Even though the SteelSeries Apex Pro is a full-sized keyboard with a number pad, it doesn’t take up too much room on the desktop (there is also a tenkeyless version, though). The build quality is top class, with a matte black aluminum board, and an incredibly comfortable, soft-touch wrist rest that connects magnetically. There’s a small OLED at the top right, along with a clickable roller and a large key that serve as dedicated media controls. You can make the OLED display your gamer tag or even a GIF animation, but it also offers some welcome feedback on your chosen settings and profiles, so you don’t need to tab out of your game to tweak things.
The headline feature here comes courtesy of the Omnipoint switches. Not only does SteelSeries claim that they’re much more responsive and durable than conventional mechanical switches, but they also offer customizable actuation. This means you can configure your preferred sensitivity level, dictating whether you’d like the lightest of touches to register or a deeper press. It doesn’t change the feel of typing on the keyboard (which is excellent by the way) but it does change when the key press registers.
Since you can set sensitivity per individual key, it allows you to dampen certain keys you find yourself accidentally pressing, but leave WASD super sensitive, for example. Take the time to set up different profiles for work and play, and even for individual games and you will feel the benefit. Our testing found accurate typing a breeze on this keyboard and it’s relatively quiet for a mechanical keyboard.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro features bright RGB lighting which is also fully configurable on a per key basis. The SteelSeries Engine 3 software is fairly easy to get to grips with. You can set main and meta key bindings, use a macro editor, tweak the actuation, set up lighting effects and colors, and even load a custom image or GIF for the OLED screen. There’s room for five onboard profiles.
With cable routing left, middle, or right, and a pass-through USB with its own lit-up port on the left, the SteelSeries Apex Pro embodies thoughtful design. Gaming and general typing on this keyboard is an absolute pleasure and nothing offers deeper customization, but the price makes it a serious investment.
