INTRODUCTION

   For the past couple of days many people have been sending us emails and questions via social media asking what they should be looking for when out to get a brand new mechanical gaming keyboard and the simple answer is that it depends on the person. Personally, whenever we test any keyboard i like to put construction/build quality first not only because that's what i feel most consumers are also looking for (myself included) but also because the main selling point of mechanical keyboards is almost always the durability/endurance of their switches. Certainly, there are more things to consider today when out to get a gaming keyboard (this is where the "it depends" comes in) including features like dedicated macro and media keys, USB pass-throughs, per-key RGB lighting, detachable wrist rests and others so obviously we also take these into account in our reviews. SteelSeries recently updated their Apex gaming keyboard line and today we're testing the top of the line Apex Pro model.

   SteelSeries is a leader in gaming peripherals focused on quality, innovation and functionality, and the fastest growing major PC gaming headset brand in the US. Founded in 2001, SteelSeries improves performance through first-to-market innovations and technologies that enable gamers to play harder, train longer, and rise to the challenge. SteelSeries is a pioneer supporter of competitive gaming tournaments and eSports and connects gamers to each other, fostering a sense of community and purpose. SteelSeries’ team of professional and gaming enthusiasts help design and craft every single accessory and are the driving force behind the company.

   The brand new Apex Pro model may not have dedicated macro keys but thanks to its OmniPoint switches (up to 100 million keystrokes) it's among the most advanced mechanical gaming keyboards in the market today. You see unlike most gaming keyboards today that use mechanical switches the OmniPoint ones are actually also magnetic (Analog Hall Effect magnetic sensor) thus allowing the consumer to custom-tune their actuation points (single increments from 1 through 10 / from 0.4mm and up to 3.6mm) to decrease response times and increase accuracy/feedback. Still only the main 61 out of the 104 available keys feature OmniPoint switches (the other 43 have Gateron RGB Reds beneath them) and even though we do understand the need to keep cost as low as possible it would be nice if all of the keys featured OmniPoint switches. Aside its OmniPoint switches however the Apex Pro also features an frame made out of series 5000 aircraft grade aluminum, OLED display, per-key dynamic RGB lighting (11 effects), 32bit ARM processor (5 onboard profiles), dedicated media keys with volume roller, USB 2.0 pass-through port, magnetic wrist rest with soft rubber coating, N-Key rollover with 100% anti-ghosting, 1000Hz polling rate and three-way cable routing. Certainly, sounds interesting right?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Apex Pro arrived inside a long box the front of which is taken by a large product picture, the company logo, system compatibility and some words about the OmniPoint switches.

Both the main product features and the layout of the keyboard are printed at the base of the box.

Another product picture is located at the rear of the box and used to showcase the product features in 5 languages.

As you can all see the keyboard is not only wrapped inside a plastic bag but also has a cloth cover at the top.

Not much in terms of bundle since along with the Apex Pro and its detachable magnetic wrist rest, you'll just receive the user manual.

THE APEX PRO

Without the magnetic wrist rest the SteelSeries Apex Pro measures 436.7mm in length, 139.2mm in width/depth and 40.3mm in height.

The Apex Pro has a small number of "double" action keys so from F9 through F12 you can switch profiles, enable on-the-fly macro recording and decrease/increase the brightness level of the keys.

You can choose one of the 5 available profiles also from the insert, home, delete, end and page up/down keys.

On the top right corner, we find the OLED display next to a roller and an extra button. Aside giving you live updates on some apps and games via the OLED display you can also change profiles, choose macros, adjust its brightness levels along with the brightness levels of the keys and finally adjust actuation points on the fly (you can also load your very own GIF just like with some of the mice SteelSeries has released to date).

The Apex Pro follows the now typical floating keys design.

Even though the Apex Pro has a single USB 2.0 pass through port we did like the fact that it features a white LED next to it (would be nice if this was also part of the RGB system however).

Here you can see both the OmniPoint and the Gateron RGB Red switches (and yes, the arrow keys should also have OmniPoint switches).

Turning the keyboard over we find three rubber feet, three channels (center, left and right) from where you can route the cable and two rubber coated height adjusters.

These height adjusters raise the top end of the keyboard roughly 18mm from your desk.

The magnetic wrist rest features the soft-touch rubber coating SteelSeries is known for and has a total of 8 rubber feet on its base.

With the magnetic wrist rest attached the width/depth of the Apex Pro increases to 211mm.

ENGINE 3 SOFTWARE

As always for complete control over the keyboard you will need to download the Engine 3 software from the official SteelSeries page seen above.

It's worth mentioning that once we plugged the keyboard the OLED display informed us of a firmware update via the Engine software.

Indeed, once we launched the Engine 3 software a firmware update was detected for the Apex Pro.

From the main tab you can program any of the keys with a variety of commands by just clicking on it.

The actuation tab allows you to control the actuation of all 61 OmniPoint keys (individual control is also possible) in single increments from 1 through 10.

Inside the illumination tab you can choose one of the 11 available effects, select single colors and adjust the effects for the reactive layer (visible once you press a key) and AFK (away from keyboard) options.

Just like with past keyboards you can also change the layout from the world map but this time over from the same tab you can upload your very own GIF onto the OLED display.

From the above pictures you can see the minimum and maximum brightness levels of the keys and of course some of the available effects.

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this methodology may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

   Just like with past keyboards we ended up using the Apex Pro for a total of two weeks with games like Borderlands 3, Terminator Resistance (quite good for a low budget title) and The Outer Worlds. I also used it to type three reviews including this one with a variety of different actuation points to see if this is indeed its strongest selling point and at least for me the simple answer is yes. By “setting” the actuation point of the keys higher not only can you increase reaction times in games but also typing so SteelSeries is actually true in everything they say about their brand new OmniPoint switches. The OLED screen on the other hand although somewhat useful is just too small and so it’s not very easy to keep track off when playing games or working (had SteelSeries done what Logitech had in the past and placed a larger screen or at the center of the keyboard we feel that would be far more effective). As for the RGB lighting system well nothing new in that regard except from the fact that the Engine 3 software makes it a lot easier for the end user to create his own custom theme either using per-key mode or by selecting specific areas of the keyboard. Finally, the magnetic wrist rest is one of the best we’ve ever seen with a keyboard and unlike many other models it’s actually a lot more stable even if you raise the keyboard slightly.

   The Apex Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard already counts almost 5 months in the market and currently retails for USD199.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 230Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which although set quite high is really on par with the top of the line model by SteelSeries (which is also probably the most advanced keyboard in the market at the time of this review). Overall however even though we really liked the “versatility” of the OmniPoint switches, the useful OLED display and the superb build quality at the end of the day the Apex Pro might just be “overkill” for the majority of consumers since the gains don’t really justify climbing that high in terms of budget. On the other hand, however for serious gamers and even professionals who type a lot the Apex Pro is without doubt the best choice and that’s why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (Series 5000 Aerospace Aluminum Frame)
- OmniPoint Mechanical Magnetic Switches (Adjustable Actuation Point / 100 Million Keystrokes)
- OLED Display
- Full RGB Individual Key Illumination (16.7m Colors / 11 Effects)
- Dedicated Media Keys
- Fully Programmable Keys
- NKey Rollover With 100% Anti Ghosting
- USB 2.0 Pass Through
- Three Way Cable Routing
- Detachable Magnetic Wrist Rest
- Engine 3 Software

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Number Of OmniPoint Switches (61/104)
- Small OLED Display