Customer Ratings & Reviews

I can safely say at this point that the Steel Series Apex Pro Gen 3 Full Size Wired HyperMagnetic Keyboard is the best gaming keyboard I have used. Not only that it is the best keyboard I have used period. First of all the key responsiveness on this keyboard is next level stuff. It feels amazing and definitely helps in first-person shooting games and I am sure any game requiring lightning-fast reflexes. The Apex Pro Gen 3 has all of the best features for custom key assignments as well as things like Rapid trigger that dynamically resets keys for faster trigger reaction time. I am amazed by the what I assume is the Hypermagnetic action in the keys. They bounce back so fast and seem to have the perfect travel compare to other keyboards I have used enabling very quick movements. Not only that you can adjust the responsiveness of the keys and change how they respond depending on what you are using them for. Basically this keyboard with the Steel GG software will allow you to program a perfect custom set up for whatever your use case is. On top of it’s vast versatility options it feels very solid and has some heft to it all while looking premium while doing it. The lighting really looks good and is of course fully customizable as well and it has a first for me small Oled info screen that can display different computer stats. The only downside I noticed at first was the keys seemed a little small. However, I have quickly gotten used to them and it has put my concerns to rest. I have big hands and fingers and was worried at first but it does have key protection as well to help detour accidental presses. While there may be better keyboards out there so far this is the best one I have had the pleasure of using and I have a lot of keyboards and have used many different keyboards over the years.

This has to be one of the smoothest keyboards i have ever used. The design of thekeys and the wristpad make this a must a have for extended computer use. I was very pleasantly surprised. I am going to highlight the best aspects of the keyboard that stood out to me. KEY TRAVEL The key travel is satisfying, the travel provides for a smooth key travel that has a satisfying click. The design is smooth that the click is almost softened by the design. It makes it responsive and very nice keyboard. The design also keeps the fast pressing of keys to not feel muddled or have the keys sticking. They springy responsiveness makes fast gameplay and quick key pressing a breeze. without a sloppy feel. WRISTPAD The simplest design of including magnets make this a non-slip support pad with a nice matte feel. The angle is flows right into the keyboard. KEYBOARD SCREEN The keyboard screen and media controls makes it easy to mute the sound or adjust the volume with the rocker button. It allows you to create profiles and shows you the response bar which lights up when pressing the keys. I dont use it as much but it is a nice feature. SOFTWARE The software is pretty simple to use the preprogrammed light designs but it also lets you create your own lighting zones if you have the time and patience to play around with the software. Creating the custom lights isn't difficult but it is involved. LIGHTING The lighting is very smooth and seamless in transition but i feel most keyboards are on par. The brightness is nice and adjustable. amazing keyboard, the first keyboard which immediately felt like a step above the rest.

The keys have great responsive and feedback. The actuation force is very light and nimble, making each key press very fast (doesn't take much strength to push each key down). Especially with the adjustable actuation (0.1-4.0mm) is a awesome feature, so you can get the exact actuation you want. In my opinion, the keyboard is slightly expensive. At the time of this review, I paid over $200+. If lowered to $120 or $150 would have been better. I have been thinking about purchasing this keyboard for a few years now, and the price doesn't seem to drop, but with my old keyboard breaking, getting a new one was a priority. RGB lighting is pretty standard, just like other gaming keyboards with similar RGB lighting features, but my favorite feature of all, is the sound of the keys (if you can call that a feature). It has a clicky sound, but much more subdued compared to keyboards like Razor, which their key sounds are LOUD, almost like a typewriter, but this keyboard gives me the auditory cue that the key has been pressed, but without being obnoxiously loud. For that, I give an A+ on sound. So, if sound matters to you, and you don't want a keyboard that is too loud, but enought click sound to be responsive, then this SteelSeries is for you!

