Razer has just unveiled its most powerful gaming laptop, the 2024 Razer Blade 18, and it features a fascinating new spec that just might be more interesting than the laptop itself. As teased in January during CES, the new 2024 Blade 18 is the world’s first notebook equipped with Thunderbolt 5.
Having the latest Thunderbolt version means that you now get three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4, going from 40Gbps to 120Gbps. This should ensure minimal lag while working with multiple high-resolution displays and, in some ways, open up the possibility of hooking up desktop-class GPUs via external docks.
External GPUs have fallen out of fashion recently; Intel has been hoping to spark a resurgence in their popularity ever since Thunderbolt 5 was announced. More than that, Intel has implied that even “external AI accelerators” could come in the future, which might bring an extra boost for local AI performance.
The additional bandwidth also means you can now power an external monitor with a refresh rate of up to 540Hz.
Beyond Thunderbolt 5, though, there’s a host of updates to specs across the board for the Razer Blade 18. Razer says that it is the slimmest laptop in its size category powered by an Intel HX-series CPU, specifically the Core i9-14900HX.
The laptop also comes with premium display options. It can be configured with a factory-calibrated 4K (3840×2400) resolution display capable of 200Hz refresh rate, 3.0ms response time, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, as well as Calman verification. The other option is equally enticing. The Blade 18 will also be available with a QHD+ 300Hz mini-LED option with 1000-nits peak brightness, 2K dimming zones with a new toggle on/off feature, and similar DCI-P3 100% color gamut coverage, Calman verification, and factory calibration.
Powering the graphics is the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series available right from the 4070 to the 4090 with up to 175W TGP. There’s a new cooling system too, with thinner exhaust fins and a vapor chamber system paired with three cooling fans. Notably, one of the cooling fans is placed between a unique dual battery. It seems that the manufacturer is taking every precaution possible to avoid battery swelling issues, which has been a consistent issue with Razer gaming notebooks.
There’s also a 5-megapixel webcam with Windows Hello support, a 6-speaker array with THX spatial audio, Wi-Fi 7, and a 330W GaN charger, which is said to be 60% smaller than traditional charging bricks.
In terms of storage and memory, the laptop can be configured with dual 2TB NVMe drives and up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM. There’s a plethora of ports, too, including three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB Type-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 5, a 2.5-gig Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1, and a UHS-II SD card reader.
The new Razer Blade 18 is available for purchase from the company’s online store. The starting price tag for the mini-LED model is $3,100 . However, the 4K 200Hz display is currently unavailable, but is listed with the highest configuration for $4,800.
The Razer Blade 18 might be among the first to debut Thunderbolt 5, but it won’t be the last. We’ll have to wait and see if the broader shift to the new port standard will lead to an embrace of external GPUs, as Intel hopes it will.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.