Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 vs. Razer Blade 16: mini-LED beasts

Sixteen-inch gaming laptops are taking center stage in 2023, and two models stand out from the pack: Asus’ ROG Zephryus M16 and Razer’s updated Blade 16. Both have amazing displays, next-gen hardware and great build quality, but does one come out on top?

We’re still waiting for further testing and our own hands-on time with both laptops, but you can already make out a lot from the spec sheet. See how the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 stacks up against the new Razer Blade 16.

Diopter

Plan

Both the Razer Blade 16 and the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 see some new design changes compared to their previous iterations. We’re getting some display upgrades for both, but more on that later.

For the ROG Zephyrus M16, the design upgrades aren’t huge. It has a slightly updated frame compared to the older model, switching to a magnesium alloy model with an aluminum cap. You can also get it with Asus’ AniMe Matrix backlit lid, which lets you customize your laptop in a fun way. We’ve seen this technology in laptops before, including the ROG Zephyrus G14, as well as peripherals. It’s a funky addition that doesn’t change anything in the way it performs, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Now, for Razer, the changes are bigger. For starters, this is the first Blade to come in a 16-inch variant, along with another new model, the Razer Blade 18.

Razer finally made the move to the ever-popular 16:10 aspect ratio with these models, which means the bottom bezel is much thinner. Unfortunately, the cooling system remains the same as the smaller Razer Blade 15. This shouldn’t indicate huge thermal issues, but with the number of high-end components packed inside the laptop, we might see it run a little warm against during intense gaming sessions.

Both laptops have almost the same measurements and weight, with the Asus model being about 0.33kg lighter than the Razer. Connectivity is pretty much the same on each of them, and both have a 1080p webcam. The Razer has a slightly longer battery life, but these gaming laptops are usually plugged in anyway.

Implementation

The two laptops are still on their way to market and not yet widely available, so there aren’t many benchmarks to go by. However, that should change in the coming weeks.

With that said, there are a few things to be said for each. It’s pretty close in terms of specs. Both have an Intel Core i9 processor from the latest Raptor Lake series, but the Razer Blade has a better model: the Core i9-13950HX has 24 cores and 32 threads, while the Core i9-13900H maxes out at 14 cores and 20 threads. The clock speed is slightly higher (5.5 GHz vs. 5.4 GHz) for the Core i9-13950HX as well.

The Razer Blade 16 offers a strong selection of Nvidia’s RTX 40 series mobile graphics cards, but the Asus model isn’t far behind in this regard. In the most expensive configuration, you have access to Nvidia’s best GPU by a mile, the RTX 4090. However, we also see a slight disadvantage to the ROG Zephyrus M16 here, because the GPU reaches 145 watts with dynamic boost. Meanwhile, the RTX 4090 in the Razer Blade 16 clocks in at 175W, which could give it a little extra headroom to hit higher frames per second (fps).

Early information on the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 shows that the laptop handles itself well in gaming scenarios. The power limit may cause the Razer Blade 16 to pull ahead, however. It’s especially noticeable because the default performance mode on the laptop only allows the GPU to consume 85W, which drastically reduces performance. However, running the laptop in Turbo mode will unlock the RTX 4090’s true potential, and that includes running AAA titles at extreme settings and consistently achieving high fps. The same can be said for the Razer Blade 16, although it may turn out to be a bit better.

In the end, almost every opinion on these two laptops sounds like a love letter to the mobile version of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. The GPU is monstrous even in the trimmed down laptop version (read our MSI GT77 Titan review for reference) and enables high-end gaming with ray tracing enabled.

Displays

Aside from the cutting-edge hardware, it’s the displays that make both of these laptops stand out from the crowd. Just a few years ago, the screen was more of an afterthought on gaming laptops, but these days, high-end laptops have displays that could rival some of the best gaming monitors out there.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is getting a massive overhaul with the upgrade to Asus’ Nebula HDR display. It’s a mini-LED display with 1,024 local dimming zones, meaning it’s intensely bright. It can reach up to 1,100 nits of peak brightness in HDR. Fortunately, Asus didn’t have to make any sacrifices in terms of refresh rate – we’ve got a comfortable 240Hz that will fly in esports games.

The Razer Blade 16 also offers a mini-LED display, with an interesting caveat – it can also feature a dual-screen mode display. Depending on what you’re doing at the moment, you can switch between 4K resolution at 120Hz refresh rate and 1200p at 240Hz. The former will be much sharper and the latter will be perfect for gaming. Unfortunately, you will have to restart the laptop to change the display mode. The mini-LED panel has a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits HDR, which is not far from the Asus model. it still offers some amazing graphics.

Two great laptops

Without conducting our own in-depth tests of the Razer Blade 16 and Asus ROG Zephyrus M16, we don’t have the exact numbers needed to judge their performance. However, it’s safe to assume that the Razer model can move forward — but not by a huge margin.

Each laptop can be configured to suit your needs. Razer offers access to an RTX 4060 and Asus starts with an RTX 4070, but ultimately, each can go all the way up to the RTX 4090. These models will, of course, have impressive prices — but that’s the cost of a high-end gaming laptop these days. The Blade 16 with the RTX 4090 and 32GB of RAM costs $4,300. we can expect the Asus model to be similarly priced, though perhaps a bit cheaper.

The Razer Blade 16 might be the best choice when it comes to performance, and the dual-mode display is a fun addition that makes it easy to switch between work and play time.

The best advice right now would be to wait for more benchmarks to come out, but if you want to jump in and pre-order one of these laptops, choose between raw performance and graphics. For pure performance, get the Razer, but for pure graphics, you can enjoy the static, but wonderfully bright ROG Zephyrus M16.

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