The keyboard itself is absolutely beautiful. Fairly quiet for a linear gaming keyboard. Keys feel great, the oled screen is a nice touch. Rgb lighting looks great. Magnetic hand rest is feels great too. My main gripe is the software. Right now, for some reason, all the configuration has to be loaded through the windows software. I think the macros are able to save into thr board, but actuation configuration, rgb lighting profiles, oled screen config you are currently unable to save to the board. So unless you are running the steelseries software on your machine, youre limited to trying to configure everything directly on the keyboard itself, which is missing some features that the software only supports, specifically the rgb profiles and the oled screen settings. Havent tested the other features, but in general save to board feature doesnt seem to work well at all. Other than that, the keyboard hardware is quite beautiful. If you dont care too much about rgb, it's a great board.

There are many things to really like about the Steele Series Apex Keyboard, but lack of on board RGB control and pricing may be of some concern. I routinely test and try out keyboards and when something feels "right" to me, I switch to it and will use it for months or even years while actively testing for its new replacement when the opportunity presents itself. My current keyboard is an EVGA Z20 Optical Switch gaming keyboard. I like this keyboard for a few reasons: It is truly "full sized" and not a compacted variant with a numerical pad claiming to be full size. It also requires no active running software to be functional. It was priced very competitively at purchase (~$70USD) and it has a good set of extra function/action keys on the left. Lastly, the included wrist rest is the best I've used. Does it have it's drawbacks? Of course. One of them being it requires slightly higher striking on the keys and the cable is thick and cumbersome along with being non-removable. Lastly would be the keyboard is very loud when in use. So with that out of the way, enter the Steel Series "Apex" which I guess means it is at the top of the food chain by their definition. The keyboard itself looks and feels solid and includes a key remover (standard issue for decent gaming keyboards), manual and a nice braided USB-C to USB-A cable with good length. It includes a palm rest which strikes a decent balance between ergonomics and a slightly softer texture versus some of the hard plastic ones which I find grossly uncomfortable. I do prefer a softer, plush like wrist wrest like on the EVGA but I can always swap it in eventually. The Apex's palm wrest has two magnets which will dock it to the keyboard itself. The Apex is definitely full sized but the tight, streamlined bezel around it may trick you into thinking it is not. I physically compared it next to my CherryMX, Corsair K70 and EVGA Z20 and it is overall about the size of the Corsair which is slightly smaller overall than the CherryMX and definitely the EVGA but the actual key size and spacing is equal across all four. It does have a volume media roller for volume control which I always like on my gaming keyboards as I can quickly turn the volume up or down during game play or even on the desktop. Numlock and Caps change colors when toggled off and on which I like. You can use the Apex right out of the box, but to optimize and properly use it, you will want to download the Steel GG software. As soon as you load it up, there is a critical update awaiting your Apex. Once that is installed off we go. One thing I do like about the GG software is you do not need an account to configure your devices. You will need one for the extra functionality but at its core you can get by without an account....for now. Besides fine tuning key actuations and settings, you can also upload a custom image to the built in OLED display or attempt to use their built in drawing software, but it only supports a very small 128x40 display and it is in black and white. The real use for this display is to use it in conjunction with the button and volume control roller to load in customizations/access to configs (see below). Like most gaming keyboards these days, you have a wide range of RGB settings/patterns but I always set mine to a static single color which is easily set in the software. The lighting is bright and nice and extends to the secondary functions of the numbers too which I like. While the GG software gets the job done, this is where we encounter it breaking one of my peripheral rules and in the worst way and that is the inability to save your keyboard RGB configuration on the device itself. The keyboard itself will store your OLED/actuation configs but it refuses to store the RGB patterns itself. Steele egregiously extends this even further and requires you to have their software running at all times to properly use your Apex. Turn off your computer? RGB configuration goes away. Boot up and shut down the GG software? RGB configuration goes away immediately. You MUST have it running at all times even after loading up your config. This is an absolute deal breaker for me. One thing I love about EVGA and Corsair is they allow you to "set and forget" your configurations and you can even uninstall their software and their devices will just keep working. Razer seems to pick and choose which devices have persistent settings but at least they allow you to shut down their software after loading up your configuration. If you run the GG software it will override any keyboard config you have running. Shut it down and it will revert to a built in config. Either way, the software needs to be running to keep the keyboard colors in check. I'm hoping this is a software bug and if this changes I will update my review accordingly. As for using the keyboard for general use and gaming it gets it done. I've been using it for the last several days since it can take a bit to adapt to a new keyboard and I've found it to be a very pleasant experience. The keys are the quietest of my lot of gaming keyboards and even slightly quieter than the Razer TKL V3 which was my previous quiet king for a mechanical gaming keyboard but too small for my personal long term usage. I am a casual gamer, but during sessions of World of Warcraft, Fallout 76, Fortnite and COD, there are certain instances I can tell and feel the keyboard is a notch above my EVGA. Sometimes in the heat of battle, certain keypresses would get slightly laggy/stuck that are gone with the Apex. Another thing is in Fallout 76 when selling a lot of items, it is easier to rapidly tap the spacebar as fast as possible to sell the items. Sometimes on my CherryMX, K70 Core and EVGA Z20 this would "stick" sometimes and miss an item (I alternate two finger tap it so it's incredibly fast) but the Apex didn't miss a single stroke. I repeated this over several nights to confirm and even swapped back in my EVGA for testing. I did this also during several raids and the Apex provided a smoother, more consistent gaming session and that was without even tuning the keys. This is because of the heightened key sensitivity and response time. I was pleasantly surprised. This is showing the hall effect advantage especially in Fallout 76 where something as tedious and mundane as vendoring items as fast as possible presents a smoother, more consistent experience because of the two finger effort to sell as fast as possible. So finally, it comes down to price. The Steelseries Apex is a $200USD+ dollar keyboard which puts it into the pricing range of Wooting and other "top echelon" gaming keyboards. Do I think the Apex is a great keyboard? I do. I very much like it and want it to replace my EVGA after ~4 solid years of service but my EVGA keyboard was only ~$70USD so price is another potential deal breaker depending on what you're seeking in a gaming keyboard. I could switch back to my EVGA Z20 and still be happy or even the CherryMX so you will have to decide if it is worth the cost. I will say though as a casual gamer I can feel the difference in pockets versus my other keyboards so if the cost is justifiable to you and you have no problems using the software at all times to keep your RGB in control, the Apex is a solid choice. I will have to dock two stars from the rating because of the lack of saving RGB on the keyboard itself, price and lack of extra function keys but it is still overall a solid keyboard.

