Razer - Razer Blade Stealth (2019)

Razer

Razer Blade Stealth 2019: on the verge of perfection

Aprox. 1849€

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Riding on the launch of the Ice Lake processors, Razer had announced the renewal of its Blade Stealth with one goal in mind: to offer an ultrabook cut for the game without renouncing its primary function. The bet is damn successful.

Our review

Presentation

In general, the success of a nomad product is a matter of technical compromise: within a compact envelope, it is necessary to find the right balance between ergonomics, fine design, autonomy and power. With its Blade range, Razer has always gone a little against this premise, promising, generation after generation, excellence in all areas. A strategy that has not always been very successful, however. Power on a 13 or 15 inch model is good, but our ears are still bleeding from sound outrages committed by certain cooling systems of the brand, totally overcome by the challenges that were imposed on them.

Far from being discouraged, Razer keeps its course: through its new 13.3-inch Blade Stealth, the manufacturer intends to offer the experience of a high-end ultrabook by adding a gaming touch, since this PC now includes a GeForce GTX 1650 MaxQ. The positioning is therefore atypical, but it is above all a sacred technical challenge!


Performances

The combination of a low consumption Intel Core i7 and a GTX 1650 is a success from the performance point of view. It must be said that Razer took care of its star couple, integrating support for LPDDR4 3700 memory. The results we obtained in the "Balanced" mode are in line with two other ultrabooks passed by our laboratory recently, the Yoga C940 and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. The only slight downside that remains unexplained: our tests based on Maxon software (Cinebench, Cinema 4D) worked at idle, with a CPU unable to pass the 1.5 GHz bar. This problem being an exception, we took these results out of the calculation of our index.

Regarding the 3 operating modes, they modify the CPU frequency as follows: "Economy" mode aims to limit the CPU frequency to 1800 MHz at full load (H.265 encoding). Switching to a "Balanced" mode will push the machine to 2178 MHz (average over 4 cores) under the same conditions. Finally, the "Games" mode will offer the best performance, with a CPU that will go up between 2,500 MHz and 3,600 MHz depending on the number of cores requested. Behind the figures, remember above all that the Razer Blade offers fluidity and exemplary responsiveness.


Games

It is rare to have to write a few lines specific to video game entertainment in the case of a PC in 13 inch format, but, you know, the Blade Stealth has this particularity to embark a GTX 1650 authorizing the launch of 3D games. Concretely, our benchmark games posted between 21 and 47 fps on average, knowing that these are obviously adjusted to put the GPU to the test. On more flexible settings, a title like Assassin's Creed Odyssey can find a stability range between 30 and 40 fps, while WRC 8 can operate between 60 and 70 fps. We can also see that the GTX 1650 can handle very high framerate levels when necessary, on games like Overwatch or Fortnite, in particular.

Finally, we had some doubts about the ability of a low-consumption CPU to properly "feed" a real GTX-type card. Again, we were pleasantly surprised: even on an AC Odyssey yet demanding in this area, the GPU remained at a very high load level.

Overall, performance will not be at the level of the best GPUs on the market, which explains the score obtained. But in this case, it is necessary to look beyond the arithmetic calculation: the fact of being able to benefit from such videogame possibilities, with a level of controlled nuisances (noise and heating) and on such a compact format, is really a feat, and a real pleasure for the user.


Screen

Razer has long understood that display is a major element of comfort on a laptop. The manufacturer has therefore further taken care of this aspect, giving us a beautiful IPS Sharp panel with a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz. In addition to very fine edges which offer a good occupancy rate of 81% and wide viewing angles, the display is capable of reaching a maximum brightness (453 cd / m²) for a contrast ratio of 1.258: 1.

But it is especially on the calibration that the manufacturer's efforts are to be welcomed: the color profile of the Blade Stealth can boast of an average delta E of 1.0, which is the best score we have ever obtained, associated with a color temperature measured at 6.507 K (for a reference value at 6.500 K). We are not far from perfection. Not far away, since one point turns out to be disappointing: the remanence, evaluated at 27 ms, is in the average for ultrabook-type products, but a little high if we take gaming-oriented laptops as a reference base.


Mobility / Autonomy

Battery life is always a delicate aspect for a PC that wants to be both swift and transportable, and Razer is doing quite well. The Razer Blade, because of its thickness and compact size (1.42 kg), will clearly be one that will have no problem to slip into a backpack for a day of professional travel. On the autonomy side, the traveler will be able to take advantage of 7 h 42 min of activity time, according to our protocol. This duration is obviously not at the level of more conventional ultrabooks, which regularly pass the 10 hour mark. But we agree that it is a good in-between, considering the possibilities and the power developed in return.

It should be noted that if the Razer Blade has the advantage of being able to recharge via a USB-C port, its power supply is cumbersome compared to those which generally accompany ultraportables. This slight inconvenience is obviously imposed for the on-board configuration, GTX 1650 at the head.


Audio

Little funny anecdote: while Razer acquired THX a short time ago, the manufacturer chose Dolby Atmos as audio processing software. As bizarre as it may seem, this bias is nevertheless very effective. As often, the software allows a slight improvement in terms of speaker output, provided you have the right settings. It consists in activating the processing, while cutting certain specific options, namely Surround Virtualizer, Dialog Enhancement and Sound Leveler.

By doing so, we obtain a relatively balanced sound rendering, which certainly lacks a bit of bass and treble, but which benefits from a correct reproduction of voices and a beautiful stereophony. We note that the positioning of the speakers, clearly visible on both sides of the keyboard, is not for nothing in this positive feeling. As for the headphone jack, it displays equally convincing characteristics, whether in terms of distortion, developed power or dynamics.


Conclusion

D'Artagnan used to say: "I don't have the habit, but I have the soul. My heart is musketeer (...)". We would like to say the same thing about this Razer Blade Stealth. If our very arithmetic protocol gives him the habit of a 4-star product, he has the soul to shine on the highest step of the podium. This is the problem with these PCs which aim for great versatility: they will always find on their road more attractive ultrabooks, because they are more specialized, or PCs dedicated to more powerful players, for the same reasons. Still, the technical and functional balance imagined by Razer has largely seduced us, even conquered. The Blade Stealth is a pleasant working tool, an effective multimedia object and a well-sized playmate that can accompany you on the go. If you were looking for our favorite at the end of 2019, you have it!


Specifications