Razer’s big-boy gaming laptop is back, and yes bro, it is even more expensive now.
The new Razer Blade 18 has been announced with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus chip, putting it in proper desktop-replacement territory for gamers, creators, streamers, and anyone who wants one machine to do basically everything. It is already available through Razer’s site, with the entry model starting at US$3,999.99 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.
For Malaysian readers, that starting price roughly sits around the RM18,800 to RM19,000 range before any local taxes, shipping, warranty differences, or retailer markups. So yeah, this is not “maybe I save a bit from allowance” money. This is full-on premium gaming rig budget.
The painful part? That starting configuration is US$500 more than the 2025 Blade 18 with the same GPU tier. Converted roughly, that increase alone is around RM2,300-plus. That is already enough for a decent monitor, a bunch of games, or a very respectable midrange GPU upgrade for a desktop setup.
What is actually new?
Based on the specs shared, this year’s Blade 18 looks more like a processor refresh than a full redesign. The big change is the move from Intel’s earlier Arrow Lake platform to what is described as Arrow Lake Refresh, led here by the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus.
The GPU options remain familiar from last year, with Razer offering configurations up to an RTX 5090. That keeps the Blade 18 firmly in the “portable monster” category, though portable here still means an 18-inch laptop that you probably do not want to carry around campus every day unless you enjoy shoulder day.
The display is still one of the more interesting parts. Razer is keeping the dual-mode 18-inch panel, which can switch between:
- 3840 x 2400 at 240Hz for sharp visuals and high-end gaming
- 1920 x 1200 at 440Hz for ultra-fast competitive play
Razer says the screen is now 20% brighter than before. That is nice for creators and anyone gaming in brighter rooms, though the 1200p mode on an 18-inch display will obviously look less crisp than the high-resolution option. For esports titles like Valorant, Counter-Strike, or Overwatch, the 440Hz mode makes sense. For AAA games, editing, or anime streaming in bed, the sharper mode is probably where you will live.
Connectivity is stacked too: Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, SD card slot, and even ethernet. That last one matters more than some brands realise. In Malaysia, plenty of gamers still prefer wired internet for ranked matches, especially if your home Wi-Fi gets bullied by walls, siblings, or that one router in the worst possible corner.
Blade 16 also kena price hike
It is not just the Blade 18 feeling the pinch. The smaller Blade 16, based on Intel’s Panther Lake platform, has also become more expensive on Razer’s site.
The RTX 5080 model was announced at US$3,499.99, but is now listed at US$3,999.99. The RTX 5090 model moved from US$4,499.99 to US$4,899.99. In ringgit terms, these are all comfortably in “think very carefully before checkout” territory.
The Verge asked Razer why the prices went up, but Razer had not responded by publication time. The article points toward the broader “RAMageddon” situation, referring to rising memory costs affecting PC hardware pricing.
For SEA buyers, the takeaway is simple: premium gaming laptops are getting harder to justify unless you really need that thin, polished, all-in-one power machine. If you mostly game at home, a desktop build plus a decent laptop might still give better value. But if you want one sleek machine for gaming, work, content creation, and showing off at the cafe, the Blade 18 is still very much that flex.
Just be ready for the price tag. This one bites.
Source: The Verge Gaming