Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 review

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The Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 is a fascinating piece of technology within the gaming laptop world. It’s not at all like any other gaming laptop on the market, offering a unique blend of understated designs and high-level performance. You’d struggle to find a laptop offers this specific mix of options, but the question is, does it actually deliver on its promises?

That’s what we hope to answer today with our in-depth review of the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2. We’ll be putting this laptop through the wringer, testing every facet of it to give you an proper idea of how it works. By the end of this review, we hope you’ll have a satisfactory answer as to whether it’s a good gaming laptop, as well as whether it’s a good fit for you. With that, let’s get straight into it!



Design and build quality

When it comes to design, the Razer Blade series of gaming laptops have always been in a class of their own. It’s very much unlike any other gaming laptop on the market, mainly because of how simple and understated it is. Instead of the loud, brash and garish designs that you tend to see on gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 is a simple and understated piece of powerful technology.

Most of the laptop is simple black metal all around, with the only bit of color being the Razer logo sitting on the back. The shape of the laptop is functional, without going overboard in any one direction. This simplicity is a strength of the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2. If you’re tired of the overtly gamer-ish aesthetic that many gaming laptops have, then this is basically your only other option.

With that said, some design elements of the laptop still carry that gamer look. Mainly, the RGB backlit keyboard, though we’re not counting that as a knock on the design. It’s still functional, allowing users to use the laptop in dark rooms no problem. Even the bezels are slim, not the most subtle on the market, but still slim enough to be good looking amongst its peers.

Razer gaming laptop

Build quality is of course excellent. Every incarnation of the Razer Blade 15 looks great, but the 2018 H2 model takes things a bit further thanks to the inclusion of a metal chassis. Solid hinges and a tactile chiclet keyboard round things off, upholding the line’s reputation of having great build quality. We have nothing to complain about in regards to build and design, it’s great stuff overall.

Display

Razer never disappoints with their laptop displays, and the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 is no exception. The 15.6-inch full HD panel here is vibrant, bright and sharp in all the best ways. While it’s only a 1080p panel, there’s no denying the quality on show here.

A lot of that comes down to the 144Hz refresh rate, which makes games look extremely smooth as the refresh rate outpaces the frame rate of most games ran on the device. This in combination with its excellent performance means you’re always getting a treat for the eyes with every game. Excellent stuff all around here.

The 100% sRGB color gamut also helps the display just pop with a wide variety of colors supported at impressive accuracy. Razer are masters at color calibrating their displays, with the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 being a prime example of this. With excellent viewing angles too, we’re happy with the display here.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 does not disappoint whatsoever. Thanks to a powerful GTX1070 GPU, the laptop’s performance is simply top-notch stuff. Basically any modern game you throw at this laptop will play smoothly on high graphics, and even on ultra, most games maintain a reasonable frame rate.

It’s this impressive performance that allows the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 to take full advantage of its display. With a 144Hz refresh rate, every game you play will be consistently smooth and crisp, allowing for faster reactions and better player performance. It’s a great combination of specifications that really shows off just what this gaming laptop is capable of.

Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 ports left
Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 ports right

With gaming performance this good, it should also come as no surprise that the laptop can handle day-to-day tasks without a single hitch. Between its powerful CPU, speedy RAM configuration and quality storage drive, basically anything program you throw at it will run swimmingly. While we’ve come to expect this from gaming laptops, it’s still always nice to see.

There are some other areas where the laptop also suffers a bit. Despite their 65-gram actuation, the keyboard on the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 isn’t all that good. It feels shallow and unsatisfying to use, though it’s not necessarily the worst we’ve seen. It simply could be a lot better. The same could be said for the laptop’s trackpad, which while huge, is very much average in all regards.

Back into the positives though, the speakers on this laptop are excellent. The volume gets decently loud for built-in laptop speakers, with no distinct crackling to be found. They’re also pretty accurate to what’s being played, with a neutral sound that works well for gaming and music.

Finals words on the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2

Overall, the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 is a solid choice if you’ve been searching for a more understated yet still powerful gaming laptop. Unlike many of its competitors, the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 stands out by its design alone, meaning people who want this look aren’t going to find any other option. It’s either this, or you settle for different, more loud gaming laptop.

Performance was satisfactory in most aspects, though we found the keyboard to be fairly average. While it’s not bad, it could be much better. The trade-off then is that the laptop stays marginally thin and light, making it more portable. Despite this, the pros heavily outweigh the cons here, and we can easily recommend the Razer Blade 15 2018 H2 to anyone who may be interested in it.

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