Low - profile mechanical keyboard are a relative recession in the keyboard community , but they ’re becoming more vernacular as people demand options . scummy - visibility keyboard have a like look to laptop computer keyboards , and they might feel like they type a little faster with the short travel between keys , though your fuel consumption rate may vary . Potential downsides include lessened feedback and keycaps that are n’t as customizable as the standard .
Razer ’s trying its hand at something in the low - profile realm , with a smaller forcible footprint than the remainder of its full - size mechanical gambling keyboard batting order . TheDeathStalker V2 Pro , basically the successor to its last generation of DeathStalker chiclet play keyboards , is one of the lightest , tenuous Razer boards I ’ve handle since starting this beat over two years ago . I wish it much more than my long - standing low-toned - visibility pet , the wireless Logitech G915 . But there are always grant ; in this case , this is n’t a display panel you buy for customization . And it is n’t a control panel to study if you favour the chunky press of a unconstipated mechanically skillful key .
Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro
The DeathStalker V2 Pro has per-key RGB lighting.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Razer prove it can make a svelte , stylish , low - profile play keyboard , but that ’s if you do n’t mind it feel like you ’re typecast on a laptop .
What is it ?
A wireless low-toned - visibility optic play keyboard
The DeathStalker V2 Pro has per-key RGB lighting.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Price ?
$ 250
Like
I needed a wrist rest to use this board, but the leather Razer one ended up complicating the typing experience.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
It ’s like typing on a laptop computer , wired and radio , super thin flesh
Dislike
It ’s like type on a laptop , does n’t pair well with a wrist joint rest , Razer Synapse software program
Synapse has gotten less bloated as Razer has moved more functions to the cloud. But you’ll still need it to adjust the backlighting.Screenshot: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Light as a feather, stiff as a keyboard
My two biggest concerns when shopping for a keyboard are whether it can tally comfortably on my desk and whether I can type on it at full speed with my claws . The Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro go one point in the right guidance for pick out up very little substantial estate .
I mentioned I liked the Logitech G915 , and that ’s because of its slender visibility and soft - to - tap keycaps . But its downfall is that it also comes with an extra row of winder for Macro - pass gaming and computation , and I stop up retiring the keyboard because I did n’t like deal with that extra row on my desk . The Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro is much less demanding on my desk space than that Logitech G915 — or any of Razer ’s previous full - size of it mechanically skillful keyboards that I ’ve test and reviewed , including the full - sizeHuntsman V2 .
The DeathStalker V2 Pro come up in three sizes : full - size of it wired ( $ 200 ) , wireless Tenkeyless ( $ 220 ) , and wireless full - size ( $ 250 ) . The TKL and wireless keyboard are touch to as the Pro models . Only the wireless Pro is available for purchase , while the wired DeathStalker V2 and V2 Pro TKL will be available later this year . Razer commit me the wireless full - size version — the Pro — which link via Bluetooth or a 2.4 gigacycle USB - A dongle that uses the company ’s Hyperspeed wireless technology . It also works plugged in via USB - C , which I favour so I can justify how much money I ’ve drop on dressing table cable television . I get ta use ‘ em .
The full - size of it DeathStalker V2 Pro is about 5.5 inches wide and 17.2 inch long . It ’s smaller than the Logitech G915 by about half an column inch , and that keyboard take up nearly an inch more in desk place . The Corsair K70 MK2 low - profile mechanical keyboard , which we also test as part ofour buyer ’s guidea while back , is longer than the Razer and Logitech keyboards by about an inch and a one-half , though it ’s about the same length as the Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro . All that read , the DeathStalker V2 Pro is a full - size keyboard , so you ’ll have to accommodate a number pad off to the right on your desk even when it ’s not in employment . If you do n’t wish that approximation , you might consider the TKL layout .
I was impressed by how reset the DeathStalker V2 Pro is compared to the other Razer - branded full - size mechanical gaming keyboard I have stacked in my gadget closet . Those keyboards feel chunky despite their relative lightness , peculiarly the Huntsman V2 . The DeathStalker V2 Pro ’s aluminum metal shell feels light as a while of cardboard at 2.27 pounds , and astonishingly it ’s only half a pound light than the full - size of it Huntsman V2 . The slenderness and integration of parts seem to facilitate lead to that .
As per Razer ’s common style , a volume controller is stick on in the keyboard ’s upper right - hired man turning point . It ’s far enough out of the way that you do n’t have to care about circumstantially hitting it . There ’s an extra media button next to it that you’re able to program using the Razer Synapse software package . By nonpayment , it starts and stops media playback . you could also push down the bulk curler for crying mute .
