The redesigned Razer Blade Stealth can actually game now — but it’ll cost you

The Razer Blade Stealth laptops weren’t made to be gaming machines, but that’s about to change. The gaming company announced a new 13-inch Blade Stealth laptop that now comes with an optional discrete graphics card, meaning it can actually live up to the identity of the iconic brand.

In the higher-end configurations, the new Stealth offers an Nvidia MX150 to run the graphics. Before you balk at the lack of power in that card, it should be noted this is the 25-watt, 4GB version. That’s double the memory of the cards you’ll see in laptops like the Huawei MateBook X Pro and Asus ZenBook 13. The increased GPU memory should provide a significant boost in performance over those laptops, though we haven’t tested it yet to know just how much. These discrete graphics models start at $1,599, while the $1,399 base model comes with more conventional discrete Intel graphics.

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Along with the new graphics performance are some fresh Whiskey Lake 8th-gen processors. In fact, all models come with the same Core i7-8565U CPU, a quad-core processor with Turbo Core speeds up to 4.6 GHz. You can configure it up to a 512GB NVMe SSD and 16GB of RAM, though the base configuration starts with a more standard 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. Unfortunately, that base model uses an M.2 SATA SSD rather than the faster NVMe PCIe storage.

There’s more to the new Blade Stealth than just power. The new laptop has been redesigned to look and feel more like the 2018 Razer Blade — it features a simpler, boxier aesthetic and slimmed-down bezels. Even the distinctive green snakes logo has been muted — it’s now subtly outlined into the lid. At 0.58 inches thick and 2.8 pounds, it’s lighter than the previous model but also slightly thicker. For reference, it’s both thinner and lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The previous iteration of the Blade Stealth featured just one display option: A 3,200 x 1,800 resolution touchscreen. On the new version, Razer offers a cheaper base model with a reduced 1080p screen without touch. On the higher end, there’s now a 4K option, which comes with a touch-enabled screen and costs a hefty $1,899. Both are still 13.3-inch 16:9 matte displays. Razer claims up to 13 hours on the Full HD model, while the 4K model will most certainly die quicker.

Though it’s still a Chroma keyboard, gone is the per-key RGB lighting. You can still swap through and customize colors in Razer Synapse, though now it is restricted to a single color at once. RGB fans won’t like this decision, but it does allow the function row of keys to now be lit up, which was a common complaint of previous Stealth laptops.

Port options on the new Blade Stealth include a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port, two USB-A 3.1 ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Razer says it’s also improved the audio experience, throwing in a four-speaker setup and support for Dolby Atmos.

The new Razer Blade Stealth is shipping now directly from Razer’s website, and starts at $1,399 for the base model.