Razer just updated one of its Blade 15 laptops—one of the best gaming laptops you can buy—with an optical keyboard, and with it comes the promise of faster actuation, tactile feedback, and "rapid-fire inputs."
The optical laptop keyboard is based on same design as Razer's standalone Hunstman Elite optical keyboards. Unlike traditional mechanical keyboard switches, optical ones register keystrokes when disrupting the path of an infrared light beam inside the assembly.
According to Razer's measurements, this results in an actuation point of just 1mm with 55g of force. These keys also offer 50 percent more travel, Razer says, which is presumably comparing the optical keyboard to non-optical Blade 15 laptops.
"On top of lightning-fast actuation, the new keyboard features a satisfying mechanical tactile click—a must for any keyboard connoisseur. The tactile feedback helps users know when an input has been registered and provides a superior typing experience compared to traditional membrane keyboards," Razer says.
I prefer a clicky keyboard over a quiet one, though not everyone shares the same preference. It remains to be seen exactly how tactile these low profile keys truly are (I haven't played around with the updated Blade 15).
For the time being, the optical keyboard is only offered on a specific Razer Blade 15 Advanced configuration. It runs $2,649.99 and features the following specs:
- 15.6-inch Full HD 240Hz display
- Intel Core i7-9750H
- 16GB DDR4-2667 RAM
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 w/ Max-Q Design
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) + Bluetooth 5.0
- 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
- 1x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced with an optical keyboard is available now.
