Razer Blade 18 finally launches, but there’s a price hike nobody asked for
Razer Blade 18 price hike hits at launch, with the gaming laptop now starting $300 higher than first announced. The post Razer Blade 18 finally launches, but there’s a price hike nobody asked for appeared first on Phandroid.
The Razer Blade 18 is finally available to order, but not at the price anyone expected. The price hike news dropped just as the Razer Blade 18 went live on the company’s website. The base spec, which was initially announced at $3,199.99, now starts at $3,499.99.
That’s a $300 bump from what gamers were told earlier this year. If you’re eyeing the RTX 5090 version, brace yourself—the top model jumps $400 to $4,899.99. There’s a new RTX 5080 option in the middle, but even that will set you back $4,099.99.
Razer has not explained the price increase. It’s a move that’s tough to ignore, especially after Razer temporarily paused all direct laptop sales last month right before the latest round of tariffs hit.
While Razer won’t confirm the new pricing is related to those tariffs, it feels pretty likely. Other laptop brands made similar moves. Tech prices have been all over the place lately thanks to tariffs on products from China and Taiwan, where most of these high-end components are made.
If you’re still thinking about grabbing the Blade 18, there’s no shortage of power. The design is mostly the same as last year. However, you get the latest Intel and NVIDIA chips and a new dual-mode display. At the high end, you can even max out the Blade 18 with 64GB RAM and 4TB storage for $5,199.99—no RazerCare warranty included, by the way.
For everyone who’s been waiting to order one since CES, it’s a bit of a gut punch to see the Razer Blade 18 price hike at launch. However, this is pretty much the new normal for high-end gaming laptops in 2025.
The post Razer Blade 18 finally launches, but there’s a price hike nobody asked for appeared first on Phandroid.