Keyboard is great for what it is. I can adjust the acuation which is sweet. I feel its missing dedicated media keys (play, stop, skip, etc) as well as ehen num lock and caps lock are on/off, the ability to integrate the key into the other rbg rather than being forced to have the key static white when active. Perhaps like other keyboardsn a pin sized white light that turns on when the key is activated and the rgb is unaffected.

This keyboard costs a quarter of a thousand dollars; I am going to assume you’ve already read an actual review and don’t need me to cover the basics. Instead, I am going to talk on whether this keyboard will be good for you if you type like I do, and make some comparisons to the first gen Apex Pro. When I type, I do not bottom out. I just tap the keys. This is the best keyboard I have ever used for the way I type. The actuation pressure is marginally more firm than the first gen Apex Pro, but still very light. The keys are much better stabilized and feel cushioned for a plush feel while making the keyboard very useable at the 0.1 or 0.2 mm actuation distance setting. As Jeremy Clarkson might say, “it’s like typing on double cream.” If you type like I do, I suspect you’ll also really like this keyboard. The first gen Omnipoint switches were not stabilized. The keys wobbled and had a lot of play which always felt cheap and left a poor impression. The third gen switches are vastly improved and feel appropriately premium. The third gen switches are also cushioned and sound fuller; the first gen switches sounds hollow and cheap in comparison. Overall, a vastly more luxurious typing experience. Two other minor observations: When you type like I do, you notice when keys feel different, requiring different actuation pressure or distance. The first gen Apex Pro was not completely uniform, the third gen is. The third gen Apex Pro appears to be better magnetically shielded. When using the first gen, nearby magnetic fields like from wrist rests could cause keys to stop working or send errant inputs. This seems resolved. A few complaints: Only the alphanumeric portion of the keyboard makes use of the advertised switches; this is a little disappointing when considering the price. At least the other keys still feel uniform. Lack of dedicated macro keys, especially given the price, lessens the appeal of this keyboard from a productivity standpoint.

