SteelSeries Apex 5

amazon SteelSeries Apex 5 reviews

Mechanical keyboards in recent years have not been very popular with gamers. Partly because the price of mechanical keyboards has been much softer. This has become the motivation for SteelSeries to launch its latest pseudo-mechanical keyboard, Apex 5, although the price is a bit high, its experience is very close to the traditional mechanical keyboard.

Specifications

Keyboard type: Fullsize

Switch: fake mechanical (hybrid blue) durability 20 million clicks

Aircraft-grade aluminum frame material

RGB LED: Dynamic per key

N-key Roll Over 24 keys

Arm cushion: plastic, removable, attached with a magnet

Weight: 930 g

Dimensions: 442.8 x 139.2 x 40.5 mm

SteelSeries Apex 5 proves that the world still has room for mechanical keyboards, it’s just a matter of being genuine

Mechanical keyboards also have this mechanical keyboard (genuine) and other mechanical keyboards (not very good), so if you consider the common ground, of course, the price of $125 for SteelSeries Apex 5 is not very soft. However, compared to brothers like Apex 7 ($150 for the TKL copy and $170 for the Full copy) or Apex Pro ($215), it is quite comfortable. The remarkable point of the new generation of SteelSeries keyboards is that the features are almost no different, the type of switch (or exactly the keypress experience) will determine the amount of money paid.

The price difference of $40 between Apex 5, Apex 7, and Apex Pro is enough for you to buy a pretty good mouse to fight with, such as the cheap but very good Rival 3 line, Biareview has an article sharing how here not long ago.

The fake mechanical switch on the SteelSeries Apex 5 brings an experience very close to the real mechanical switch

With Apex 5, SteelSeries solves a rather painful problem for most pseudo-mechanical keyboards today: the feeling of clicking is more like a “fake” than a mechanical switch.

The pseudo-mechanical keyboard was born to bring the experience “close to the mechanical switch” but at an affordable cost that most gamers can access. However, it seems that most companies are still struggling at the “comfortable cost” with the “rubber with a clicker”. With Apex 5, SteelSeries goes in a completely different direction.

In essence, the feeling of “high” pressing of the mechanical switch mainly comes from the spring part, and that is also the trump card of the hybrid switch on Apex 5. However, instead of using a gold contact circuit. As expensive as a traditional mechanical switch, SteelSeries replaces it with a super durable rubber cushion (membrane). This allows the Apex 5 to deliver the same typing experience as 90% of the Cherry MX Blue switches, but at a more affordable price. The theoretical durability is not equal, but with 20 million clicks, it is clear that it takes a thousand nights to fail.

SteelSeries still retains the cross-joint part of the Cherry MX switch, so you can freely change the keycap if you like. With 4mm key travel, 2mm signal reception, and 50 cN pressing force, SteelSeries’ pseudo-mechanical switch offer a pressing feeling quite similar to the old-generation Cherry MX Blue switches (new-generation switches up to 60 cN), lightweight and clicky. The small minus point is that about 1 mm of the keystroke is a bit unstable, there is no consistency like the Cherry row, and the feeling of pressing “slowly” is not really due to the rubber dome below. If SteelSeries made the silent version, I think this fake mechanical switch would be a great choice thanks to the rubber dome to reduce the sound, but currently, only the clicky version should reduce the sound or not, it’s the same noise.

SteelSeries Apex 5 is the SteelSeries Pro pseudo-mechanical switch version, with a minimalist design and an impressive OLED screen.

In addition to using a fake mechanical switch, compared to the Apex 5 feature, it inherits almost all the features of the notorious elder Apex Pro. It is a minimalist Nordic-style design with the most “bright” RGB LED system in the gaming gear village today.

In addition, the Apex-specific OLED screen also appears, giving you interesting options such as quick control or attaching the image you want. You can refer to more about the features of Apex Pro in the article: Apex Pro Super Keyboard – Is it as top as advertised?

Who will SteelSeries Apex 5 suit?

As Biareview has shared from the beginning, fake mechanical keyboards like SteelSeries Apex 5 were born for gamers who want to experience “close to mechanical switches” but the price is not too high. In the case of Apex 5, you also inherit the typical features of the Apex keyboard generation: a minimalist but beautiful design, RGB per key LEDs, and an OLED screen with great customizability. All of this is worth the price of $125 or maybe it depends on the person, but there’s no denying that the SteelSeries Apex 5 is one of the best pseudo-mechanical keyboards available today (and quite a bit more expensive as well other mechanical keyboards).

where can you get a SteelSeries Apex 5 online

SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Per-Key RGB Illumination – Aircraft Grade Aluminum Alloy Frame – OLED Smart Display (Hybrid Blue Switch): Buy it now

SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Per-Key RGB Illumination – Aircraft Grade Aluminum Alloy Frame – OLED Smart Display (Hybrid Blue Switch): Buy it now

SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard & Rival 5 Gaming Mouse with PrismSync RGB Lighting and 9 Programmable Buttons – Black: Buy it now

SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Per-Key RGB Illumination – Aircraft Grade Alu with Rival 3 Gaming Mouse: Buy it now

SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard & Rival 3 Wireless Gaming Mouse – 400+ Hour Battery Life – Dual Wireless 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.0 – 60 Million Clicks: Buy it now