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

I really wanted to love this keyboard. It checked all the boxes I wanted: A TKL keyboard, a pass-through USB (which, annoyingly in this age of USB 3.0s massive throughput, still requires two USB ports, though this could be to avoid driver issues), RGB lighting, and a little screen. I was really let down though, because within a couple weeks the keys were malfunctioning. The right arrow key doesnt register all the time. If I give it a really heavy press, maybe itll register, or it double clicks, or it just ignores me for a couple seconds. The W key is now starting to do the same. As a programmer, I use my right arrow key often, and would like it to work every time I push it. As a regular computer user, Id really like to have a W key that works too. The above is enough to put me off it and pack it away as a lost cause, since sending things back in the time of COVID is not easy. Lesson learned to not buy from SteelSeries. But hey! Maybe you werent put off by malfunctioning keys, or want to roll the dice and bet your product will be better than mine. Dear reader, let me put you off ever more. The screen is very half-baked. Aside from being able to display some pre-made .gifs, the screen otherwise has little to no utility. It is coplanar with the deck of the keyboard, so is largely outside your sight line depending on where you sit and your desk/chair height. If it were inclined slightly, you would be able to register it better. Equally oddly, there are next to no pre-built functions for it. There are some weird indie games, a Tidal (the music service nobody uses?), Discord, and a couple other apps, but here are some thing it cant do out of the box: 1) Show you CPU usage like the old Logitech G13 2) Show you what song is currently playing on Spotify or any other music service 3) Indicate the volume when you use the volume wheel 4) Display the system time It literally, without downloading a third-party app by a random guy, cant serve as a clock. Also, when Logitech, Saitek, and Razer were putting touchscreens in everything 7 years ago, including an OLED screen that isnt full-color is inexcusable. The screen on my Swiftpoint Z is better than this. For all the power of the SteelSeries Engine (you can do literally almost anything with these RGB key customization options, including make a little Pac Man chasing ghosts across your keyboard as your day to day backlighting), it is wildly lacking when it comes to reprogramming this keyboard. Lets say youre like me, and your audio is controlled on an auxiliary interface. Id like to rebind that audio wheel to skip song, as there are no dedicated media keys. Well, too bad chief, you cant do that. The volume wheel and the play-pause button are just those, may they never be anything else. In a $130 keyboard (and I assume the same for $180) with 5 separate per-key parameters for RGB, including a PER KEY option that changes colors based on period of inactivity, I cant rebind the play-pause button? I could write a whole paragraph on the macro system, but Id lose your attention. TL;DR It feels like this keyboard has so much it could be, and just doesnt deliver. The screen could be cool, but it is instead just one more piece of flair like your RGB scheme. The keys are comfortable, but dont always work. There are baffling choices in what can and cant be rebound. Everything that would make this keyboard fantastic is instead a hurdle you must overcome to enjoy it.

I bought the Steelseries Aex 7 tkl with high expectations, I was going to use for multiple fps games, and I had watched alot of youtube videos, praising the keyboard, for ergonomics, typing, and gaming. Needless to say, my high expectations were fullfilled. I bought the apex 7 tkl with Cherry MX Red switches, linear and quiet, the sound was alright, it was certainly quiter than Cherry MX Blues, but it was still a bit loud, the reaction speed is amazing, and it almost feels like the switches are touch sensitive. Rgb and the little Oled screen were cool, not outsanding, but they were still cool. The Steelseries engine 3 offered alot of rgb option like Colorshift, Static Color, etc.... The media controls in the upper right corner were also a nice and at sometimes pretty useful detail. Anyways summing up my thoughts I would give it 9/10 and would definitely recommend.

amazing product i really enjoy the feeling of the typing altho its little bit easy to click on other keys sens its linear keyboard so if u have chuby fingers mabye its not the best keyboard for you. really cool led screen with alot of options on the system keyborad 910 !

The Apex 7 TKL is my first mechanical keyboard and I absolutely love it. I chose the blue switches cause I really enjoy the loud and clicky keys. The RGB illimitation is bright but not over the top, and is pretty accurate in terms of color preciseness. The sleek and slim design of the keyboard is very aesthetically pleasing and works with any setup. The magnetic wrist rest is very comfortable, and it is not a fingerprint magnet. The cable management is great because of the three different route options, so you can have the cable come out through the left, middle, or right side. The OLED display is definitely a nice addition to display text or GIFs. Is it unnecessary? Yes, it can be, but at the price youre paying, I feel like its a nice extra added onto the keyboard. Overall, the compatibility with the SteelSeries Engine makes the brand a top choice for peripherals, especially if you like RGB and smooth integration of your peripherals. I would definitely recommend this keyboard.

I did overall like this Keyboard (while it lasted). The keyboard is comfortable, keys are nice, backlighting is good, however, Im starting to have spells where the W key is not responding... and for gaming that just wont do. I verified this wasnt just in-game; I also attempted to type w outside of the game when it was acting up and also was not getting a response. Bummer, adding to the gaming keyboard and mouse graveyard. If you game a lot and are used to replacing your KB/Mouse regularly, maybe not a big deal, but I expected a bit more life than 11 months for the price point.

Best keyboard I ever had so far, great customization.

I love the smooth but tactile feel of the switches. The wrist rest is not like a pillow, but I have grown to like it a lot. The only negative I have is the cable is very stiff and thick. It was hard for me to route it through my desk because of how chunky it is. Otherwise, a very solid and worth it buy!

I love everything about it.

UPDATE: After trying to get support from Steelseries, they (SteelSeries, NOT Amazon) wanted videos of the broken key, documentation, photos and stated that I would get an RMA. They then decided that I should just send it back. They would repair or give a credit for something from their store. No thanks. Going back to a different manufacturer that supports their own products and doesnt treat the customer as the problem. I have no idea how this has such a high score. The first one I got had trouble with the Question Mark key. It would constantly do a repeating backslack. I returned and got a replacement, the second had a dead Nine key. I have zero clue how it can be only me. I tried with different keyboards and no trouble. Tried the Apex 7 on different computer and same issue. Granted that this is really comfortable and had a great wrist rest. But if a key doesnt work, no matter how comfy it is, it would be worthless.

I bought the apex 7 tkl in October 2020 and it started to malfunction in February 2022. I really like the keyboard itself and the software that goes with it. Unfortunately it started producing keyboard chatter a couple of months ago (double typing on a single press) and also not detecting a key press. I even tried removing the key caps and blowing compressed air, but that didn’t seem to work. I think I might’ve gotten unlucky and received a keyboard that wasn’t as durable as the average apex 7 tkl, since most reviews are so positive, but that just goes to show their poor quality control. Lastly, it’s a bummer that the warranty only lasts a year, because I just crossed that window a few months ago. I have upgraded to the apex pro because I really like the OLED screen and steel series engine, but let’s see how long that one lasts.