Razer has brought a number of new products to CES 2022, which include updates to its popular Blade gaming laptops. But one laptop in the lineup has been cut altogether.
The Razer Blade 15 Base Model has always been the cheapest way into Razer’s expensive line of laptops. Most recently, the Razer Blade 15 Base Model started at $1,800, making it the only Razer Blade to come in under two grand.
That might still sound expensive, but that’s $500 less than the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model, which is now the only one you can buy.
The cheapest Base Model still came with the latest 11th-gen Intel processors and RTX 3060 graphics card. The configuration also came with 512GB of SSD storage, 16GB of dual-channel RAM, and a 1080p 144Hz display. It was no slacker.
There were, however, some other major differences between the Base Model and the Advanced Model. First off, the Base Model reused an older chassis from Razer Blade 15 history, which was thicker at 0.78 inches, as seen in the comparison photo below. It also included the older AC power adapter and an Ethernet jack.
The differences between the Razer Blade models extend to the internals as well. The Advanced Model uses a more modern vapor chamber style of thermals, whereas the Base Model relied on a more conventional heat pipe system.
Still, many potential buyers found the Base Model an attractive proposition, which put it closer in price to other gaming laptop brands without losing the pedigree of a Razer product. They were also the only Razer Blade 15 configurations to come with 512GB storage options rather than 1TB. That might not sound like a good thing, but again, it allowed the Base Model to be sold at a lower price bracket.
Just as early as last year, an even cheaper configuration was offered at $1,600 that came with a GTX 1660 Ti and a 256GB SSD.
Now, the “Advanced Model” is the only option that’s continuing to be updated and sold, now known simply as the Razer Blade 15.
Razer hasn’t announced pricing details on this new Razer Blade 15, which now comes with the latest components, a 4K 144Hz configuration, and more.
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said in early December, however, that Razer Blades would increase in cost in 2022 as the chip shortage puts a squeeze on the price of components. Among these increasingly expensive components is the DDR5 memory which the Razer Blade 15 now uses.
