This Tensorbook may be derived from the Razer Blade 15, but it is intended for AI professionals rather than gamers.
In addition to being a reference player in the world of peripherals, Razer has also established itself as an excellent manufacturer of portable computers. Even if they are traditionally very expensive, the machines in the Blade range are unquestionably part of the benchmarks in this category. But the brand continues to explore new horizons; it proves it once again with the Tensorbook, a curious laptop that runs on… Linux.
At first glance, the machine is enough to raise some eyebrows. In practice, this model is directly derived from the Razer Blade 15 2021 Edition. The spec sheet is nearly identical; we find again an Intel Core i7-11800H and an RTX 3080 Max-Q. Both are hidden under the same 15.6-inch 1440p IPS panel and served by 64 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4.
The connection also remains substantially the same. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and a UHS-III card reader. On the wireless side, the 2021 Blade 15 was already entitled to Wi-FI 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, and we naturally find them on this new model.
Machine learning at the heart of priorities
The main difference is in the price. Where the Blade 15 2021 was displayed from $2,500, this Tensorbook will be marketed at entry prices of… $3,500! There is reason to be skeptical. Why on earth would Razer have allowed this third-party manufacturer called Lambda to bring out an old model while increasing its price without updating the hardware? The answer lies in the target audience.
Indeed, the philosophy of this device is very different from that of its predecessor. Nothing to do with the Blade 15, which is primarily intended for power-users and gamers; here, we are dealing with a machine specially designed for specialists in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
By opting for an ultralight OS like Ubuntu, the manufacturer has opted for sacrifice the versatility of Windows for’optimize AI performance as much as possible. This philosophy is materialized by the native integration of the Lambda Stack. It is a complete suite of software tools dedicated to machine learning. We can cite the essential CUDA platform and, but also reference tools such as PyTorch or Tensorflow.
The first modern representative of a completely new segment?
It remains to be seen whether this model will be enough to find its audience; given the meteoric rise of AI at the moment, it is not impossible that professionals will end up being seduced. But as it stands, it’s more likely to be a form of experimentation. And seen from this angle, the Tensorbook becomes a very interesting device.
It must be seen as a potential precursor; it could lay the foundations for a new archetype of wearables specifically dedicated to AI. We could then witness the emergence of a new segment, in parallel with the notebooks, ultrabooks and laptops gaming that we currently know.
Finally, The Verge makes a very interesting guess; one can also imagine that certain manufacturers wish to explore the idea of a machine inspired by the Steam Deck, i.e. running under Linux but specialized in gaming. It is still much too early to say categorically, but it is not excluded that we will soon witness the beginning of a real wave of portable devices under open source OS!
This Tensorbook is available at this address from 3500 $ (3238 €).