Razer Blade 15
For gamers
From $1,600 at Razer
Pros
NVIDIA RTX GPUs
High refresh rate or OLED display options
6-core or 8-core processors
Slim chassis
Plenty of ports
Cons
Quite expensive
Lesser battery life
The Razer Blade 15 has been our top gaming laptop since it arrived, and the latest refresh has strengthened that. This is an incredible piece of hardware and now has multiple options, including more affordable gaming choices on the go.
Dell XPS 15
Professional powerhouse
From $1,200 at Dell
Pros
Lots of configurations
Incredible display
Compact form factor
Dedicated graphics option
More affordable entry point
Cons
Weaker for gamers
Can get expensive
The XPS 15 can game, but it's not what it's truly meant for. This is a powerful, professional class laptop with a stunning display and plenty of horsepower, perfect for creators, programmers, and many more.
There is some degree of crossover between these two laptops, making choosing a bit more difficult. Both are capable of gaming,, though the Blade 15 is currently the absolute best gaming laptop. Both can be used by folks such as photographers and videographers, too, and both look just fine sitting around the meeting room table. But ultimately, your primary purpose for the laptop is going to be where you make the decision.
It's also worth considering the holiday shopping season and the inevitable discounts that come with it. Both of these laptops are sold on Amazon, albeit far from the full range of configurations, and Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner. Razer hardware has seen good discounts on past Prime Day events, and the entry-level Blade 15 has been known to have some strong discounts from time-to-time. Dell tends to cut prices fairly often through its own store, so it's worth checking there for any Prime Day-adjacent activities.
Razer Blade 15 vs. Dell XPS 15 tech specs
Razer Blade 15
Dell XPS 15
Graphics
NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA RTX 2060
NVIDIA RTX 2070
NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super
NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super
Intel UHD Graphics
NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti
Processor
Intel Core i7-10750H
Intel Core i7-10875H
10th Gen Intel
Core i5-10300H
Core i7-10750H
Core i7-10875H
RAM
16GB dual-channel DDR4-2933MHz
8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB DDR4-2933MHz
Storage
256GB PCIe SSD
512GB PCIe SSD
1TB PCIe SSD
256GB PCIe SSD
512GB PCIe SSD
1TB PCIe SSD
2TB PCIe SSD
Display
15.6" Full HD 144Hz/300Hz (non-touch)
4K OLED 100% DCI-P3 (touch)
15.6-inch Full HD+ (non-touch)
4K (touch)
Ports
3x USB 3.2
USB-C 3.2
Thunderbolt 3
HDMI 2.0b
3.5mm audio
Two Thunderbolt 3
USB-C 3.1
SD card reader
3.5mm audio
Battery
65 Wh/80Wh
56Wh (No dedicated GPU)
86Wh
Both of these laptops have a lot of great hardware inside them. Overall, power goes the way of the Razer Blade 15, but the XPS 15 is no slouch. Both now use the latest 10th Gen processors from Intel with both six-core and eight-core i7 offerings. Both laptops use the same versions of the Core i7.
Where the Blade leaps ahead is on GPU power, with even the entry-level model outperforming the XPS 15. Dell now packs a GTX 1650 Ti in the XPS 15 if you want, but the Blade 15 goes from a GTX 1660 Ti all the way up to an insane RTX 2080 Super.
Whether at the entry-level spec or at the highest tier, neither the Blade 15 or XPS 15 disappoint on hardware.
Both of these laptops are stylish to look at and pretty compact for 15-inch laptops. You have 4K display options on both, but the latest Blade 15 revision kicks it up another notch with an OLED 4K touch panel if you're prepared to pay a premium for it, and it comes factory calibrated with a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. Dell, by contrast, has removed the option for an OLED panel from the XPS 15.
Ultimately, whether at the entry-level spec or at the highest tier, neither the Blade 15 or XPS 15 disappoint on hardware. The XPS 15 certainly has an edge with battery life, but you're not left wanting for connectivity on either, both of them have Thunderbolt 3 and Microsoft Precision Drivers for the trackpad. Choosing which you should get comes down to a fairly simple question.
To game or not to game
If you're considering the Razer Blade 15 at all, then there's a strong chance it's because you're want to do some PC gaming. While there are some differences in performance away from gaming, those are easier to compromise than if you really want a top tier gaming experience.
The XPS 15 has an option for an NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti GPU, which is fairly competent for laptop gaming. It's by no means an absolute beast, but it's capable of playing new titles at reasonable frame rates with only a few sacrifices when it comes to graphics.
Perhaps more importantly for the XPS 15 buyer is that it offers excellent performance for tasks such as video editing, without getting insanely hot or completely destroying the laptop's battery life.
If gaming is a secondary priority, then the XPS 15 is overall a slightly better choice. The GTX 1650 Ti models do command a premium, though, and will cost more than the cheapest Blade 15 with a more powerful GPU inside.
Razer's slogan is "for gamers, by gamers," and if gaming on your laptop is your biggest priority, then the Blade 15 is the easy choice. Firstly, you can get the latest generation RTX GPUs from NVIDIA, which boast real-time ray tracing and significant performance improvement over previous-gen cards. You can also get a 300Hz display, which is absolutely insane on a laptop and means you can game at incredibly high frame rates without the need for an external monitor.
If you're serious, then you can get the Blade 15 now with the RTX 2080 Super, which is an absurdly powerful GPU for a desktop PC, let alone a laptop. While you may have an XPS 15 as well as a desktop PC, the Razer Blade 15 is a desktop PC inside a laptop. It can easily be the only machine you ever need for everything you want to get done.
Both of these are incredible laptops that have amazing hardware, plenty of power, and are easily portable enough to take anywhere you need them. But if you really want to game at the best possible level as well as get your work done, then the Blade 15 is the better choice.
Razer Blade 15
Gaming beast
From $1,600 at Razer
By gamers, for gamers (and more besides)
Does everything you'd expect and more besides, the Blade 15 has astonishing gaming performance.
It's more expensive in most cases than the XPS 15, but if gaming comes as the top priority, it's worth it to spend on the Razer Blade 15. You get absolute performance, that high refresh rate display if you want it, and a laptop that you can still easily take to work or on the road.
Great value
Dell XPS 15 (7590)
From $1,200 at Dell
Still the king of 15-inch professional laptops
The latest Dell XPS 15 has a new option for an NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti. It has the latest Intel 10th Gen H-series processor inside, making it powerful for professional work and even gaming.
Whatever application you want to throw at the XPS 15, whether it's for coding, photography, video editing, or professional applications for the workplace, it will eat them up. It's a fantastic laptop, and thanks to being cheaper at the entry-level than the Razer Blade 15, it is the better choice if you already have a desktop PC or if gaming is just a nice secondary feature to have.
