Razer Blade Stealth Is Best In The Line So Far

PROS Gorgeous 13.3inch QHD+ touch display. Slick design and solid construction. USB-C with Thunderbolt 3. Comfortable LED keyboard. Runs quietly.

CONS Battery life not as long as for some competitors. Can’t charge and use USB-C port at the same time.

- Matthew Buzzi

Razer’s Blade Stealth line is a non-gaming alternative to its flagship Blade gaming laptops, turning the same sleek design into a smaller, thinner general purpose ultraportable. It’s already seen various iterations since its debut last year, but this newest model ($1,399) is the best yet. A modest bump up in screen real estate without increasing the size of the laptop makes a big difference on what was already one of our favorite designs, and it goes toe-to-toe with the more expensive Dell XPS 13 Touch (Rose Gold Edition). One of the best displays around, an excellent build, quick performance, customizable key lighting, and no big faults to speak of add up to perhaps one of the best ultraportables ever made, especially at this price, earning the 13.3-inch Blade Stealth our Editors’ Choice.

SHARP AS A KNIFE

For the first time since its debut, the Blade Stealth has a noticeable exterior design change. The screen has increased from 12.5 inches to 13.3 inches, but the body size has stayed the same. The bigger screen is achieved through thinner bezels, an aspect Razer had been somewhat reluctant to change. Although they’re more slender, they don’t quite match the edge-to-edge display of the XPS 13 Touch.

The touch display is gorgeous. A 0.8-inch diagonal increase isn’t a big number on its own, but it makes a difference at this size, and the laptop is better for it, especially since it doesn’t increase the chassis size. The resolution is QHD+ (3,200 by 1,800), and like many Razer systems, uses IGZO technology for brighter and more vibrant colors, and it shows. The display is extremely crisp and colorful, making it a joy to use. It’s a little reflective under bright lighting, but I prefer that to a duller matte finish, and it has fairly wide viewing angles. A 4K option is available as well, but only at the 12.5-inch size.