Razer Blade Stealth (2015) review

The Ultrabook that forgot about battery life

Razer Blade Stealth

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It's not an overstatement to call the Blade Stealth the lightest and thinnest laptop Razer has ever produced. Weighing in at 2.75 pounds (1.25kg) and measuring 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.52 inches (W x D x H; 32.1 x 20.6 x 1.31cm), it's hard to believe there's an Core i7 processor tucked inside this tiny clamshell.

It's an amazing feat, especially when you consider the Stealth fits into new league of sub-compact Ultrabooks – like the Lenovo Yoga 900S and MacBook – without having to defer to low-voltage Core M chips.

The Lenovo Yoga 900 comes with components of equal power, but it's significantly heavier at 2.84 pounds and has larger 12.75 x 8.86 x 0.59 inch dimensions, to boot. Although the 11.97 x 7.87 x 0.59 inch (30.4 x 19.9 x 0.89-1.5mm) Dell XPS 13 is more compact than the Stealth, it's the heaviest machine of the three, tipping the scales at 2.93 pounds (1.32kg).

Razer Blade Stealth review

Spec Sheet

Here is the Razer Blade Stealth configuration sent to techradar for review:

  • CPU: 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U (dual-core, 4MB cache)
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
  • RAM: 8GB LPDDR3 (1,866MHz, dual-channel)
  • Screen: 12.5-inch, 4K (3,840 x 2,160) IGZO LED backlit, capacitive multi-touch display
  • Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
  • Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C), HDMI, headset jack
  • Connectivity: Wireless-AC + Bluetooth 4.1
  • Camera: 2MP built-in webcam
  • Weight: 2.75 pounds (1.25kg)
  • Size: 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.52 inches (W x D x H; 32.1 x 20.6 x 1.31cm)

Razer Blade Stealth review

The configuration you see above comes priced at surprisingly low $1,399 (about £980, AU$1,872) considering it includes a high-end processor, 4K screen and 256GB SSD. What's more, the price point makes it a competitively affordable option next to some leading Ultrabooks.

A comparably-equipped, gold Dell XPS 13, for example, rings up for $1,649 (£999, AU$2,499) thanks to the added cost of a gilded finish and slightly faster Intel Core i7-6560U processor. That said, there are some more affordable options such as the Lenovo Yoga 900, which offers the same CPU and twice as large an SSD for $1,299 (£1,449, AU$2,599).

If you're on a smaller budget, you may want to take a gander of the Razer Blade Stealth's lower-end, $999 (about £700, AU$1,337) spec. This configuration comes with the same underlying processor, but it has a lower-resolution 2,560 x 1,440 (QHD) display and an 128GB SSD.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.