The Razer Blade Stealth 13 Late 2020 model features the latest Intel 11th gen i7-1165G7 processor, a 13” 120Hz Full HD display, performance-optimized 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics card, 16 GB of RAM and 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD all in a chassis that is just 15.3mm thin and less than 1.5kg. This is also the first ultraportable gaming laptop from Razer to feature a discrete Nvidia GPU with a 13.3 ”120Hz display.
With a beautiful aluminum chassis made from a single piece of metal, modern hardware components, and a great set of features, the Razer Blade Stealth 13 is one of the smallest gaming laptops on the market and makes the perfect mobile gaming companion.
Specifications
| CPU | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 Quad-Core Processor |
| RAM | Dual-channel 16GB LPDDR4X 2133MHz |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q (4GB GDDR6 VRAM) |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD |
| Display | 13.3″ Full HD Matte 120Hz |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB-A) 3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) + Power 3.5mm Combo-Jack |
| Connectivity | Intel Wireless-AX 201 (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Camera | HD webcam with Windows Hello support |
| Audio | 4 Speakers + Smart Amp THX Spatial Audio |
| Battery | 53.1 WHr battery 100W USB-C power adapter |
| Dimensions | 15.3 mm x 210 mm x 304.6 mm (WxDxH) Approx. 1.41 kg |
Packaging
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 comes in a recyclable black cardboard box with no visible branding except for the specifications on the side (The retail packaging may be different). Inside, the laptop and accessories are enclosed in a separate black box with the Razer logo on the top. The charging adapter is separately packaged, and both are protected by inflated airbags. The box includes:
- Razer Blade Stealth 13
- 100W USB-C power adapter
- Quick start manual
- Razer stickers
- A cleaning cloth
- A thank you letter
Design, Build Quality & Ports
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 comes in an anodized matte black finish and an aluminum unibody frame. The top lid has the Razer snake logo etched, which becomes visible only from certain angles. The entire chassis is black and very minimalistic with green accents in places like the ports, Razer logo on the top lid (when in use) and the default keyboard backlight. However, the top lid is a fingerprint magnet and shows smudges easily.
With dimensions of 304.6 × 210 × 15.3 mm and a 1.4kg weight, the Blade Stealth 13 is light, sleek and super comfortable to carry around. The build quality is great and we are impressed with the finish on this laptop.
On the left side is a 3.5mm audio jack, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port and a Type-C port for with support for Thunderbolt 4 with up to 40 Gbps bandwidth or video out, it can also connect to an external GPU for desktop-grade gaming performance (via Razer Core X).
On the right side is a second USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port and another Type-C port. Both Type-C ports supports Thunderbolt 4 and can be used for charging.
There is no HDMI port here because of the thickness profile of 15.3mm but as the USB-C ports supports Thunderbolt, this shouldn’t be a problem. For wireless connectivity, Blade Stealth 13 has Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6.
Display
The Blade Stealth 13 packs a 13.3” Full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 IPS matte panel with 120Hz refresh rate. The display covers 100% of the sRGB space, and is factory calibrated to ensure a vivid and color-accurate experience, making it great for gaming, content creation, or entertainment.
The display is surrounded by ultra-slim 4.9mm bezels and on the top bezel is the HD webcam with support for Windows Hello facial recognition.
The display has a brightness of about 350 nits, high contrast ratio of 1,400:1 and good color reproduction. The viewing angles are great and works well both indoors and in bright outdoor light.
Keyboard & Trackpad
The Blade Stealth 13 has a chiclet-type keyboard without the numeric keypad and is equipped with single-zone RGB backlighting.
The keys are full-sized except for the up and down arrow keys and the row of function keys at the top. The keyboard has a low key-travel and the typing experience is good. To the right and left of the keyboard are the integrated speakers.
One of the unique features of Razer is its Chroma keyboard backlight system which can be customized to match any of the 16.8 million colors and lighting effects available in Razer Synapse app.