I’ve been gaming for over 40 years and have used countless accessories—keyboards, headsets, mice, mouse pads, and monitors. I thought I had experienced the best… until now. This keyboard, if you can afford it, is hands down the best I’ve ever used. At first, I wasn’t sure if the ability to adjust the actuation pressure would be useful, but I was completely wrong. Now, I find myself turning left and right just to feel how smooth and responsive the transitions are. It’s an absolute game-changer! No joke—I haven’t always been the best at some of the more popular shooters, but now I finally feel like I can hold my own and actually contribute to wins, which I’m now doing! The GG software used to customize this keyboard is incredibly intuitive. I have my LEDs set up just the way I like them, making it easy to find my place at a glance. It’s a small but impactful detail that enhances my overall gaming experience. There are plenty of software programs out there that claim to enhance audio and performance—like Killer from Dell or Razer’s optimizations—but after using this setup, I’m seriously considering removing all the others and sticking with this exclusively. Somehow, it automatically lowers background music and game chatter, making it easier to hear my teammates, as well as crucial in-game sounds like footsteps and gunfire. I’m now fully invested in SteelSeries and will be looking to them for my next headset, mouse—pretty much anything and everything. I can’t wait until I need a replacement, LOL. When I bought my laptop, I was torn between MSI and Alienware. I ended up choosing Alienware, and it hasn’t disappointed me. But now, as I start looking for my next PC, MSI with SteelSeries peripherals is looking like the best choice. That’s all for now—thanks, and GAME ON! ReconOgre

Pros: Nice and clicky. Smooth typing. Some texture on keycaps. Lots of customization options for lighting and settings. Cons: No USB passthrough like some other models have.

Great feel on keys, excellent rgb lighting, quality is on par with any top design keyboards, highly recommend, on the expensive side

Coming from a gen 1 that has caught up to time and you can tell the difference, it’s a lot cleaner and nice to use and the colors are more vibrant as well!

It's a little pricey, but it feels so much better than my previous Logitech mechanical keyboard. I mostly got this because I was frustrated with the double typing that was happening with my previous keyboard. Magnetic hall-effect keyboards should be immune to that particular defect. But the feel and smoothness of each key pressed is so satisfying that it makes me want to type even more.

Overall feel of the keyboard is great. Is both compatible with PC or Xobox X/S.

Great keyboard. Perfect for gaming. The lighting looks beautiful while playing but can be shutoff if its a distraction

This keyboard has been great so far. It sounds like a keyboard but not as plasticky or loud. Just enough feedback for any old school keyboard warriors. The custom lighting is a nice touch and being to change the colors of individual keys is nice when you want to draw attn to special commands. The option to change the actuation of the keys is almost amazing.

Short and sweet... I've had a top of the line Corsair Full Size Gaming Keyboard of excellent quality but this keyboard, for about the same price is so much better. The advanced switches and being able to change the actual input pressure of the key to work is amazing. There are pre-programmed keyboard inputs for several games which saves time. They also got it right with the palm rest being covered with hard rubber instead of the Corsair's thin vinyl covered padding which tears after a couple of years. This keyboard is rather expensive by build quality is great and their manufacturer warranty is 2-years instead of Corsair's one-year warranty. Buy it already!!!

Amazing keyboard. Changing the illumination to different colors was an amazing feature but also changing the brightness is amazing. Not too loud when clicking which is my preference and changing the sensitivity of the key board is nice function.

I have never, NEVER had a keyboard this smooth. The keys have an insanely satisfying creamy sound without being ostentatiously loud. The wrist bar is comfortable, though fairly standard silicone and solid. It does however connect via magnet so there's nothing there to break as far as fastners or attachment points, but it doesn't come away from the keyboard either. No lag in input what-so-ever. No bloatware required to use (looking at you green snake brand) and you just plug and play. The RGB software is low requirement and overall well worth the money. 10/10 I would absolutely purchase this again.

Super responsive, clicky but not too crazy loud. I don't think I've even scratched the surface of the kind of customization you can do to this but it's just a great feeling keyboard and I'm happy I upgraded to it.

I replaced my Logitech with this. I love the keys on it. The software works well when set up. It is solidly built.