T. Frink
After a bumpy start with the first laptop having to be returned due to a hardware-based screen flickering issue (for which both Razer and Amazon were very supportive and helpful), I received this laptop, which was to replace a 2014 Razer Blade 14. I purchased the 4K model with the 512GB SSD. The laptop is for me the ideal combination of SIZE and POWER. It doesnt hesitate to do whatever task I ask of it, including playing the latest Doom game (through Steam). I know better than to expect it to play "hardcore" games, but I knew that going in. I have used it for MS Office 365 programs and Visio. I also use it for UXWeb design (building HTML application prototypes). So there arent any complaints about the performance factor. It gets the job done, though occasionally, there is the slightest lag between requesting a task and the system providing a visual indicator that the task has begun. The USB-C CHARGING cable is slightly annoying in that it causing the power cord to stick out the side of the laptop and occasionally catch on stuff. To get around this I purchased a Thunderbolt compatible Right-angle USB-C 90 degree adapter. The CHROMA keyboard back-lighting is good and configurable, though it acts on the entire keyboard with whatever customized profile you create. You CAN create your own color pattern. Note that whatever you customize is only in operation while you are logged in; once you lock the laptop, it resorts to the default ROYGBiV color cycling. The KEYBOARD feel is nice and the key spacing is comfortable. That said, understand that I was already acclimated to typing on smaller keyboards, having used ones considerably smaller than this one. The keyboard is not silent, but I like the sound it makes. If you plan on typing next to a sleeping partner, however, keep in mind that theyll be able to hear you typing. That said, the keyboard has a couple of minor quirks to be aware of, but that I have been able to adapt to: (1) The placement of the right shift key is half-sized, with what would otherwise be the left half of the shift key replaced by a full-sized UP arrow. That takes some getting used to if youre a touch typist like me. (2) Usually the characters on keys have the upper case symbols above the lower case on the keys. For example on the number 2 key, the at symbol ("@") would be shown ABOVE the "2". For some reason, Razer reversed that on this keyboard. Thatll confuse anyone who is NOT a touch typist. (3) The Power key is NOT separated from the rest of the keyboard, instead appearing at the right end of the row of function keys. That said, it is at least intelligent requiring more than a momentary press to be recognized. Ive missed the DEL (delete) key a couple times and hit the power key without the system taking any action. The TRACK-PAD is the best Ive ever used and does a great job with palm recognition (properly ignoring my palm when I get lazy and allow my wrist to momentarily touch the pad. The pad is HUGE, easily consuming a full third of the laptop width. The track-pad is very sensitive to the touch, occasionally detecting my touch just BEFORE I touch the track-pad. It successfully avoids my pet peeve of previous pads making my swipe twice to move from one side of the screen to the other - this despite the 4K resolution. I have not had to adjust the settings in any way (other than to reverse the scrolling direction) and have not have any issues with the "buttons" embedded in the bottom corners of the track-pad. The DISPLAY is..well...AMAZING. Flawless color reproduction for my purposes that came perfectly calibrated out of the box. Ports are obviously limited to 2 USB-C ports, only the right one of which is a 4-lane Thunderbolt port and 2 USB-A 3.0 ports. This is fairly common on ultra-portable laptops, though, and I got around that by buying a USB-C hub (with pass-through power to charge the laptop) and purchased a Bluetooth mouse (that doesnt require a dongle/transmitter). One funny/odd note: The box that the laptop came in had large "HDMI" lettering on the side of the box. Odd, because the laptop does NOT have an HDMI port (causing me to have to buy a USB-C to HDMI adapter capable of 60fps at 4K). Razer should have been more careful with the labeling on the box. I am very pleased with my purchase and would continue purchasing Razer products in the future.