The Razer Blade 17 delivers superior screen resolution and higher color accuracy, making it excellent for professional design work, while its larger screen may be more immersive for gaming and media consumption. However, it has slightly shorter battery life and is a little less portable due to its size. The Razer Blade 18, although having a somewhat lower resolution, offers a faster screen refresh rate which could enhance gaming experiences, a slightly longer battery life, and a newer CPU and GPU combo which may provide a performance edge in the latest games and applications. It is slightly heavier, indicating a potential compromise on portability. Consider the Razer Blade 17 if visual detail in design and media is a priority, or opt for the Razer Blade 18 for potentially better gaming performance and battery life. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Razer Blade 17
The Razer Blade 17 has no clear advantages over the Razer Blade 18.
Advantages of the Razer Blade 18
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Key differences
Screen Quality
8.6/10
8.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The Razer Blade 18 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 17 for gaming and AI.
For general use, the Razer Blade laptops are likely to offer sharp visuals and ample brightness making for a comfortable viewing experience during everyday tasks such as web browsing or video streaming. For engineering and design, their screens probably provide wide color coverage essential for precision in color-critical applications like photo editing or CAD software. Despite these strengths, their screens may not refresh quickly enough for the smoothest experience in gaming and 3D animation, which can be a drawback for enthusiasts in those areas.
Battery
5.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Razer Blade 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 has 4 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
6.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Razer Blade 17 and Razer Blade 18 both have only fair portability, though the Razer Blade 17 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$4,300
$10
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Razer Blade 17 has a price of $4,300 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $10.
The Razer Blade 18 and Razer Blade 17 are both very good for general use.
The Razer Blade 17 offers a high-resolution screen, powerful CPU, and plenty of RAM, making it suitable for a variety of tasks, although it's less portable and has less battery life. Conversely, the Razer Blade 18 provides similar benefits with an even more powerful CPU and high-quality screen, yet maintains good battery life and slightly better portability at the expense of a larger physical size.
Gaming and AI
8.6/10
8.9/10
9.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 18 and Razer Blade 17 are both very good for gaming and AI.
The Razer Blade 17 boasts an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a 144Hz screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for high-performance gaming and 3D tasks. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18 offers an Nvidia RTX 4070 and a higher 240Hz refresh rate, enhancing smooth gameplay and more fluid 3D rendering.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
9.3/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
9.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 18 and Razer Blade 17 are both excellent for engineering and design.
The Razer Blade 17 and Razer Blade 18 are both well-suited for engineering and design due to their top-tier CPUs and GPUs, along with ample RAM which ensures smooth multitasking and complex computations for design software. While the Blade 17 has a higher resolution screen, crucial for detailed work, the Blade 18's larger screen and higher refresh rate provide an enhanced visual experience with less strain during prolonged use, though at the expense of a slight decrease in portability and battery life.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.6/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 18 and Razer Blade 17 are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.5/10
8.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 and Razer Blade 18 are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 17 and Razer Blade 18 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Razer Blade 17 and the Razer Blade 18 compare to other laptops
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the Razer Blade 17 or the Razer Blade 18
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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