The Razer Blade Stealth, which we recently had the opportunity to test, has some unusual characteristics, including a QHD+ Touchscreen display, and a noticeable lack of a GPU. It’s not a gaming laptop, though it’s certainly styled after one, but it is a powerful media machine with some highly desirable characteristics and a beautiful design. You can pick up the Razer Blade Stealth for $1,499.99.
Razer Sharp Design
This laptop is immediately identifiable as being made by Razer, even without the giant three snake logo illuminated on the back of the display. The machined CNC milled aluminum body is instantly recognizable, and in this case, that’s a very good thing. The modern, minimal design is broken up only by the large logo (which you can choose to light up or not), and has a timeless look that’s more versatile than some of the competition. One of the stand out features of this laptop, and really all modern Razer laptops, is the keyboard. This version has full Razer Chroma integration, meaning control over the full RGB with Razer’s excellent software suite, but arguably more importantly, the switches just feel fantastic to use. The large trackpad also has great tactile feedback and accuracy. 
Overall, the Razer Blade Stealth’s biggest strength is its design. The metal chassis looks good and provides the durability so many people want from laptops, in a stellar pairing of function and form. It’s not the lightest laptop around at about three pounds, but it’s still plenty portable, and the durability is a more than acceptable tradeoff.
Specs
Here’s what we’re working with in this version of the Razer Blade Stealth:
- Intel i7 8th Gen 8550U (1.80 GHz)
- 16GB Dual-Channel 2133MHz RAM
- 256 GB M.2 PCIe SSD
- Intel UHD Graphics 620
- 3200 x 1800 touchscreen display
The USB-C port supports Thunderbolt, so that means quick charging, and two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack, and an HDMI port round out the I/O. All around solid specs for a modern laptop, but you may have noticed two unexpected features; the lack of a GPU and the high resolution touch screen display. The Razer Blade line is for gaming right? So what’s the deal with the integrated graphics?
Who is this laptop for?
One might think that content creators are the target demographic, what with the solid RAM and 8th Gen CPU, along with the higher resolution panel. But any serious video content creator is going to need a GPU for rendering, especially if they’re creating something that can utilize that 13.3” QHD+ resolution display. You probably won’t be editing video, or doing any serious 3D rendering on the Stealth, but photographers and artists could probably put the Razer Blade Stealth to good use. The excellent display paired with the durable construction make this a great portable workhorse, provided that work isn’t dependent on a GPU. Of course, the Intel UHD Graphics 620 is capable of playing games, like older titles or e-sports games on lower settings, and Thunderbolt 3 support means you can use an eGPU (like Razer’s own Core X) if you are so inclined, but this can’t reasonably be billed as a gaming laptop. Unless you look toward the future. 
Streaming games is still in its infancy now, but there’s no doubt that it’s going to become more prominent in the near future. Small, under-the-radar tech companies you might not have heard of like Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia are already exploring the concept of offloading CPU and GPU intensive games and applications to render farms, and then streaming that content to your computer. There’s much that can be said on this subject, but essentially, if things continue to move in this direction (and there’s every indication that they will) gaming laptops will start looking very different. With the heavy hardware lifting being done off-site, gaming computers will be less focused on GPUs and cooling, and more focused on providing a stable and fast connection experience, superior keyboards and input, and, you guessed it, higher-end displays. With that in mind, the lack of a GPU and the emphasis on a powerful and versatile display starts to make more sense. Though streaming games is still in its infancy, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if laptops started looking more like this in the coming years. It might sound like rationalization for an unusual hardware configuration, but maybe Razer is just ahead of the gaming curve with the Blade Stealth. Either way, it’s still not going to be any gamer’s go to as of now, but the touchscreen functionality and high resolution panel are still useful features to a large group of consumers who might not want the extra price of an integrated GPU. You probably know who you are.
Battery Life
The lack of a discrete GPU also significantly improves battery life. This is very important for someone who is on the go frequently, and doesn’t want to be tethered to a wall all the time. Razer claims 10 hours of average battery life which is solid, especially considering the powerful display and good specs.
A stealthy choice
There’s no question that the Razer Blade Stealth nails things in the design and durability department. It’s a beautiful machine, and though the I/O options and battery life aren’t staggering, they’re probably fine for most people. What’s better than fine is the display, and the exceptional keyboard and trackpad. For anyone who needs a sturdy, good looking laptop for basic functions and maybe some light gaming, or for someone who already has invested in an eGPU like the Core X, the Razer Blade Stealth is an eminently capable machine. It is priced on the higher side, but the high-end display and build quality are important factors to consider, and set apart the Razer Blade Stealth as an unusual, but highly functional machine.
