Your email address will not be published. I reached out to Razer about this, as it’s a huge pet peeve of mine and arguably the thing I have been most critical about on pretty much all Razer Chroma keyboards up to the 2019 model of the Razer Blades.  To my surprise, I’m told there is actually a mechanical reason why they didn’t include it. The technology will make it to more devices throughout 2020. in regards to secondary icon not lighting up. The low-profile keyboard has been designed for gaming enthusiasts who demand near instant actuation, satisfying tactile … To everyone else though, you’re probably going to have to give it some thought, as these options are also not ideal choices for a few reasons. This particular model is only available in a single GPU/SSD variant, but it will probably grow assuming the interest is there. Since they're light based, Razer claims the new keyboard doesn't have any of the bounce back issues you'd find on some traditional offerings. The Razer Blade 15 with optical keyboard will be available today from razer.com and select retailers in the U.S., Canada, and China and it will be available soon to Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. You can also subscribe without commenting. So I do have a little soft spot for Blades. Close. (Does not fit optical keyboard) 2.Our Keyboard Protector skin support USA/Engilsh version keyboard, NOT support Europe version keyboard which big "Enter" like the "7". © 2020 Verizon Media. Razer has announced a new iteration of its Blade 15 Advanced gaming laptop. Those keys are huge in comparison and somehow still get the light through. originally reviewed the Razer Blade 15 that I own, My own review of the updated 2020 Razer Blade 15 Advanced is also available over here, other laptops that have the same CPU/GPU combos, Asus TUF Gaming FX505DV (RTX 2060) vs FX505DU (GTX 1660Ti), both with AMD Ryzen 7, 120 Hz screen, Laptops with Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics (the complete list), Best portable gaming laptops and ultrabooks in 2020 (detailed guide), Razer Blade 15 Advanced review (2020 model – i7-10875H, RTX 2080 Super), Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2020 Deals on ultrabooks and portable laptops. November 6, 2019 at 10:58 pm. I agree  Find out more  About cookies. The best key action in the world won't do any good when your keyboard layout is pure manure. He enjoys taking things apart, figuring out how they work and finding ways to make them better. With common backlit keyboards, the lights can be uniformly distributed, with mechanical or opto-mechanical switches, LEDs are blocked by mechanical structure, thus a lot of the secondary icons will have uniformity issues (like letters only half lit). We first saw those switches on the Razer Huntsman Elite, and we weren't too impressed. MORE STUFF ON MIKESHOUTS. Will Razer's quietly clicky, tactile optical keyboard overthrow the laptop mushocracy? Razer has always been at the forefront of technology when it comes to its gaming laptops, but the latest Blade 15 Advanced really takes things to the next level with an optical mechanical keyboard. November 21, 2019 at 10:34 am. The tactile feel of the keys is much better with this version than it is in the previous versions of the Razer Blades that I have recently reviewed. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. It's the first notebook to feature an optical mechanical keyboard, meaning it relies on light sensors instead of physical switches to register inputs. The company recently released the new version of the laptop, which was created to improve on previous designs. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You've only got a 1080p screen to choose from, but at least it's a speedy 240Hz display. Razer has debuted what it calls “the world’s first optical keyboard designed for gaming laptops,” meaning that it has added next-generation optical switches to the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop.This keyboard has been designed for gaming enthusiasts who demand near instant key actuation, satisfying tactile … In all fairness, it actually wasn’t bad right out of the box. Featuring Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth ® 5.1, Thunderbolt™ 3, and plenty of ports for external displays and peripherals. 0. I was able to calibrate the screen and I got some pretty good results, listed below and in the calibration chart.  It’s not a full gamut screen, but the colors are certainly accurate enough to do some work, provided you have the tools to calibrate it. The Razer™ Optical Switches deliver the fastest performance you’ll ever experience. Don't worry - that's where dbrand Razer Blade 15 skins come in. His other hobbies include spending time with his family, "Do it yourself" projects such as home automation and running. We've seen gaming laptops with mechanical keyboards before, but Razer is taking things to a new level with the latest Blade 15 Advanced. Again, FPS gamers will be the ones who mainly use this.  