SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL Compact Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – OLED Smart Display – USB Passthrough and Media Controls – Linear and Quiet – RGB Backlit (Red Switch)

Within a year many keys on the left side of the keyboard began to fail intermittently. Steelseries would not honor any warranty repair or replacement despite the clear statement that the keys are guaranteed for 50 million keypresses.

The look, extra features and design of this TKL keyboard are everything Ive wanted. Small form factor, dedicated media keys that are minimal, volume knob, onboard screen! However, the keys and switches used on this board feel very low quality. The linear switches on this board offer almost 0 resistance and bottom-out quite loudly. I found myself frequently missing characters due to the lack of feedback that youd get from a higher quality linear switch. If youre a gentile typer this board might be for you, however, it will feel unfamiliar to those used to higher quality switches. Steelseries has designed something really special here, but it falls short when it comes to quality where it counts.

Quick to the point, the key layout is to close in space, more like a laptop keyboard. The biggest issue I had was not having an Fn key on the keyboard. Instead, there are two Windows keys on each side of the space bar. I reached out to customer support via email and they stated there is no way to customer program the key default (I was trying to program the right side windows key to work as a function key). I was able to find a work around by plugging in a separate keyboard and using that to customer program the key function with the software. But I still ended up returning the keyboard. The biggest issue is the close proximity of the keys. Trying to use the keyboard for work during the day and gaming at night proved not to be a good combination. If you have smaller hands, the keyboard could work for you.

Ive only had one other *real* gaming keyboard before this one and this one I like a lot better. Its easy to type on and its leds are bright. Also the OLED pannel is fun to play with. Overall, I dont think Ill be buying another keyboard in a while.

I dont know how hard other people smash their keyboards after losing a match of fortnite but this thing is a dream. I replaced the caps with PBT for comfort since my fingies get a lil sweaty when im trying to wiggle away from a dragon in skyrim. otherwise, -not too loud -long term sustainability -the oled screen is fun to add user generated animations (mine is a cat running atm) -more mousepad space w out the number pad -audio controls are intuitive and work well Overall, I love the build quality and look of luxury you get. It isnt the cheapest keyboard nor is it the most expensive. It has a great weight to it and the RGB is crisp with endless color options. It has served well as someone with a lighter keystroke than king kong.

Sounds, looks, and feels nice it’s the first keyboard I’ve ever had and it hasn’t disappointed me

I love everything about it.

When I first got this keyboard, I absolutely loved it. Its very nice-looking and bright, and theres a million ways you can customize the coloring and lighting. The key presses also felt very smooth and typing on it was a real joy. Unfortunately, after about 5-6 months of use, I started having problems with multiple keys. It started with my Ctrl and Shift keys not registering all the time, which is very frustrating when you try to Ctrl-s to save something and end up with s characters in your document or code. Now I have several letter keys that do not always register, and my r and u key are now chattering/double-tapping. This has become a massive productivity-killer, as I have to correct almost every third or fourth word that I type. I have tried a full factory reset and re-installation of the keyboards software, and have tried pulling up the keycaps of individual keys and pulling junk out and air-dusting around the switches, and nothing has worked. I really wanted to like this keyboard, but this has become extremely frustrating. I would expect better quality and/or durability from a $100 + keyboard.

Pros: Great feel to the Cherry Mx Blues, software are easy, 5 profiles, high end materials, usb pass through Cons: wrist rest very hard and kind of painful. If it slopes down like the Corsair K65 then it would be better.

People mentioned here that some keys stopped working or acting weird. That happened to me in less then a year of usage. Ive got 2 keys y and z half working. Cleaning it didnt help, so I contacted SteelSeeries customer service and got replacement. And after couple of month same happened to the new one, but now with different key 3. I really like its ergonomic and customization, but quality for the price is very disappointing.