2022 Razer Blade 14, Blade 15 and Blade 17 updates – what’s new

2022 Razer Blade 14, Blade 15 and Blade 17 updates – what’s new
By Andrei Girbea, last updated on February 7, 2023

Razer are updating their entire series of Blade 14, Blade 15, and Blade 17 notebooks for early-2022.

The major changes are happening at the internal hardware level, where the specs are bumped to the latest CPU/GPU platforms from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, as well as DDR5 memory, PCIe gen4 storage, and WiFi 6E connectivity.

But Razer are also refining a couple of other aspects. Among them, all the available sizes get a refreshed keyboard with slightly larger keycaps and hopefully improved feedback, a FHD webcam with an f/2.0 lens on top of the main display, a refined hinge design, additional cuts for ventilation, and an updated anodized coating that should be less prone to smudges than on the previous generations.

There are also a couple of other individual updates for each model, and especially on the Blade 17 2022, that’s now available with a bigger battery, much-improved audio with 8x speakers, and most likely a complete interval overhaul.

Update: Our detailed review of the Blade 15 is available here. We’ll update once we get to test the other sizes.

Update2: Here are our thoughts on the updated 2023 Razer Blade 16 and Blade 18 models, which are larger and heavier, but also significantly more powerful. And here’s our full review of the Razer Blade 16.

Here’s a specs sheet of all the 2022 Blades, and we’ll get further in-depth down below.

Razer Blade 14 early-2022 Razer Blade 15 early-2022 – review Razer Blade 17 early-2022
Screen 14 inch, 16:9, multiple choices including
FHD 144 Hz with 100% sRGB, matte
QHD 165 Hz with 100% DCI-P3, matte,
With AMD FreeSync
15.6 inch, 16:9, multiple choices including
FHD 360 Hz 2ms with 100% sRGB, matte
QHD 240 Hz 3ms with 100% DCI-P3, matte
UHD 120 Hz 4ms with 100% DCI-P3, touch
17.3 inch, 16:9, multiple choices including
FHD 165Hz or 360 Hz with 100% sRGB, matte
QHD 240Hz with 100% DCI-P3, matte
UHD 120 Hz with 100% AdobeRGB, touch
Processor AMD Ryzen 6000 Rembrandt, up to Ryzen 9 6900HX, 8C/16T up to Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake i9-12900H CPU, 14C/20T up to Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake i9-12900H CPU, 14C/20T
Video AMD Radeon 680M and
up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB (80-100W with Dyn Boost)
with MUX and Adaptive Sync
Intel UHD and
up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti 16GB (90-105W with Dyn Boost)
with MUX, Advanced Optimus, and GSync on QHD options
Intel UHD and
up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti 16GB (115-130W with Dyn Boost)
with MUX, Advanced Optimus, and GSync on QHD options
Memory 16 DDR5-4800 (onboard) up to 64 GB DDR5-4800 (2× DIMMs) up to 64 GB DDR5-4800 (2× DIMMs)
Storage single M.2 PCIe gen4 slot dual M.2 PCIe gen4 slots – stacked, thus single side SSD formats only  dual M.2 PCIe gen4 slots
Connectivity WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
Ports 2x USB-A 3.2 gen2; 2x USB-C gen2 with data, DP1.4, PD 3.0; HDMI 2.1; mic/earphone, K-Lock, DC-In 3x USB-A 3.2 gen2, 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 (with PD 3.0 ), 1x USB-C 3.2, HDMI 2.1, mic/earphone, UHS-II SD card reader, K-Lock, DC-In 3x USB-A 3.2 gen2, 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4(with PD 3.0), 1x USB-C 3.2, HDMI 2.1, mic/earphone, UHS-II SD card reader, LAN, K-Lock, DC-In
Battery 61,6 Wh, 230 W charger 80 Wh, 230 W charger 82 Wh, 280 W charger
Size 320 mm or 12.59” (w) x 220 mm or 8.66” (d) x 16.8 mm or .66” (h) 355 mm or 13.98” (w) x 235 mm or 9.25” (d) x 16.9 mm or .67” (h) 395 mm or 15.55” (w) x 260 mm or 10.24” (d) x 19.9 mm or .78” (h)
Weight from 1.78 kg (3.92 lbs) from 2 kg (4.4 lbs) from 2.75 kg (6.1 lbs)
Extras updated per-key RGB keyboard, Windows Hello FHD f/2.0 webcam, up-firing stereo speakers updated per-key RGB keyboard, Windows Hello FHD f/2.0 webcam, up-firing stereo speakers updated per-key RGB keyboard, Windows Hello FHD f/2.0 webcam, up-firing 8x speaker system
Price from $1999 from $2499 from $2699

