- As someone who relies on Final Cut Pro
to produce literally every video that hits this channel,
MrMobile is a MacBook user.
And as of the 2019 MacBook Pro,
a pretty happy one.
So, the Windows PCs that I've found useful over the years,
have typically been ultra portables.
Small laptops I can use for writing
and other light work on the go.
But in case you haven't noticed,
we're not doing an awful lot of going these days.
In fact, the furthest I've taken my computers in 2020
has basically been from that room to this room.
Maybe the occasional field trip up to the roof.
And in these kinds of situations,
when you're never gonna be too far from a power outlet
or a tabletop, the so called desktop replacement laptops
are actually kind of ideal.
And this one, is one of the most capable you can buy,
for a price.
(dance music)
If you're a long time subscriber,
or a phone geek like me,
you might remember that name Razer.
It's the company that churned out
two of the first gaming phones
to hit the scene in 2017 and 18.
Both of which I reviewed.
Since then the company has refocused on it's core
computer and accessory businesses.
And this is the latest high performance laptop
to come out of it's Irvine offices, the Razer Blade Pro 17.
That is huge.
Technically, it's actually a refresh of a model
that was already available.
But since this is my first exposure to any Razer laptop
as a user, it's all new to me,
for this first impressions video.
So, what's my literal first impression?
Well, (laughs) like most desktop replacements,
this thing is a laptop in name only.
I mean, that is not a small computer.
Not only did it's aluminum body
get too hot to keep on my legs
after just 15 minutes of gaming, but it's just colossal.
Razer has done an impressive job
of managing the display bezels,
so the machine isn't any bigger than it has to be,
but, look, with a 17.3" widescreen,
there's only so much you can do, right?
In fact it's so big, it feels heavier
than it's six pounds.
But honestly, I'd have put up with even more weight
if Razer had managed to fit a bigger battery in here.
More on that in a second.
But first, you only need to glance at the specs,
to see that this is a proper gaming machine.
And that's always a great excuse for me to break out
the old Thrustmaster collection and do some fancy flying.
By which I mean, try to remember how these USB adapters work
and try to teach increasingly modern games
how to recognize peripherals from the mid 90s.
That said, it's much easier to do this
on the Razer Blade Pro
than my MacBook Pro, because yes, ports!
Instead of hunting down a dongle to give the machine
the USB and SD car connections I use everyday,
I just plug in.
Because the Blade Pro has everything I need,
including an ethernet connection,
which I laughed at at first,
but actually would be handy if I still went to trade shows
where the WiFi is trash.
Anyway, once I pried myself away from flying around
in Combat Air Patrol 2 in my old standby TIE Fighter,
I wrapped up my day one gaming by starting Chernobylite.
Which was suitably spooky and perfectly smooth
for the few minutes I was able to play it
before the laptop started frying my kneecaps off.
This was no surprise, I was not only playing the game
at maximum settings to tax that Super Max-Q GPU,
and screen recording at the same time.
But I was playing while plugged in
to the massive 230W charger.
Coming from the relatively petite brick for my MacBook,
this thing is a true beast.
But from my early testing, it seems like you'll need it.
Staring with a full charge, my first battery warning
came after just two hours of use.
(laughs) Okay.
Now keep in mind, that was two hours of very heavy usage.
With graphically intense gaming
and the 4K display maxed out on brightness.
It doesn't get quite as bright as I would like, but still.
Also, pre-production hardware running pre-release software
and drivers and I've only been using it for a day.
So folks, you don't see review in the headline,
that's because this is a first impressions pass
from a Razer neophyte.
And speaking of that, let's talk Chroma.
My only exposure to Razer's custom lighting system thus far
has been the wireless charger
the company put out for it's smartphones.
Well on a keyboard, it's just as pretty,
and much more useful.
You can assign different colors to different keys
for different applications.
Or just cycle through the presets,
have a visual feast.
Now I will say that despite the tutorials,
the Chroma software seems pretty complex.
At least on my first day.
But, I'm eager to see
if I can set a custom lighting scheme for, say, TIE Fighter.
And group certain cockpit controls
and game toggles by color.