Competitively, they typically turn the graphics settings down as low as possible so the framerates are as high as can be. During a brief demo of The Typing with the Dead, the Blade 15 Advanced felt as snappy and responsive as some desktop gaming keyboards I've used. Razer says that the optical keyboard will only be available on the Razer Blade 15 Advanced 240Hz model for now, though it is planning to expand to later models in 2020. Now it looks like Razer is trying to do something different by announcing an update to its Razer Blade 15 laptop, which they claim will be the first laptop in the world to sport an optical keyboard. We've seen gaming laptops with mechanical keyboards before, but Razer is taking things to a new level with the latest Blade 15 Advanced. The light-based switches should offer better performance for gamers. Some may not mind it, but it is a cosmetic defect, simple as that. Which current models are equiped with the optical mechanical keyboard? The low-profile keyboard has been designed for gaming enthusiasts who demand near instant actuation, satisfying tactile feedback, and rapid-fire inputs. Razer today announced a new configuration of the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop that has what the company says is the world's first optical keyboard in a laptop. the simple truth is that its a tradeoff for individually lit RGB keyboards. Clearly the lighting is hitting the letters, so all you would have to do is make the underside of the key out of that material and it would travel to the rest of the parts.  This is how it works with all of the desktop mechanical switches. Your email address will not be published. Razer Blade 15 Optical Mechanical Keyboard. Razer, a well-known gaming brand, recently announced the Razer Blade 15 Advanced.This new machine stands out for being the first portable PC with optical keyboard.. Lori Grunin. The keyboard and screen are the two important aspects that will draw you to this Blade 15 model, and fortunately they both pair up well and make sense, at least to that target audience. The new 2019 Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model (the one with the Optical keyboard) is an engineering masterpiece. As usual, the Blade 15 Advanced is a pricier version of Razer's flagship laptop that's meant for more discerning gamers. Tweet. The model I received happens to be the only model available with this keyboard.  It has the same CPU as all the other models, but a RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU and a 240Hz screen. Especially FPS players. Its new, clickier keyboard might be the biggest change. Here were my results: I didn’t have time to take any game measurements as I had this unit while I was on vacation.  These readings line up with other laptops that have the same CPU/GPU combos, so look for similar results while gaming.  The Lenovo Legion Y740, for example, has very similar results. PC gaming titan Razer has unleashed a new version of its Razer Blade 15 laptop, enhanced with what it calls the world’s first optical keyboard designed for gaming laptops.. But they may serve a greater purpose on a laptop, since they allow for a thin profile keyboard with a decent amount of feedback. The new Razer Blade 15 features a keyboard that has a deeper travel. The first Razer laptop to use the company’s optical keyboard is the Blade 15 Advanced that costs $2,649. Note that the unit I received had a -100mV undervolt right out of the box.  I got very little benefit undervolting it further, so I left it as it was.  The temperatures peaked at 90C for the CPU and 75C for the GPU in much of my testing.  It’s nice having that done for you, rather than having to use the software. You may have heard that Razer just recently launched their new keyboard line-up with optical-mechanical switches.  Well, they also added these keys to one of their Razer Blade 15 models, which I just so happen to have on hand for a review.  I only had it for a little over a week, but it was plenty long enough to form a good impression about it. Real notebook reviews and analysis by real people. Posted by 6 hours ago. This all comes at a cost though.  I noticed it on the 2nd day I used it, when I was typing in a dark room.  The secondary functions are again not backlit.  No!!!! The Razer Blade 15 with optical keyboard will be available today from Razer.com and select retailers in United States, Canada, and China and will be coming soon to Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. I reached out to Razer to ask about the click and found out that it is artificially generated.  It’s similar to the click I heard in the Acer Triton laptop or even the old Razer Blade Pro, which isn’t overly loud like blue mechanical switches are, but certainly can be heard in a quiet room.  I do like this click though, because it’s more of a confirmation that the keys were indeed pressed. It’s made by Sharp, with part number LQ156M1JW08.  In short, it’s a fine panel for gaming. As for me?  I’m interested!  But not at the expense of losing some of the functionality.  I’m really hoping that they fix their keycaps in the future RTX 3080 model, and if that’s the case, I’m in.  I’d like to hear what other owners of this machine think. It used to be a certain version 15 Advanced model , but I can't find anything in the specs from … But, things have changed a lot since then, and we have the latest from Razer, the Blade 15 with the optical keyboard. As far as the performance goes, I’m very impressed! The Razer Blade 15's optical keyboard also has N-Key Rollover with anti-ghosting. While the keys themselves will still be low-profile in their design, largely due to the fact that this is still a laptop, the … But for a standard gamer, I’d have to recommend just going with the standard keyboard or at least just caution against the optical keyboard.  