It was the perfect time to test the SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL gaming keyboard from the past few weeks. I haven’t had to work, which means I haven’t had to rely on a full keyboard for all the alt codes I regularly punch out. This is a ten-key keyboard after all, so there’s no numeric keypad for all that malarkey, but what you do get are some super-fast optical keys that are great for gaming.
The Apex 9 TKL has a fairly compact footprint, even for a keyless keyboard. There’s no bezel to it, for lack of a better word, and what I mean by that is that there’s very little outside bezel to the keyboard that extends beyond where the keys end. It’s pretty much as compact as you’re going to get without buying a 65% board or one with all the keys pressed together. I’m not a fan of the typing experience that entails, and this seems small enough.
If you’re looking for a space saver, this is definitely one. For gaming, it offers a little more desk space to throw a mouse around, which is what I do in most of the FPS games I play, so the compact fit has some advantage. While I have to say that the lack of a numpad is still not my personal preference – maybe that’s where a keyboard like the Mount Everest 60 (opens in new tab) offers a little more flexibility thanks to the bolt-on numpad accessory.
However, the small size of the Apex 9 TKL has another advantage. It’s generally cheaper than some of the full-sized SteelSeries wares. The Apex 9 TKL is asking for $140, while full-sized SteelSeries boards of this caliber cost over $160. However, the Apex 9 TKL’s price tag still pegs it as a pricey option compared to other more standard tenkeyless boards, and it shows largely in the inclusion of optical keyswitches and PBT keycaps.
Apex 9 specs
Measure: Without key
switches: OptiPoint optical
Tests: PBT
RGB lighting: Yes, by key
Media controls: Yes, volume wheel, play/pause
Price: $140 / £135 / €150 (opens in new tab)
If you don’t already know, optical key switches use light to activate with a keystroke. That’s instead of the more traditional mechanical contact point you’d find on, say, Cherry MX switches. The advantage of optical over mechanical often comes down to things like debounce, activation times, and response times. The SteelSeries OptiPoint optical switches do all of these things very well.
These OptiPoint switches also offer a choice of two control points for all keys. You can choose the more standard 1.5mm or the fast-paced 1mm. The latter is the choice for fast gaming, the former more for meticulous typists. You can switch between the two modes (gaming mode and typing mode) using the SteelSeries GG app or by holding down the SteelSeries logo key and pressing I or O. Fortunately, you don’t really need to remember that exact shortcut, as if you were holding down the SteelSeries key, the I and O keys glow orange.
Ultimately, it’s one of those features that I don’t mess with too much. I usually just leave the keyboard in game mode and live with my typos. Not that I make each, naturally.
The OptiPoint switches also offer the advantage of being removable in the Apex 9 TKL, although their optical properties somewhat limit that hot-swappable functionality. You must replace all removed switches with matching ones, which means more OptiPoint switches. While regular hot-swappable mechanical switches can be swapped out for all sorts of tastes and feels.
Admittedly, I still find many large companies using optical switches that don’t quite offer the flexibility that the original offers Wooten one (opens in new tab) did. That was my first real introduction to what kind of extended functionality an optical switch could provide, and it did it all very well. Control points, dedicated keystroke shortcuts, and analog input are all on the cards, while also providing the other benefits of optical switches that the Apex 9 TKL retains. Wooting no longer uses optical switches preferring to use Hall Effect switches with a similar feature set but that experience with a board that really took advantage of optical inputs always made me want more out of the more recent optical of the bigger brands. keyboards.
The Apex 9’s typing experience isn’t my favorite either. While responsive to gaming and typing, the empty click of the Apex 9’s keys when they hit the switch housing just doesn’t resonate with me. It sounds like a small effort, but the clicking of a keyboard is quite a big problem for some. Myself included.
However, there’s something I absolutely love about the Apex 9’s construction, and that’s the inclusion of PBT keycaps and a neatly hidden PBT keycap trigger. Lifting the rubber tab on the underside of the board reveals a keycap puller underneath, conveniently tucked away for future use. I’ve never needed a keycap puller in an emergency, but I’ve certainly scrambled through my desk organizer from time to time.
As for the PBT keycaps, you’re basically getting a more durable plastic build that shouldn’t break too easily. Likewise, the legends should not wear off with prolonged use.
On the other hand, I’m not overly impressed with the volume wheel on this board. It’s very thin compared to many others on the market, and there seems to be more room around it to expand further. Likewise, I initially thought the independently lit button below the volume wheel was some kind of multi-function button programmable in the GG app, but that’s not the case. It’s just a play/pause button oddly lit with a white LED and not programmable for other colors in the app. I think I’d probably prefer it to be unlit at all if that’s the case since the rest of the board lights up in whatever color and pattern.
Ultimately, the Apex 9 TKL is a mixed bag. It’s not a bad keyboard by any means, and functionally as a compact gaming device it delivers the core functionality I expect from it very well. It’s just not that spectacular either. There’s definitely some more functionality I’d like to see in the SteelSeries optical switches at least a more granular actuation customization setting to get that set just right for me and I think the GG app could add some could look smarter. But as I said, it does deliver the essentials for a competitive tenkeyless keyboard, and with a good discount off the retail price, I wouldn’t be afraid to recommend it.