Closer Examination

As we saw before, the XPG Summoner keyboard comes in a plastic wrap to keep it pristine out of the box. Removing it, we get our first good look at the keyboard, and it is on the lighter side of average for full-size keyboards owing to the use of an aluminium frame and a single plastic case piece on the bottom. The aluminium frame is machined, in a tan gray color to contrast with the black elsewhere, and another form of contrast on the keyboard body is the shiny XPG logo above the arrow keys. In the top-right corner are indicator LEDs, but also a volume mute button and a nice volume scroll wheel for dedicated volume control. The bezels are average in size, and the keycaps are floating in design. Secondary legends are alongside primary ones throughout the keyboard, and single-legend placement is top center, which all hints at LEDs underneath being biased towards the top as well.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker. Four small rubber pads on the corners add friction against the resting surface and prevent scratches to the plastic case. We also see two feet at the top, and as seen above, these have a rubber lining on the bottom. Ideally, I would have liked to see larger rubber pads, but it does help that the keyboard is not very heavy even though quite sturdy.


There is a USB pass-through port on the front of the keyboard, and it is USB 2.0 as far as power and data is concerned. This is also why we have a thick, braided keyboard cable jutting out to the right of this port, which in turn terminates in two separate USB 2.0 cables that have a male USB Type-A header, each.


The wrist rest has magnets in it, and presumably so does the keyboard. It makes for a handsome package that is going to work well in any working environment.


The XPG Summoner uses the tried and tested OEM profile. It consists of the usual slanted rows and concave surfaces on top, and the provided keycap puller works fine in allowing for a keycap to be taken off for replacement or cleaning the keyboard. These stock keycaps are built similarly to the replacement keycaps, but are black, with thin ABS plastic (0.91 mm wall thickness) and laser etched legends that can be backlit, but will wear out sooner rather than later.


There are three switch options: Cherry MX Blue, Red, and Speed (Silver). All switches are RGB-compatible, having the newer transparent housing and LED underneath as seen above. This sample has the Cherry MX Speed (Silver) switch, and Cherry-style stabilizers with wires are used on the larger keycaps, which helps with their removal for cleaning or even swapping for included replacement keycaps. The two linear switches make complete sense for this gaming keyboard, but the Cherry MX Blue is for specific games only, and even then by preference. For those simply looking for a general keyboard, the MX Blue option is good for typing- as long as you do so alone without disturbing others nearby!


Here is a look at the replacement keycaps in action. As I mentioned before, I chose to use the 1.25u keycap with the menu key, but you can do so with others in the bottom row.