The glossy surface makes outdoor use much more difficult than with the matte IPS panel. Furthermore, the brightness is not high enough to compensate for the reflections. Thus, comfortable use is only possible on cloudy days.
Battery life - Significantly less endurance with OLED
Nothing has changed in terms of battery capacity (53.1 Wh), but the OLED touchscreen requires significantly more power than the IPS panel. As with all devices with OLED panels, it also depends on the content; bright content simply requires more power than dark content due to the technology. While the IPS model of the Blade Stealth 13 lasted 9 hours in our Wi-Fi test (at 150 cd/m²), for example, the OLED model now only lasts just under 4.5 hours. At full brightness, it is even only 3.5 hours. This could be a knockout criterion for such a compact notebook, which is also suitable for mobile use.
Pros
Cons
Verdict - OLED convinces in gaming, but limits mobility
Basically, not much has changed in the Razer Blade Stealth 13, of course, because it is still one of the fastest 13-inch notebooks on the market with the GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q. The only difference between the two available configurations is the display. If you want the OLED touchscreen, you have to pay 250 Euros (~$295) more.
In return, you get the better subjective picture quality with brilliant colors and the extremely high contrast ratio. The response times are also much better; the standard IPS panel still had problems here. The additional touchscreen can also be an advantage depending on the application.
Great picture quality and fast response times: For gaming, the optional OLED screen is great, but it also has a massive impact on the battery life of the compact 13-inch laptop.
However, there are also drawbacks like PWM flickering and the reflective screen surface. Moreover, the Blade Stealth 13 is a very compact and mobile laptop, where the battery life can definitely play an important role. However, the OLED screen requires considerably more power and the runtime is halved in our practical WLAN test. This difference should definitely be considered in the purchase decision.
Price and availability
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 with the OLED touchscreen is available at Cyberport for €2,250 Euro (~$2,657) immediately available; the base model with the matte IPS panel costs 2,000 Euro. ($2,362)
Razer Blade Stealth 13 2021 OLED
- 09/20/2021 v7 (old)
Andreas Osthoff
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