Razer Book 13 – Ultra Lightweight Productivity Laptop (13.4
Razer Book 13 – Ultra Lightweight Productivity Laptop (13.4 Inch Touch FHD-60Hz Display, Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Iris Xe, Windows 11) UK Layout | Mercury
| Weight: | 1.4 kg |
| Dimensions: | 19.85 x 29.56 x 1.51 cm; 1.4 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Razer |
| Model: | RZ09-0357MWM2-R3W1 |
| Colour: | Mercury |
| Manufacture: | Razer Inc. |
| Dimensions: | 19.85 x 29.56 x 1.51 cm; 1.4 Kilograms |
Firstly I got this in the November sales, at a bargain price of 670. For a compact touchscreen laptop, with 11th gen i7, 16gb ram and 500 SSD that’s really top value.
It performs as the specs would suggest, really doesn’t lag at any typical task and zips along sweetly nearly all of the time.
I’ve no issues with fan noise and the fact it’s well ventilated is a good thing, allowing the extra bit of performance and ensuring over heating isn’t a issue here. So many compact laptops have heating issues resulting in poor performance or even damage to the system, but I doubt that’ll happen here.
It’s a fantastic build quality too, the screen is razor sharp and touchscreen is responsive, it’s quite bright and colours are also great. So much better than what you’d find typically in this price range.
My only quirk is the power led is just very strange, doesn’t exhibit the typical behaviour to indicate charging and charged etc. Just very odd altogether!
But the chroma keyboard makes up for a bit, you can literally light all the keys any way you want. It’s a nice touch.
Totally impressed with the system for the price paid. Even <900 is good value for the spec and quality you're getting. I can't think of anything that matches it at that price range.
Very easy to set up, small and stylish. Battery life could be better- had to recharge to be safe in the middle of a day-long meeting – but very satisfied indeed overall. Got it 50% off in sale: not sure I’d buy it at full price, but I reckon it will last a good few years if I look after it.
Update….so the replacement arrived and it’s simply outstanding. Far and away the best laptop I’ve owned. No error codes just so much laptop for the money. Speedy and lovely build quality.
I was in the market for a new machine, I’ve been looking for a while, something comparable to my existing machine Macbook Pro 2017 model. I’ve been experiencing a lot of issues with it in the past year but I still wanted something with the same capabilities and power but for under 1000.
Thankfully, Amazon Black Friday deals were brilliant and considerably lowered this laptop’s price (669). I couldn’t believe it; the specs are the same as my old Mac for maybe 1/5 of the price I originally paid, of course, that being said M1 Macs are now the same specs for a lot less but I digress.
The Razer Book is absolutely fantastic
Aesthetically it’s stunning, it’s partly what Razer do best.
The options for the RGB keyboard are endless, with so many possibilities and totally customisable; a lovely surprise I must say. I can even connect my Phillips Hue bulbs to the software to control them at the same time.
It feels like Mac hardware and build quality but with the beauty of Razer’s software and Windows capabilities.
The touchpad feels nice to use, it does not have quite the touch sensitivity or touch controls like my old Mac, I have to remember to click physically but this isn’t a criticism just something for me to get used to.
The keyboard, dare I say this was probably the reason I needed this new laptop (for anyone who doesn’t know the 2017 Macbook Pro model got recalled due to the keyboard. Apple did offer to replace the keyboard for you and I could have had it replaced but who wants to be without their laptop for any length of time? I will now look into this option as this Razer laptop will be my everyday machine).
The Razer keyboard is great to type on, the layout is spaced out but all keys are accessible as they should be. Not too much pressure is required either.
The charger is compact and stays in place nicely.
Room for improvement
The webcam isn’t its strongest feature by far but it’s useable and could be upgraded with a plug-in cam.
The speakers are nothing fancy but also not terrible for a laptop.
I am someone who connects their audio when they want to listen to music so it’s not an issue for me, streaming services and Youtube sound just fine through the inbuilt speakers.
Usage
Performance
The Razer Book runs like a dream, quick, efficient and practical for any on-the-go needs. I’ve run games, loads of taps open and discord on a call and it still runs smoothly.
Gaming
I’m not the biggest gamer but in little games like ‘Farm Together’ the graphics look fantastic and runs very well, I’ve not tried anything too intense or graphically intensive so far but not bad for a ‘book’ laptop.
The setup was a breeze, it’s almost instant but do give it some time and realise the reason the fan will engage is that it will automatically install Windows 11 (but start-up in Windows 10) for you and set up the drivers for Razer Synapse (the keyboard backlight software) ready for you to make your new everyday laptop.
I haven’t had any blue or BIOS screens come up as of yet either.
I couldn’t recommend this Razer Book any higher.