The Blade Stealth 13 features a large touchpad with a glass coating. Movements and multi-finger gestures are recognized accurately and we had no problems while using it. There are no dedicated mouse buttons, they are integrated into the surface of the touchpad.
Performance & Benchmarks
In terms of performance, our review model is equipped with a 11th Gen Intel Core i7 1165G7 processor with 4 cores and 8 threads, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics card, 16GB LPDDR4X 2133MHz RAM and 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD storage.
CPU, GPU & RAM
The i7-1165G7 has four cores at a clock frequency of 2.80 GHz each reaching up to 4.70 GHz with eight threads, offering good multitasking performance.
In terms of RAM, the Blade Stealth 13 is equipped with 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM at a frequency of 2,133 Mhz.
GPU
Under the hood, the new Blade Stealth 13 is powered by a GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU. A solid midranger, The GTX 1650 Ti is based on the TU117 core, it offers 1024 shaders at a frequency ranging from 135 MHz to 1200 MHz. Slightly slower than the standard model, the “Max-Q” is the energy-efficient version of the desktop version and is specially designed for thin and portable laptops for longer battery time, but it will handle most modern games in medium to high settings without problems.
Storage
Our review unit came with a 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD. However, depending on the region, they may be different. There’s no room for a second drive in the new Razer Blade Stealth 13.
The SSD offers great performance with read speeds of up to 3,552MB per second and write of up to 2,986MB.
Performance Benchmarks
| BENCHMARK | SCORE |
| Cinebench R20 single core | 563 |
| Cinebench R20 multi core | 1,957 |
| PCMark 10 Benchmark | 5,603 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,408 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | 7,831 |
| 3DMark Sky Diver | 24,788 |
Gaming Benchmarks
| BENCHMARK | SCORE |
| GTA V | 80fps |
| Final Fantasy XV | 45fps |
| Witcher 3 | 51fps |
Temperature & Noise
Airflow is provided by two vents on the bottom and the space between the display lid and the main body. There are two fans responsible for cooling the hardware. Because of the compact dimensions, cooling is limited and the high temperature and fan noise is noticeable when using resource-intensive apps. Fortunately, the palm rests and the keyboard stays cool even under heavy usage.
Under normal load, average temperatures were lower and the laptop runs quiet.
Upgradability
Access to the internal components requires removing the base panel. The memory is soldered on to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded. The SSD, Wi-Fi card and battery can be upgraded.
Software
Most of the performance and settings can be controlled via the Razer Synapse app. With Razer Synapse, you can monitor and optimize system performance, change performance profiles, customize RGB lighting, create macros and more.
Battery & Audio
The new Razer Blade Stealth 2020 can last quite a long time away from the power outlet. Make sure to enable integrated graphics and set the performance to Balanced or Power Saver mode through Razer Synapse app.
Powered by a 53.1Whr battery, the Blade Stealth 13 lasts between eight to ten hours which is great considering its battery capacity and compactness. The laptop can be charged back to 100% in about one and half hour.
| Idle (one third brightness, no WiFI) | 19h 20 min |
| Web Browsing (one third brightness) | 8h 32 min |
| Video Playback (one third brightness) | 8h 15 min |
Audio is powered by integrated speakers on either sides of the keyboard. The sound quality is clear and loud enough to fill small to medium-sized rooms and is better than most ultrabooks.
Verdict
If you are on the lookout for a 13-inch ultraportable laptop with a high refresh rate display and a GPU, the new Blade Stealth is one of the best options out there and offers great performance for everyday work and games. Just make sure to get the upgraded RAM variant as this cannot be upgraded later on. For content creators, the Blade Stealth 13 is also available with a 4K touchscreen with Gorilla glass panel.
However, if you are looking for better gaming performance, the Razer Blade 15 is a better option or get the external Razer Core X GPU that connects via Thunderbolt 4 and can accommodate a full-sized graphics card for a smoother gaming experience.
The downsides here are the limited storage space and non-upgradeable RAM, the laptop gets pretty loud and hot during extended heavy usage; and for a cheaper price, there are some really good 10th-gen Razer alternatives available currently.
