WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:08.320 I've had a review unit of the Razer Blade late 2016 since launch. In fact, I 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:12.160 bought a dozen of the first ones off the production line back in October so I 00:00:10.559 --> 00:00:18.000 could box them up and give them out at my staff Christmas party. So, why then 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:27.279 did it take me so long to do this review? because I was waiting for a very 00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:29.439 special blade. A one-of-a-kind signed LT 00:00:27.279 --> 00:00:34.399 edition blade that will soon be in the hands of a very lucky winner who 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:40.400 graciously agreed to let me showcase his beautiful prize in my review before 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:49.360 sending it along. So, here we go. 00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:56.079 Tunnel Bear is the simple VPN app that makes it easy to browse privately and 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:59.079 enjoy a more open internet. To try Tunnel Bear for free, check out the link 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:03.520 in the video description. The unboxing experience 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:08.360 really hasn't changed a lot since the original Razer Blade 14. You get a 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:14.720 laptop, Razer's characteristically compact 165W power adapter, and some 00:01:12.080 --> 00:01:19.680 papers to accidentally throw away before you remember about the Earth. And in 00:01:17.600 --> 00:01:25.600 fact, not much has changed outwardly about the machine either, aside from the 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:27.439 textured LT design by Ed, which you 00:01:25.600 --> 00:01:32.960 won't find on the one that you buy at the store anyway. It still rocks a 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:39.920 normal non-magnetized power cord. [ __ ] magnets. Hint hint Razer to go 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:46.000 with its three USB 3 ports, audio jack, Thunderbolt 3 port, and HDMI port. And 00:01:43.360 --> 00:01:51.040 like it basically looks like the same damn computer, still with the black, 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:55.920 still with the rubber feet, still with the dime thickness, and still with the 00:01:53.680 --> 00:02:00.240 bright green Razor logo on the back that causes gamers to rush the stands and 00:01:58.399 --> 00:02:04.560 professionals to refuse to go into meetings with their laptops because 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:12.560 they're too embarrassed. Even most of the key specs are the same. CPU same, 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:15.760 RAM same, battery same. Though the 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:20.239 maximum NVMe SSD size got doubled to 1 00:02:15.760 --> 00:02:23.360 TB and the GTX 970M from last gen has 00:02:20.239 --> 00:02:26.080 been bumped to a GTX 1060, which means 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:32.400 the newest Blade is a very capable little VR machine, and that both the 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:35.680 Thunderbolt and HDMI port can handle 4K 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:39.680 60 Hz. Now, not that a 1060 will run 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:41.519 most games at 4K 60 frames pers anyway, 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:47.200 which is where my favorite difference from the last gen comes in. The Blade is 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:55.280 now available with a glass topped 3200 by800 touchscreen or a matte 1920x 1080 00:02:52.519 --> 00:03:00.239 non-touchscreen that's cheaper, saves a little battery, avoids any issues with 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:05.440 poor resolution scaling in Windows, and translates to up to double the frame 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:07.159 rate in games. Now, obviously, you can 00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:12.319 turn down the touchscreen model to 1080p, but then you're dealing with 00:03:09.440 --> 00:03:17.920 interpolation instead of a crisp native resolution image. And for me personally, 00:03:15.440 --> 00:03:22.239 the difference in sharpness has a much much smaller impact on my gaming 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:28.319 experience than the massive difference in frame rates that make animations on 00:03:24.720 --> 00:03:32.000 the 1080p late 2016 two to three times 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:34.080 faster than other blades. I mean, sure, 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:40.959 a Razer Core upgrade would boost performance as well, but that things 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:43.840 like 500 bucks plus a video card, so it 00:03:40.959 --> 00:03:49.920 got some upgrades, but many of the complaints from previous Blades do still 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:52.319 exist. They run hot. Interestingly, the 00:03:49.920 --> 00:03:56.640 higher frame rates of the 1080p model puts more strain on the CPU while 00:03:54.319 --> 00:04:03.360 gaming. They are loud when you're pushing them hard, and the input lag on 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:05.680 the mere 60 Hz display with no G-Sync is 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:10.879 far from the best I've seen on what is purportedly a gaming notebook. With that 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:15.920 said, the webcam is still pretty good, even if it hasn't improved much, if at 00:04:13.200 --> 00:04:20.400 all. The trackpad took a major leap forward in responsiveness and 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:25.520 acceleration curve tuning in both 2016 models. And the keyboard thankfully 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:31.280 bears no resemblance whatsoever to the one in the higherend Blade Pro. It's one 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:33.360 of my favorite laptop keyboards ever in 00:04:31.280 --> 00:04:38.320 spite of the lack of illumination of the secondary functions. a downgrade from 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:43.120 the 2015 model that seems to have been born from a desire for RGB backlighting 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:49.160 and one that bothers me pretty much every day. So, on the surface then, not 00:04:46.479 --> 00:04:54.800 a lot has changed, even going back a few generations. But when you look closer, 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:58.880 Razer has been absolutely refining the experience with the improvement to 00:04:56.960 --> 00:05:02.960 surface temperatures of the device during use being one of the most 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:08.639 noticeable day-to-day. And while the Blade has been good enough for a while 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:12.160 for me to use as a work first, game 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:14.639 second kind of person, it wasn't until 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:18.520 this generation that it was good enough for me to spend real money on it, 00:05:16.960 --> 00:05:26.520 dropping over $25,000 on these machines for my entire 00:05:22.280 --> 00:05:29.120 staff. So, in spite of the very small 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:34.720 improvements, do I think the Blade Late 2016 is the best blade yet? You're damn 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:39.600 right I do. Let's just hope that they don't trash the 2017 model by putting 00:05:37.520 --> 00:05:45.840 that awful keyboard from the Blade Pro on it. Or the next time my employees get 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.840 new computers, they might be from 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:54.080 Apple. Okay, so you run your own business. Let's say you got uh you know, 00:05:51.919 --> 00:05:59.600 invoices you got to send, expenses you got to track, and hours you've got to 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:01.720 somehow not only track but also manage. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:05.759 How do you do all that stuff? FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the cloud 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:10.240 accounting solution that lets you send professionallook invoices in less than 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:14.720 30 seconds. Set up online payments with a couple clicks, getting paid up to four 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:17.840 days faster, and lets you see when your client has seen your invoice, putting an 00:06:16.400 --> 00:06:21.759 end to that whole, hey, did you get that? Oh, no. Yeah. Can you send it 00:06:19.440 --> 00:06:24.800 again? Yeah, actually, no. I have Fresh Books. I know you already got it. Now, 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:28.800 pay up. So, FreshBooks lets you keep track of 00:06:26.880 --> 00:06:32.960 all that stuff, even if you're not a numbers person, especially if you're not 00:06:31.039 --> 00:06:36.600 a numbers person. And if all that sounds great, try out a 30-day free trial over 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:40.720 at freshbooks.com/teips and enter Linus 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:44.000 TechTips in the how did you hear about us 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:47.440 section. So, thanks for watching, guys. If this video sucked, you know what to 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:50.479 do. But if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit that like button, or 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:54.240 check out the link to where to buy the stuff we featured at Amazon in the video 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:57.360 description. Also linked in the description is our merch store, which 00:06:55.440 --> 00:07:00.800 has cool shirts like this one, and our community forum, which you should 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:04.479 totally join. Now that you're done doing all that stuff, you're probably wondering what to watch next. So, click 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:12.000 that little button in the top right corner to check out my review of the 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:12.000 Blade Pro, the bigger, better brother.