Bottom line: If you’ve been saving up or are waiting to upgrade to Razer’s next-gen Blade gaming laptop, now is probably a good time to bite the bullet and get a current-gen model because the company’s 2022 offerings will require you to part with even more money than usual due to rising costs of PC components.
Known for their svelte design and premium build quality, Razer’s gaming laptops tend to fall on the pricier side of the budget spectrum, hence aren’t usually recommended for value shoppers. There’s also a whiff of that Razer tax sprinkled on expensive base models and fully specced machines that end up costing north of $3,000.
However, according to Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan, that price tag is about to go even higher next year, thanks to “significant” increase in component costs. Consequently, Tan sees all next-gen gaming laptops, including the Blade series, getting more expensive in 2022.
Just had a long meeting to review our gaming laptops line for next year – looks like there are significant increases in component costs etc and we’ll be seeing price increases for next gen gaming laptops across the board (including the @Razer Blade) next year.
— Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) November 30, 2021
While we can expect to see AMD and Intel-powered Razer laptops at CES 2022, it’s likely that Team Blue’s 12th-gen Alder Lake P-series chips have made their way to Razer’s upcoming laptops, giving a clearer picture of what to expect in terms of increased costs. Given the prices for Alder Lake’s desktop platform, it’s not surprising that P-series processors will also do their part in making gaming laptops more expensive.
Razer currently lists a fully specced 2021 Blade Pro 17 for $3,700. Expect that figure to touch $4,000 or more once increased prices for the next-gen model go into effect.