SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review: a super-solid analog gaming keyboard with top performance
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3: One-minute review
The Steelseries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is a premium gaming keyboard with analog switches designed to provide the most accurate and adjustable gaming experience.
It certainly looks the part: its understated appearance doesn’t scream gaming prowess, but when you look further, its quality is evident from every angle.
The chassis is relatively thick but not as heavy as you might expect, feels solid, and is expertly put together, easily placing it among its peers. best gaming keyboard About. The same goes for the wrist pads and original two-color PBT keycaps, which have a slight but smooth texture and a satisfying touch.
A built-in smart screen is located in the upper right corner and can be used to select profiles, change global drive points and toggle quick triggers. It can also be customized to display information relevant to your system or popular games and applications. You can even upload your own images and GIFs.
Further customization is possible via Steelseries Peripheral Software GG. Here you can further modify the actuation points on a global or key-by-key basis. You can also set functions to fire when pressed or released, and add two bindings to a single key, each firing at a different actuation point of your choice.
But unfortunately, the GG offers no visual feedback when making such adjustments, and there’s no option to emulate a controller’s joysticks or triggers, as you can do on some other emulation keyboards, such as the Turtle Beach Vulcan 2 TKL Pro at this point.
However, the Apex Pro’s gaming performance makes up for this omission. These switches are extremely responsive yet provide enough feedback to make hitting the actuation point easy. The relatively compact layout also makes the bottom row easy to use, as does the tilting nature of these keys. All keycaps are also nicely serrated to ensure a secure press. My only complaint is the short, flat wrist rest, which caused my palms to hang off the edge when in the WASD position.
I find the Apex Pro not very suitable for typing. However, I generally prefer shallow keycaps for sliding, so those who prefer thicker keycaps may have no problem here.
Apex Pro is expensive, priced about the same as Razer Hunting V3 Proanother analog product. But the high price tag brings top-notch build quality and performance, and while it misses out on some analog tweaks, it’s still well worth your consideration.
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review: Price and availability
- US$219/£209 (approximately AU$336)
- Now available in black
- Same price as Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless
The Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 costs $219 / £209 (approximately AU$336) and is available now. It only comes in one color, black. It also includes a wrist rest and a keycap puller, and Steelseries sells replacement keycaps on its website.
Unsurprisingly, it’s cheaper than the wireless version, which costs $269, but in addition to ditching the wires, this model offers multiple connectivity modes, meaning you can easily switch between multiple devices.
The Apex Pro is undoubtedly the top end of the wired gaming keyboard market. It’s the same price Razer For example, the Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless also uses Hall Effect simulation technology. The motherboard can also be tweaked using Razer Synapse, the brand’s excellent, feature-rich peripheral software.
If you’re looking for a more affordable analog keyboard, then Turtle Beach Vulcan 2 TKL Pro is a possible contender. Unlike the Apex Pro, it offers controller emulation, although its switches aren’t as precise as we’d like for this purpose. Although it has its problems, it’s still worth considering.
Value: 3/5
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review: Specs
| layout | tK |
| change | OmniPoint 2.0 Adjustable Ultramagnetic Simulation (Hall Effect Magnetism) |
| Programmable keys | Yes |
| aspect | 14 x 5 x 1.7 inches/355 x 129 x 42 mm |
| RGB or backlight | Yes (customizable) |
| response time | 0.7 milliseconds |
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review: Design and features
- Excellent build quality
- Useful built-in screens
- Missing some simulation tweaks
The Apex Pro is a fairly eye-catching tablet, with a thick and stylish chassis, and its subdued appearance belies its gaming intentions; the RGB lighting is the only giveaway in this regard.
Build quality is where the Apex Pro really stands out, though. It is quite heavy, although not as heavy as expected, but every material and seam is very delicate. There’s also a convenient compartment underneath that holds the keycap puller, and it’s closed with a rubber cover that works great.
The two-color PBT keycaps feel great to the touch, with a delicate and smooth texture. The overall layout is pretty compact, but I didn’t have any issues with misclicks.
Apex Pro also features Steelseries’ own modifier keys called Meta keys. This allows you to perform various shortcuts such as adjusting drive points and selecting profile slots.
