While E3 2021 is mostly about the games, Razer is here to remind us that hardware is a big part of the show, too. This year Razer is showing off three new gadgets: the Razer Blade 14 laptop, the Razer Raptor 27 monitor and the Razer USB-C GaN charger. All three are stylish, functional gadgets designed with a distinctive Razer aesthetic; all three are also pretty pricey.
Tom’s Guide attended a virtual briefing with Razer, where we got a detailed walkthrough of each device. Razer later revealed the Blade 14, the Raptor 27 and the USB-C GaN to the general public in an E3 2021 livestream. You can watch a recording of the proceedings on YouTube, or see it embedded below:
The Tom’s Guide staff will review these products as they become available. In the meantime, however, we can share everything we know. The Razer Blade 14 is a compact, powerful gaming laptop; the Razer Raptor 27 is a premium QHD gaming monitor; the Razer USB-C GaN is a charger that can power up four demanding devices quickly and safely.
Razer Blade 14
Arguably the biggest announcement in Razer’s E3 2021 lineup is the Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop. Razer claims that the Blade 14 is the “world’s most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop,” and based on the specs, that may well be true. When fully kitted out, the Blade 14 includes an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, a 1440p screen with a 165 Hz refresh rate, 1 TB SSD storage and 16 GB RAM.
Granted, this isn’t as powerful as the Razer Blade 15 or the Razer Blade 17 — but the Razer Blade 14 is also quite a bit smaller than those two machines, measuring 12.6 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches, and weighing 3.9 pounds without the charger.
The Razer Blade 14 doesn’t come cheap, either. The least expensive variation, with an RTX 3060 GPU and a 1080p screen, costs $1,799; the version described above costs $2,799. There’s also an RTX 3070 version that costs $2,199. The system is available for order now via Razer.com.
Razer Raptor 27
The previous version of the Razer Raptor 27 is one of the best gaming monitors we’ve reviewed, featuring a sturdy design, a gorgeous color palette and an inventive cabling system. The new version of the Razer Raptor 27 will have all of those things, in addition to a 165 Hz screen and THX certification for its color, tone and image quality. Like its predecessor, the new Raptor 27 will feature a 2560 x 1440 QHD screen.
New to this model of the Raptor 27 is the Raptor VESA adapter, which is what it sounds like. With this adapter, you’ll be able to attach the Raptor 27 to VESA mounts easily and suspend your Razer monitor on a metal arm of your choice. This is potentially very useful for creative workers, or gamers with multi-monitor setups.
The Raptor 27 will come out in Q3 2021, and cost $800. The VESA Mount Adapter will cost $100 and come out at the same time.
Razer USB-C GaN Charger
While the Razer USB-C GaN Charger may not have the most exciting name in the world, this product has the potential to streamline your gadget-charging considerably. GaN stands for Gallium Nitride: a semiconductor that helps charge electronics quickly and safely. The Razer GaN charger has two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, and can provide up to 130W of power, distributed among four devices.
At $180, this device is probably too expensive if you just need to charge your phone every night before bed. But if you’ve got a smartphone, a tablet, a wireless gaming headset and a USB-C laptop that all need power at the same time — not at all impossible, if you travel frequently — it could save you some time and grief.
The Razer USB-C GaN charger is available now, and we’ll try to get our hands on one to see if it makes a big difference if outlet space and charging speed are your primary concerns.
E3 2021 is winding down, but there are still a few more big conferences on the way. Stay tuned to Tom’s Guide for all the latest news.
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