2022 Razer Blade 14

As the most recent addition to the Blade lineup, the compact 2022  Blade 14 is mostly a hardware bump from the previous generation.

All the configurations are now powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor, the latest available from AMD as of early 2022, and built on the refined Zen3+ architecture. It’s still 8C/16T, with slight IPC improvements over the previous generations, but with support for DDR5 memory, PCIe gen4 storage, and an updated iGPU, based on an RDNA2 design.

Such a pity Razer is still capping the RAM at 16 GB and are not offering 32+ GB options as well, especially when the memory is onboard and cannot be upgraded – I hoped this would have changed with the update. There’s also a single M.2 storage slot inside this 14-inch model, and not two as on the 15/17-inch Blades.

On the GPU side, the options are an RTX 3060 or an RTX 3070Ti, the latter working at up to 100W. No 3080 anymore. As a novelty for the 2022 generation, though, a MUX seems to be available on all variants; I don’t remember it being included on the 2021 Blade 14. Corroborated with the updated hardware, this should lead to significant gains in performance in games and certain GPU-heavy workloads.

Other than that, the generic updates mentioned earlier will make their way onto the Blade 14, including the refreshed keyboard, the smudge-resistant coating, and the brighter FHD camera.

Razer Blade 14 2022

I’m especially interested in that updated keyboard, Razer only mentions that they’ve increased the size of the keycaps, but I’d like to know how/if the overall feedback has evolved. Truth is, Razer haven’t majorly updated their keyboards in the last years, while the competition has. Their large glass-clickpads, on the other hand, are still among the best you can get in the Windows space.

Stay close for more of our feedback in the reviews, Derek’s our Razer expert and will most likely get his hands on some of these 2022 Blades in the near future.

2022 Razer Blade 15

With the updated Blade 15, Razer seems to no longer offer a Base and an Advanced variation, as all configurations are now available with the larger 80 Wh battery and the slimmer chassis previously available on the Advanced.

2022 Razer Blade 15

This aside, the Blade 15 is mostly an internal hardware refresh, now built on the hybrid Intel Alder Lake platforms with the Performance and Efficiency cores. A Core i7-12800H processor is available with most configurations, with an i9-12900H on the highest-tier specs with the 4K screen and the 3080Ti dGPU. No worries though, the i9 and the i7 are very much similar CPUs with a 6C+8c/20T design, and just slightly higher Clocks possible on the i9, but which will hardly make a significant difference even with demanding loads in this sort of thinner and somewhat power-limited designs.

The Alder Lake hardware is paired with DDR5 memory and PCIe gen4 storage, with dual RAM and dual SSD slots inside that you can use for upgrades. As far as I remember, the M.2 SSD slots are stacked on top of each other, and that’s why only single-side NVMe sticks will work in this design, and these are only available at up to 1 TB capacities at this point.

On the GPU side, the Blade 15 2022 is also available with RTX 3060, 3070Ti, and 3080Ti configurations running at up to 105 W, with a MUX and optional Advanced Optimus and GSync support on the QHD 240Hz screen options. FHD 360Hz panels and a 4K option are also available on select configurations, but without A-Optimus. I’m not entirely sure if these options get a regular MUX or just regular Optimus, I’ll have to further look into this.

Speaking of the screens, I would have liked to see a Blade 16 update at this point with a 16-inch 16:10 display and smaller bezels in the same 15-inch chassis. It’s not happening yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for one later in the year. That awesome QHD+ 100% DCI-P3 panel available in the Zephyrus M16 would sure be an excellent option on a Blade 16.