If anyone knows how to do this,
please drop a line in the comments.
For now, I'm just enjoying the show.
And stumbling upon the occasional practical benefit.
Like the function key that lights up the function row.
Oh, complete with proper media controls.
In my experience, a rarity on Windows machines.
Think I complained about that on that Galaxy Book S review.
The one downside to this keyboard,
while the keys have adequate travel and feedback,
I do find them a bit on the small side.
And sadly, there's no numpad in sight.
For a desktop replacement notebook focused on gaming,
with such huge tracks of land,
that feels like a missed opportunity.
And Razer couldn't really fit it in,
given the enormous baize it allocated to the speakers here,
but the trade off isn't worth it.
The sound while loud is also very thin.
Coming from a MacBook Pro,
it's just not an impressive showing,
given how much space the speakers take up.
And on this episode of Into The Fold,
an exclusive first look at Android 10 for the Motorola Razr,
a phone that's push-
An exclusive first look at Android 10 for the Motorola Razr,
a phone that's pushing the boundaries
of what you can do with a foldable, without even opening it.
(dance music)
And while we're talking disappointments,
about the best I can say about this webcam
is that, well it exists.
It's fine for video calls and Windows Hello.
But you better make sure you've got good lighting.
That same good lighting will help showcase the dbrand skin
you should apply to this thing.
Yeah, it's a sponsor spot, but admit it,
you're as much of a swarm junkie as I am.
Swarm is dbrand's name for this addictive hexagonal print
that I put on everything.
And while it looks pretty great on a surface,
it feels like it was made for the Razer Blade Pro.
Snap it up at this link, it's in the description
if you're watching on YouTube.
And thanks as always to brand,
for sponsoring this video.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 comes with two display options.
As I mentioned, I found this one a little on the dim side.
But with 4K resolution, a touch layer
and 120hz refresh rate,
a world's first combination by the way,
it's a big win on the whole.
Oh yeah, that's silky smooth there, look at that.
If you're an ultra gamer
and you need to crank that refresh rate to 300hz.
Man, you can pick up the other trim.
And you can also choose the usual variables like
graphics card, SSD and so forth.
And both SSD and RAM are user upgradable.
How much will it cost you?
Well, you've got options starting at about $2000
for the older model.
Climbing as you add new features from this generation.
And for a trim level like this one,
basically maxed out, your looking at 38 hundred US dollars.
You won't have to go far to find people
who think that price too high.
Especially when you consider the kind of desktop machines
you can put together for less.
I know because I ran into some of those very people
in the comments of a message board I frequented
back in 2006, before I pulled the trigger
on my first desktop replacement laptop.
And folks, I never regretted it.
That machine brought me four very satisfying years.
Of course, they're not great for travel.
But when you're stuck at home
and you need a powerful machine that doesn't anchor you
to a single room, desktop replacements definitely
have a place.
And by and large, my first few hours
with the Blade Pro 17
have suggested that it can hold it's own
with my other stay-at-home favorite,
the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo.
Now I say by and large because frankly,
Razer hasn't always had
the best reputation for quality control.
I've been next to a lot of people who's Razer laptops
have died in the middle of projects
or malfunctioned in some way or another.
And you don't have to go far on the internet
to find similar reports
basically all over Reddit and other places.
I asked the company about this more than once
and the company has been
really quite transparent with it's feedback.
It gave me a ton of ways that it has improved
the customer service experience,
or at least tried to improve it over the past year.
And rather than me recite it in voiceover,
I'm just gonna throw it on the screen,
so you can see what they said.
And I'll invite you to leave your comments below.
If you have your own experiences.
Recent experiences with Razer quality control
or customer service.
This first look hands-on was produced following two days
with the Razer Blade Pro 17 2020
review sample provided by Razer.
MrMobile does not produce paid reviews or hands-ons though,
Razer provided no compensation
in exchange for this coverage.
Nor was it given an early preview or copy approval rights.
That means they're seeing it for the first time
right alongside you.
Please subscribe to the MrMobile on YouTube
if you'd like to see more videos like this.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
stay safe at home where possible,
even as we start to unpause our lives.
And as always, in spirit,
stay mobile my friends.