Such changes can also be made via smart screens. This uses black and white organic light emitting diode The display, navigation is controlled via a scroll wheel and a small button below – both of which are as well designed as the rest of the Apex Pro.
You can set the global actuation point anywhere between 0.1 mm and 4 mm and toggle fast triggering. The smart screen can also be used to display certain system information, including the workload of the CPU, GPU and RAM, which is very useful. In-game information can also be displayed, and many popular games have their own default layouts, including those Counter-Strike 2, minecraftand League of Legends. You can even upload your own images and GIFs for display.
Further driver settings can be adjusted in SteelSeris’ GG software. You can change the activation of individual keys and set keys to fire when pressed or released. There’s also a dual actuation mode that lets you bind two functions to a key, with each function firing at certain actuation points of your choosing.
Other rebinding options include options for common shortcuts, media playback, and system-level functions, although the latter doesn’t offer as many features as other peripheral tools offer. You can also customize the information your smart screen displays to give it a pleasing depth and detail, choosing when to display certain information and what triggers it.
exist Counter-Strike 2for example, you can view your health, and your K/D ratio at the end of each round. In addition to games, there are also integrated applications such as Discord, which can display messages.
Overall, the GG is easy to navigate and responsive. One disappointing aspect, however, is the lack of visual feedback when adjusting settings, which is useful when setting drive points to see how inputs actually translate in real time.
Design and functionality: 4/5
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review: Performance
- Excellent keycaps and switches
- Easy-to-hit action points
- wrist rest problem
In short, Apex Pro is a joy to use. The switches are very well damped and feel very satisfying to use while still being flexible enough for quick movements. The keycaps are also indented to make them secure and easy to use, and the bottom row is easy to hit with your thumb and pinky thanks to the slant of these keys and the aforementioned compact layout.
Hitting certain actuation points is also much easier than I’ve encountered on other analog keyboards, as there’s enough feedback to get a good feel for how far you’re pressing. The quick trigger is also very effective, dynamically raising the actuation point when pressed repeatedly, allowing you to make those jerky moves faster.
What bothers me the most from an ergonomic standpoint, though, is the wrist rest. Considering the thickness of the Apex Pro case mentioned above, I find the rest is definitely needed. However, since it’s so short and has so little slope, I found that the edges of my palms hung awkwardly off the end when in the WASD position.
Also, when it comes to typing, I think the Apex Pro isn’t the easiest to use. I should say, however, that I prefer shallow laptop-style keyboards best, as I find them easier to slide on, and the stock keycaps on the Apex Pro are less conducive to this. But if you like using thicker keycaps for typing, you probably won’t have a problem.
Performance: 4.5 /5
Should I buy SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3?
| property | notes | grade |
|---|---|---|
| value | The Apex Pro is expensive, especially for a wired keyboard. It competes with the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, but you’re getting a great gaming keyboard. | 3/5 |
| Design and features | The build quality is excellent and the onboard screen is useful. The same goes for GG software, although controller emulation would have been welcome. | 4/5 |
| Performance | Its analog credentials are impeccable. The operating point is easy to hit, and the overall feel of the keys is very satisfying. | 4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review: Also considered
| Header Cell – Column 0 | SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 | SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3 | Razer Huntsman V2 simulates Razer |
|---|---|---|---|
| layout | tK | tK | tK |
| change | Analog (Hall Effect Magnetism) | Simulation (Hall Effect Magnetism) | Razer Analog Optical Switch |
| Programmable keys | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| aspect | 14.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches (approx.)/368.3 x 139.7 x 38.1 mm | 14 x 5 x 1.7 inches/355 x 129 x 42 mm | Unspecified |
| RGB or backlight | Yes (customizable) | Yes (customizable) | Yes (customizable) |
How I tested SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3
- Tested for several days
- For gaming, work and general use
- Over 10 years of PC gaming experience
I put the Apex Pro to the test for a few days, using it to play games, work, and browse. I’ve used it with and without a wrist rest.
I’ve played things like Counter-Strike 2which is a big test for the keyboard’s response speed and accuracy. I also made sure to try out as many features as possible and modify as many settings as possible using the GG software.
I’ve been playing computer games for over a decade and have used a lot of keyboards in that time. I’ve also reviewed many keyboards with varying price tags, sizes, and switch types.
- First review time: November 2024
- Read more about How we test