That’s because the secondary function backlighting just isn’t worth giving up for the sake of mechanical keys. 1.Laptop Ultra Thin Clear Transparent Tpu Keyboard Cover protectors For 2018-2019 Razer Blade 15 15.6". I also took my standard typing test and my error rate went down by about 50% on this machine, over my daily driver (the Razer Blade 15 with normal ke… Also, if you’re a competitive gamer, you might want to take advantage of the faster response time on these keys.  This Blade 15model is also paired with a 240Hz screen after all, so it makes sense that the intended user would want the fastest response times possible, as every ms counts. I’ve had several Zephyrus G14 models on my desk during these last two months, and have been using them both as daily drivers and while running our various tests.... Lenovo Legion 5 review (AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, GTX 1650Ti gaming laptop), ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 review (2020 G732LXS model – Core i7/i9, RTX 2080 150W), ASUS ZenBook S UX393EA review (Core i7-1165G7 Tiger Lake, 3:2 3K touchscreen), Acer Predator Helios 300 review (PH315-53 2020 model – Core i7, RTX 2070 graphics). Razer has announced that it's bringing optical keyboards to laptops for the first time with the Razer Blade 15 starting today. Panel HardwareID: Sharp – LQ156M1JW08 Panel ID SHP14D4; Coverage: 93% sRGB, 65% NTSC, 68% AdobeRGB; Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 227 cd/m2 on power. Notably, the new keyboard features mechanical switches that travel 50% further than the previous model, resulting in a … The Razer Blade 15 is equipped with advanced connectivity to accommodate a wide range of devices. Update: My own review of the updated 2020 Razer Blade 15 Advanced is also available over here. My recommendation?  If you are a skilled typist and don’t mind the subtle mechanical noise, I think you’ll like the optical-mechanical keyboard much better than the standard one that is found on all of the other Razer Blades.  Not that the old ones were bad, per se, but this one just types a lot better. Hi. Oct. 14, 2019 6:00 a.m. PT. The second revision of the original 17” with a GTX 660M back in 2012 to be specific. In addition to being a tech enthusiast, Derek has a career as a biomedical engineer. How to buy a laptop for your kid (or revive an old one), Spotify Wrapped chronicles your 2020 listening habits in a stories-style format, The 'lost' Superman PlayStation game has appeared in public, Watch the trailer for Studio Ghibli's first fully CG movie, The Arecibo Observatory's telescope has collapsed. We do not collect your personal data. While I'm sure he would enjoy the normal blade keyboard… At dbrand, we use 100% authentic 3M materials across our entire portfolio of Blade 15 (2019, Advanced, Optical… The screen on this model an IPS panel with FHD resolution and 240 Hz refresh rate. And like most gaming keyboards, it also features N-Key rollover to avoid ghosting issues when you're rapidly pressing multiple keys. And it’s been shown (through performance) that having a 240Hz screen has its advantages.  I just don’t have those games (or the skills) to test something like that, so we’ll just have to take their word for it. It's hard to tell if there's any real benefit with using optical sensors, but they definitely allowed for some solid feedback. This new-for-late-2019 version of the Blade 15 looks just about the same as the existing model, with the keyboard's keys the only element that has changed. Question. But the new Razer Blade 15 Advanced is the first to feature a keyboard with optical switches. The feedback is where most of the improvement lies.  There’s a noticeable difference in both the force it takes to depress the key, as well as the travel, which increased to 1.7mm from 1.2mm.  It’s probably a combination of the two, but it’s just a heck of a lot easier to type on this keyboard than it is on my own Razer Blade. Razer's previous innovation in laptop keyboards has been mostly limited to equipping them with RGB LEDs, but the new Razer Blade 15 Advanced is the first laptop with optical keyboard switches. As far as the performance goes, I’m very impressed!  The tactile feel of the keys is much better with this version than it is in the previous versions of the Razer Blades that I have recently reviewed.  I also took my standard typing test and my error rate went down by about 50% on this machine, over my daily driver (the Razer Blade 15 with normal keys). The Advanced Model supports USB-C Charging with 20V adapters, a UHS-III SD Card Reader, and Windows … I took some measurements on my xRite i1 Display Pro sensor and here’s what I got: The 240Hz screen is overkill for the games I play, but there is definitely an audience out there that will take advantage of it. The lower screen brightness, the non-backlit secondary functions, and the clicky key-sounds are just some things that you’d ultimately have to deal with if this is the model you choose to buy.  There’s also an added $50 for these features, raising the total price to $2650 at the time of this post. I also took a number of synthetic benchmarks on this Core i7, RTX 2070 Max-Q configuration.  For these tests, I left the fan profile in Auto. While I take my source at his word, this makes absolutely no sense to me.  Backlighting keys is just a matter of making the underside and the letters out of a semi-translucent material.  