ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Razer Blade 14 (2025) is on sale now beginning at $2,000.
- It is a beautiful laptop computer that redefines portability for gaming machines.
- Nevertheless, the ultraportable type issue ends in trade-offs relating to efficiency and upgradability.
Get extra in-depth ZDNET tech protection: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers.
The Blade 16 has been Razer’s flagship gaming laptop computer for years, however the thinner, sleeker design on 2025’s Blade 14 (the thinnest Blade mannequin but) provides nothing in need of a surprising first impression.
The brand new mannequin is 11% thinner and 11% lighter than its predecessor, weighing simply 3.5 kilos and 0.6 inches thick, with a slick, matte black end that appears and feels premium. The shape challenges the model’s personal aesthetic with a tool that appears extra like a Dell XPS 14 or MacBook Pro than a gaming laptop computer.
Additionally: Why buying the right laptop is more complicated than ever (and how to make the best choice)
The bodily construct is definitely one in all this laptop computer’s greatest options. Regardless of its skinny and lightweight body, it feels expressly sturdy, with minimal flexing or display wobble. I additionally love the big rubber posts on the underside of the gadget that preserve it from sliding round and permit for extra airflow.
By highlighting this new and improved type issue, Razer is taking purpose at competing 14-inch gaming laptops, significantly the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which reigns supreme as among the finest 14-inch gaming laptops on the market (one of our favorites, as properly).
There are a handful of variations between these two laptops, nonetheless, with the Blade 14 buying and selling just a little little bit of that energy for its svelte type issue, opening up a use case as a tool that is equally succesful on the Steam dashboard as it’s within the workplace.
The 3K, 120Hz OLED show is beautiful, going proper as much as the very edge with ultrathin bezels mere millimeters thick. Equally, the trackpad is massive (however not ridiculously so), going as far to the perimeters because it probably can, exuding a exact, expertly crafted bodily aesthetic.
Additionally: I found a cheap Windows laptop that I’d actually use for work travel – and it’s on sale
There are trade-offs to this design, nonetheless. The thinner type means much less strong cooling and limits {hardware}, which The Blade 14 opts for in change for the additional portability. You’ve got acquired an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with Nvidia’s new Blackwell structure within the GeForce RTX 50 sequence, as much as the 5070, and as much as 32GB of soldered RAM.
Positive, it is not the highly effective loadout you may get on a gaming laptop computer, however that is not actually the purpose right here. Razer scaled issues again with the Blade 14 for a succesful machine that errs on the facet of battery effectivity, slightly than attempting to strongarm efficiency with heavy {hardware}.
For instance, the Blade 14 helps 100W of complete graphics energy, going as much as 115W with Dynamic Increase on, so technically this laptop computer has greater than sufficient energy to assist a higher-end GPU just like the RTX 5080. Nevertheless, Razer doubtless opted for the 5070 to reign in warmth and energy consumption.
To match, the 14-inch Asus Zephyrus G14 has the 5080, and that factor will get scorching. Even with the followers cranking (which aren’t quiet), the fact of gaming on a 14-inch means accounting for these components, of which the Blade 14 mitigates with this {hardware}.
Additionally: I found a cheap Windows laptop that I’d actually use for work travel – and it’s on sale
Gaming efficiency whereas plugged in is improbable, with clean, lag-free visuals in “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered”, “Diablo IV”, and “Cyberpunk 2077”. The latter, at 3K decision, pushes issues to the highest finish, with a mean proper round 40 FPS and a few gentle visible stuttering, however nothing that feels problematic. Swapping to a extra manageable 1200p decision drastically improved efficiency.
By way of benchmarking, the Blade 14 holds its personal towards two highly effective 16-inch gaming laptops we have examined this yr, the MSI Stealth 16 AI, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, however exhibits a slight dip in uncooked energy to the {hardware} in these (a lot bigger) programs.
The Blade 14 has good I/O protection, as properly. You’ve got acquired two USB4 Sort-C ports with Show Port 2.1 and energy supply assist on both facet, two USB-A ports on both facet, an HDMI port (on the precise facet), and a MicroSD card reader.
Additionally: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested
On the left facet, you even have the proprietary charging port for the 200W energy brick. That is essentially the most environment friendly type of energy supply, however it would cost through USB-C so long as you’ve gotten the suitable wattage. Simply do not count on plugged-in efficiency should you’re gaming on this with a 65W charger.
The RGB lighting results on the keyboard do not disappoint, both. Razer does an excellent job at maximizing the depth and punch of every particular person key, with minimal gentle leakage from the corners of the keys for a dramatic impact.
If you happen to like per-key customization, the keyboard right here has all the consequences you may ask for within the accompanying Razer Chroma app. If you wish to costume issues down with a extra refined, office-ready aesthetic, you are able to do that simply as simply.
The keyboard itself feels good, with silent activation until you are actually hammering away. Nevertheless, I can see some players not being fully glad with the journey distance, as though it feels premium, it errs extra towards a MacBook or enterprise laptop computer than an specific gaming board. Conversely, the audio system are alright. They’re higher than common, however just a little missing in bass or richness.
Additionally: Walmart has discounted this Acer Nitro gaming laptop down to a record-low price
The Razer Synapse app acts because the gadget’s dashboard for controlling every part from efficiency modes to overclocking to at-a-glance metrics like working temps and CPU utilization. Nevertheless, the app itself feels just a little unfinished, and it turned unresponsive a number of occasions throughout my testing. It is helpful sufficient to handle settings, nonetheless.
Simply word that whenever you’re on battery, the laptop computer forces you into Balanced mode — with no possibility to change out of it. Clearly, that is the popular setting for whenever you’re untethered from the outlet, however eliminating the choice for brief sprints of efficiency on battery energy is not my favourite factor.
Hopping into Balanced mode goes a great distance towards maximizing battery life, nonetheless. Turning the refresh price all the way down to 60Hz and lowering brightness to half resulted in just a little over 9 hours of runtime throughout our battery testing — superb for a gaming laptop computer.
For sustained gaming on battery, you may count on two to a few hours, which is kind of commonplace, though much less demanding video games will undoubtedly push that previous that to 4 to 5. The takeaway right here is that the Blade 14 can keep alive in low-demand periods or whereas idle for much longer than most gaming laptops, which are typically rather a lot thirstier.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Razer Blade 14 is a gaming laptop computer, nevertheless it’s not restricted to that use case. You may take it to the workplace or pack it in a journey bag simply as simply as you may get these headshots within the newest top-tier gaming titles on Steam.
It is a beautiful laptop computer, and it resonates with me personally as a “mature” gamer whose all-day gaming periods are (principally) a factor of the previous, however nonetheless enjoys a daily portfolio of video games to log into.
Additionally: Should you replace your desktop with a laptop setup? I tried with this Dell, and didn’t mind it
I would suggest this laptop computer to anybody searching for a succesful gaming laptop computer, however who shouldn’t be keen on a large 16- or 18-inch behemoth. In that sense, the Blade 14 speaks to the patron who’s comfy with the trade-offs mentioned and appreciates the light-weight type issue.
The Blade 14 is available in a number of totally different configurations, with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of soldered RAM and both the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 or 5070 GPU. Probably the most high-end loadout retails frequently for $2,999, which is not precisely low-cost and requires dedication to its area of interest use case. Nevertheless, proper now, it is on sale for $2,599 — a worth that is much more palatable.
