I am in an unfortunate position. I test gaming laptops every day, which means I often end up using a device I wouldn’t actually buy. This causes me a lot of pain after each drive back, and I’ve been experiencing this a bit more than usual in the last month or so. I reviewed the Razer Blade 16 in May, and it quickly became my favorite 16-inch machine on the market, but the $2,999.99 MSRP of an RTX 4070 model has kept it out of my personal reach.
However, if you’re looking to invest in a high-end platform before Prime Day, you’re in luck. The Blade 16 has just hit a new record low price on Amazon $2599 for the first time for a full $400 discount. I didn’t expect to see this before the main event, and considering this setup has only had one price swing in its life, it’s a great result.
Still, that’s $2,599 for a car with specs you’ll easily find for much less. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 also packs an OLED display and RTX 4070 graphics card, but cuts an extra $1,000 off the final price. You are getting that pattern for $1,599.99 now at Best Buy, starting at $400. The Blade 16’s premium build, reinforced panel, and more durable design make it my favorite on paper, but the Asus is really where most gamers should be looking ahead to Prime Day gaming laptop deals.
Razer Blade 16 vs Asus ROG Zephyrus G16: which one should you buy?
I tested the RTX 4090 configurations of the Razer Blade 16 and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 in my quest to find the best gaming laptop. This means that the benchmark results below will not be indicative of an RTX 4070 configuration like the models listed above, but will demonstrate the difference between two similar devices.
Row 0 – Cell 0 | Fire Strike | The spy of time | Return (1440p, Epic) | Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1600p, highest) |
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | 30,285 | 14,863 | 117 fps | 148 fps |
Razer Blade 16 | 32,336 | 19814 | 106 fps | 180 fps |
The Razer Blade 16 sneaks ahead of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16, but not enough to warrant an extra $1,000 spent on the gamer every day. While my Returnal benchmarks actually put the Asus on top, Razer beat it considerably with a less demanding title like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The G16 is a bit better at handling the really tough stuff, though the Razer is more consistent across the board.
Of course, the Blade 16 has other features going for it. This is a great design and is one that many have been wishing for over the years. That matte black unibody chassis feels much more premium in the hands compared to the G16, even with Asus’ latest gloss for 2024. The display is another factor – with Samsung’s Razer-approved panel outdoing the Asus in color and vibrancy side by side. However, if you don’t need a top-of-the-range display, there’s no point in buying one. And if you’re not going to notice the difference between 148fps and 180fps from game to game (remembering that we really only need 60fps for smooth viewing), there’s no point in pumping extra gas.
The Razer Blade 16 remains my favorite 16-inch gaming laptop, and I’d still recommend it to those with $3K in their pocket. However, most of them won’t be giving away that kind of money this Prime Day, and considering the Zephyrus’ current selling price, the G16 makes more sense for most gamers.
We’re also rounding up all the latest Prime Day PC deals before the main event as well the best Prime Day gaming deals in general. For more portable games, check out Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals we are excited about.