Update: Our detailed review of the Blade 15 is available here. We’ll update once we get to test the other sizes.

2022 Razer Blade 17

The Blade 17 is the more consistent update in this early-2022 generation as far as I can tell, although Razer did not offer many specific details about some of the changes that I assume happened internally, alongside the other refinements already mentioned that affect the entire 2022 lineup such as the new fingerprint-resistant coating, the updated keyboard, etc.

What we do know is that while the laptop retains its compact format for a 17-incher, there’s now a higher-capacity battery inside (82 Wh, up from the 70 Wh in the 2021 Blade 17) and an updated audio system, with 8x speakers, unlike the 2x speaker system available before.

To my years, that sounds like an internal redesign of the lower third of the laptop using some space for the extra battery cells and speakers. I would have assumed Razer dropped the extra two small fans placed under the trackpad for these changes, but the image down below suggests those are still there, so I’m curious how they pulled things off internally. I don’t expect the vapor chamber cooling and the overall motherboard design to have changed significantly, but I might be wrong about it, so look for updates once we know more.

2022 Razer Blade 17

Razer also mention “advancements in power delivery” for the 2022 Blade 17, and I’m not yet sure what this actually means. They might have bumped the GPU power a little bit, although probably not by much considering there’s still the same 280W charger included with this generation. For the 2021 model, the 3070/3080 dGPUs could run at up to 130W with Dyn Boost, which is not bad for a slim design and competitive against other portable 17-inchers such as the MSI Stealth or the Asus Zephyrus S17.

With this generation, the graphics have been updated the 3070Tis and 3080Tis on the higher end configurations, once more with a MUX and GSync on the QHD 240Hz screen options- this only seems to be available with the 3070Ti, though.

The rest of the hardware is identical to what’s now available with the Blade 15 2022, with Intel Alder Lake Core i7-12800H/i9-12900H hybrid processors, up to 64 GB of DDR5-4800 memory, and dual PCIe gen4 storage slots. Since the M.2 SSDs slots are separated on this larger chassis, dual-sided sticks can also be used, allowing for up to 4 TB of storage as per the official specs. WiFi 6E also made it into this update, as well as Thunderbolt 4 and 2.5 Gigabit LAN, the latter not available with the smaller sizes.

That’s about it for this brief preview, but stay around for our detailed reviews in the weeks and months to come, and let me know what you think about these 2022 Razer Blade updates.

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Author at Ultrabookreview.com
Article by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com. I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.

4 Comments

  1. 2nrD

    January 26, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    For the Blade 15:
    Does the regular USB C port (whatever USB C port is on the right side of the laptop) support DP and PD?

  2. Konan T-A Lim

    February 16, 2022 at 4:12 am

    I was seriously considering purchasing a top-end Blade 15 in this new series, but one thing lacking in the new series put me off, which for some might not be an issue, but for me is a deal-breaker: None of the new models appear to include a touchscreen display, which I consider important because I enjoy playing mobile games on my PC using an emulator, and most of them are obviously optimized for touchscreens. I also appreciate the convenience of a touchscreen as an added input method for general navigation, as well as for drawing, signing and handwriting. Mainly because of the lack of a touchscreen, I have opted to purchase a late 2021 Blade 15 Advanced Model with a 4K touch display. I find it a shame that Razer has opted not to include at least one touchscreen model in this early 2022 Blade lineup.

    • Don Charles Clark

      March 19, 2022 at 10:20 pm

      I would like to purchase one of your Ryzen nine 6900 HX laptops when will they be available in Canada and where or can I just order them now

  3. Cameron Bosch

    June 11, 2022 at 3:02 pm

    As somebody who has opened up the 2022 Razer Blade 17, I can confirm the bigger battery is due to three fans instead of four in the 2019 – 2021 models. I can also confirm that the RTX 3080 Ti runs up to the maximum power limit specified by Nvidia. And the gaming performance is next level despite the laptop being super thin. Not to mention the speakers are fat better than most gaming laptops.

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