And the light underneath doesn’t have to illuminate the whole key – it just needs to face up and hit the material so the light will travel through. Razer was the first to introduce a low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard in 2016 and has now brought next-generation optical switches to the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop. A little bit of a backstory, but my first ever gaming laptop was actually a Razer Blade. Follow this link for more details, or head-up to Razer’s site. link review. The company says that with an optical keyboard, “near-instant actuation, tactile feedback satisfaction and rapid firing” is possible. Though dim, the brightness is pretty evenly distributed. It starts at an eye watering $2,649, and includes NVIDIA'S RTX 2070, Intel's six-core i7-9750H, 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD. Razer Blade 15 Optical Mechanical Keyboard. This week, Razer announced that it has developed the world's first optical keyboard for use in laptops, with the Razer Blade 15 Advanced being the … In fact, Razer says it’s the first laptop from any company to feature an optical keyboard. One last thing to note is that GSYNC is disabled on this screen.  There is an option in Synapse to always use the dGPU and it does require a reboot to do so.  But the Gysnc option never showed up in Nvidia settings, so I’m not really sure of the purpose of this toggle.  Regardless, with 240Hz, you get little benefit from Gsync anyway. It's also a black anodized fingerprint magnet. The latest analysis, news, findings and scoops on ultrabooks and ultra-portable laptops. For the time being, the optical keyboard is only offered on a specific Razer Blade 15 Advanced configuration. Fortunately, there are plenty of other Blade 15 models to pick from, including different video cards, screen resolutions and even colors. Required fields are marked *. Like I just said, the older keyboard was fine, so the pros don’t necessarily outweigh the cons in this case.  But removing the ability to see what keys do in a dark room is an unnecessary handicap on the user, and it’s even more critical for people using macros. You can snag the Razer Blade 15 Advanced starting today, and you can expect to see more models coming next year. Question. All images courtesy of Razer. I personally can’t tell the difference between it and my 144Hz screen on my personal laptop, other than the screen being dimmer on this one.  For day to day tasks, there’s virtually no difference in looks and performance.  Even in the games I played, I can’t tell the difference because my framerates never got that high. Rather than write a full writeup on the unit, I decided to only review the keyboard and the screen.  I’m also adding some synthetic benchmarks for the CPU/GPU pair.  My opinions on everything else are exactly the same as I felt when I originally reviewed the Razer Blade 15 that I own. Razer didn’t have to tweak the dimensions or build of the system to accommodate the new keyboard; it … Pushing innovation to elevate the gaming experience is something we constantly strive for. The good parts about it are the viewing angles and non-existent backlight bleed.  The FHD resolution is a sweet spot for this screen size, as the image is crisp enough and there’s no scaling that has to be done to make everything look good. I really hope they phase out these keys without backlighting once and for all.  I just got a message the other day stating that the Razer Blade Studio doesn’t have the secondary functions backlit either.  This is a step in the wrong direction in my opinion. Razer was the first to introduce a low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard in 2016 and has now brought next-generation optical switches to the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop. Tags: ... he has recently started to look into the blade and was especially impressed by the optical keyboard that is available in the US. It was what drove us to create the first mechanical keyboard for gaming, then subsequently design our own Razer™ Mechanical Switches to meet the … All rights reserved. Razer was the first to introduce a low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard in 2016 and has now brought next-generation optical switches to the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop. The maximum brightness could be better, though.  I was only able to get 227 nits in the center, which is below average and might prove difficult to use in bright offices, and especially outside.  Contrast ratio was around 1200:1, so that’s a plus at least. Razer Blade 15 inch Advanced Optical Keyboard availability in Europe Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Redux_rl, Nov 22, 2019. Razer hopes Blade 15's new optical keyboard clicks with gamers. It runs $2,649.99 and features the following specs: 15.6-inch Full HD 240Hz display Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptop 2019: Intel Core i7-9750H 6 Core, NVIDIA RTX 2070 Max-Q, 15.6" FHD 240Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB, Optical Key Switches, CNC Aluminum, Chroma RGB Lighting, Thunderbolt 3 (Renewed) $2,289.88 With Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 just around the corner, this article gathers some of the best deals I was able to find online in these last days... Best Chromebooks of 2020 – comparisons, reviews and buying guide, The search for the best wireless keyboard: Logitech K400 Plus vs. K830 vs. MX Keys, Fanless and silent laptops, Chromebooks and ultrabooks in 2020 – a detailed list, Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA vs ZenBook 14 UX425JA compared, Copyright © 2011-2019 Ultrabookreview.com.