INTRODUCTION

   As expected the majority of consumers may only be interested in full sized keyboards but tenkeyless models (keyboards that lack a numeric keypad) have actually increased in popularity lately not only among people who may not have enough space on their desks (or who may not want to use it all) but also people who attend LAN events. Personally i never felt the need of using a tenkeyless model in the lab or at home but that being said i do understand the merits of having a smaller keyboard especially for people who belong in the above categories. The Apex M750 Aluminum Core Mechanical Esports Keyboard by SteelSeries scored high in our review and since many of you also asked if we could take a closer look at its tenkeyless (10-keyless) version (the Apex M750 TKL) we couldn't' say no so after roughly a month of using it in the lab our review is finally here.

   SteelSeries has fueled the gaming industry by creating innovative new products, designed specifically for eSports and passionate gamers everywhere. Here at SteelSeries, we are obsessed with “firsts”. Dating back to 2001, our company was formed to meet the surface needs of hardcore gamers by introducing the first glass mousepad, the Icemat. Since that original innovation, we created the first mechanical gaming keyboard, the first suspended headband for gaming headsets, the first World of Warcraft mouse and endless other innovations. SteelSeries is dedicated to building products that push professional gaming further than anyone dreamed. Those innovations make gaming more competitive and more fun for gamers everywhere.

   Leaving out the obvious lack of a numeric keypad (which reduces the length of the keyboard by 84mm) the Apex M750 TKL is identical to the Apex M750 and so once again under the hood we find the same QX2 linear switches (copper click leaves with 45cN actuation force, 2mm actuation point and 4mm total travel - certified for up to 50 million actuations), anodized aerospace-grade 5000 series aluminum frame, floating design, fully programmable keys, N-Key Roll Over with 100% anti-ghosting, 1000Hz polling rate, per-key RGB lighting with 12 available effects, in-game notifications and support for SteelSeries Prism Sync (allows RGB lighting and effects coordination between all your Prism-enabled gear). Also worth noticing is that according to SteelSeries the lack of a numeric keypad is not only ment to save space on your desk or backpack but also optimizes the space between your keyboard and mouse, resulting in an enhanced range of motion.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like the full sized M750 the M750 TKL arrived inside a box that has a large product picture at the front along with the company logo and a picture of the latest QX2 switches.

Some of the main product features are listed at the top of the box while at the base we find the keyboard layout.

The product features including Prism are printed at the rear of the box.

Once again the keyboard is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed in a extension of the box.

Along with the Apex M750 TKL SteelSeries packs two extra rubber feet and the product information guide.

THE APEX M750 TKL

With a length of just 370mm the 35mm tall and 160mm wide Apex M750 TKL is a lot smaller compared to the regular Apex M750.

SteelSeries has placed their logo right over the arrow keys.

Just like the regular M750 the TKL version may not have dedicated keys but from the FN (function) key and the F5-F12 keys you can control the brightness levels of the keys and its media functions (previous/play-pause/next/mute audio/volume down-up).

Here we see the brand new QX2 switches which are basically identical to the Cherry MX ones we all know.

Turning the keyboard over we see a glossy plastic section at the center and 4 rubber feet (no height adjusters).

You can swap the front stock rubber feet (0.5mm in height) with the bundled ones (0.9mm in height).

The side areas would make a fine addition to the RGB lighting system of the M750 and the M750 TKL but unfortunately for reasons unknown SteelSeries didn't take that route.

The 2 meter long cable (not braided) has a regular USB plug (not Gold plated) at the end.

Here you can see the minimum and maximum brightness levels of the Apex M750 TKL.

STEELSERIES ENGINE 3

As always prior to using the keyboard you will need to download the latest version of the SteelSeries Engine software directly from their page.

Once you install and launch the Engine 3 software it will check the firmware version of your keyboard (and of other devices by SteelSeries if you have any) and notify you if there's a newer version included.

The main control screen is very forthcoming so you can program any of the keys by just clicking on it, create macros, pick one of the 12 available effects and adjust their speed, choose between single color and RGB (colorshift) lighting, change the polling rate from the graph, choose the proper keyboard layout from the world map, adjust the brightness levels from the bulb, set the default engine app color and finally you can also save/delete profiles.

Here you can see several of the available RGB lighting effects and colors.

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many ask our 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 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

   Much like the full sized Apex M750 Aluminum Core Mechanical eSports Keyboard the TKL version features near excellent build quality and a very rich RGB lighting system. As a matter of fact thanks to its smaller size the TKL version feels even sturdier so leaving out the size difference which can save plenty of space on your desk and backpack (if you attend LAN events) this is also a plus. The QS2 keys are pretty much Cherry MX RGB Red clones and so we don’t expect anyone will have an issue with them for many years. The rubber feet instead of height adjusters may add to the sturdiness of the keyboard (can’t fold like classic height adjusters and ontop of that they keep the keyboard still) but they don’t raise the keyboard as much as some height adjusters and that may end up disappointing some people (although we don’t expect this would be enough for them to turn away). Last but not least the lack of a USB passthrough although not very important to us is something that we were hoping to see in both the M750 and the M750 TKL.

   Currently the Apex M750 TKL Aluminum Core Mechanical Esports Keyboard by SteelSeries retails for USD119.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 104Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) so if you were hoping to save some money over the regular M750 you’re out luck (less than 10% difference). That being said if you need to save space on your desk or if you go to LAN events and you need a tenkeyless model the M750 TKL could be the right one for the job and since it’s just as good as the regular M750 it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (5000 Series Anodized Aerospace Aluminum Frame)
- Full RGB Individual Key Illumination (16.7m Colors)
- QX2 Mechanical Switches (Linear With 50M Actuations)
- Fully Programmable Keys
- 12 Available RGB Effects
- NKey Rollover With 100% Anti Ghosting
- Tenkeyless Model (For Some)
- Engine 3 Software

CONS

- No USB Passthrough
- Sides Are Not Illuminated