Can you handle low-profile typing?
The thing about a low - visibility keyboard is that it ’s very different from a mechanically skillful keyboard despite share some bones and nomenclature . Razer ’s DeathStalker V2 Pro is as svelte as gaming keyboards get , but the typewriting experience may not work for everyone .
The DeathStalker V2 Pro uses type AB low - visibility keycaps coupled withRazer ’s low - visibility opthalmic switches . The boards are useable with an option of Red Linear or Purple Clicky switching . The former offer an actuation point of 1.2 mm and requires less effect than the latter Clicky switches . The Red Linears are what Razer calls its “ honeyed smirch ” switch because they ’re not as noisy when typing and offer “ square feedback . ” Since I ’m a writer by swap , that ’s the rendering I receive for review .
I use Red Linear switches daily on received mechanical keyboard , but I did n’t do well with the broken - profile form . While the key stroke feels subdued and offers a pillowy landing , my foresightful nails detest that because it produces less feedback with the lowly - profile keycap than on the hollow - out square keycap of a regular mechanically skillful keyboard . I need that physical push back against my nail to feel like I ’ve hit the Francis Scott Key .
I had a rough start with the MonkeyType typewriting test , which I typically use to see how fast I can typecast on any given keyboard . In the beginning , I was typecast tight but with tidy sum of errors . I maintained a more coherent performance throughout the 30 - second mental test by slowing down my apoplexy and being more methodical about the mechanical press , but that required concentration that ’s hard to keep up at speed while also parse through words in my question . It ’s percipient that for my pet style of typing , the Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro would n’t be my first choice for banging out 1,000 words ( though I did write this intact review using the keyboard ) .
I also had a hard sentence with this keyboard ’s angling . The two kickstands on either side of the board are adjustable between three tiptop . But I require a wrist rest for typewriting , and when paired with one of Razer ’s off - the - shelf leather wrist quietus , my hands were too mellow for my fingers to naturally angle onto the DeathStalker V2 Pro .
This is a gaming keyboard , so it does have all the bells and whistles for trifle first - person shooters , MMOs , and the occasional round of Fortnite . The DeathStalker V2 Pro is a to the full programmable keyboard with on - the - fly sheet macro recording abilities , akin to Razer ’s previous releases .
The DeathStalker V2 Pro is battery - power . Razer claims up to 40 hour of shelling if you keep the backlight humiliated . There are also software - side options within the Razer Synapse app to assist prolong barrage life-time , like turning off the backlight when idle . I did n’t get a chance to put the 40 - hour hope to the test , but the board was at about 83 % after two years on understudy and over 10 hours of typing .
It’s still Razer’s software
If you back or want to adjust the per - cardinal Razer Chroma RGB backlights , you ’ll have to download the Synapse software on your personal computer for the full experience . I ’ve articulate before that I ’m not a giving buff of the Synapse software because of how bloated it feel when you ’re not using any of the play - specific features bundled in — like the ability to download special macro instruction specific to a title . It ’s definitely not a friendly app for older microcomputer . But at the very least , Razer has made the app more module - like , so you’re able to download only the wad - ins and abilities you want to use on the DeathStalker V2 Pro . you may also store various keyboard profile in the swarm if the three onboard ones are n’t enough for your custom .
Are you a low-profile typist?
Razer ’s DeathStalker V2 Pro is a fashionable gaming keyboard and a compelling grim - profile keyboard for those tired of clunky builds take up their screen background . But as I mentioned , before you pass the $ 250 on a full - sizing keyboard , there are considerations .
For one , the gloomy - profile look means this keyboard is not as customizable as one with regular mechanically skillful keycaps and switches . you could try out to buy knock - off keycaps around the net , but I ’ve never successfully incur a compatible curing . I ’d make love to see Razer speculation into customization within this depleted - visibility lineup as it did withits othergaming keyboards .
A down in the mouth - profile keyboard is not for everyone , which I quickly realized after file away some of the other low - profile and chiclet keyboards I ’ve reviewed . On the flip side , a somebody look for a muted from - sidereal day - to - night keyboard might like this precisely because it ’s like typing on a laptop .
Updated 2025-03-30 at 1:10 p.m. : We have edited this reassessment to clarify the optical nature of the keyboard ’s switches .
Updated 2024-12-09 at 2:30 p.m. : We have edit this reexamination to clarify the pricing and designation between models .
Apple KeyboardComputer keyboardsComputingKeycapLogitechRazerVideo game computer hardware
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , scientific discipline , and culture news in your inbox daily .
News from the future , give up to your present .
Please select your desired newssheet and submit your electronic mail to upgrade your inbox .
You May Also Like
