It's not often that I get membrane keyboards in for review since companies usually allocate them for APAC or LatAm regions where budgets are stricter on peripheral purchases and the company brand and pricing matter way more than the actual keyboard and its features. When I do get one in, it's typically because of some novel feature, such as the Goldtouch Go!2 split keyboard or the hygiene-friendly Cherry KC 1068. So when CORSAIR asked me about their new K55 RGB PRO XT, I was interested in how the company's membrane keyboard lineup looked beyond the K83 that had a few living-room touches added. I do not have any hands-on experience with the older K55 RGB keyboard, but the company made the updates with the newer K55 RGB PRO XT and, subsequently, accompanying K55 RGB PRO fairly obvious. The latter comes in at the same $50 price for a direct replacement and adds two more RGB lighting zones, and retains the Elgato Stream Deck support for the six G-keys on the left.

The subject of this review comes in at $70 and is the K55 RGB PRO XT. At first glance, the feature set is very similar to the then-$200 K95 RGB Platinum XT released a little over a year ago now. There's the per-key 16.8 M RGB backlighting with full iCUE support, Elgato Stream Deck functionality, dedicated media and volume controls, six macro "G-keys," bundled wrist rest, and even the same NXP hardware USB microcontroller for added functions and lighting effects. But as soon as you start typing, you realize there are major changes under the hood as well, with the biggest no doubt being the adoption of rubber dome membrane switches instead of the much more expensive Cherry MX mechanical switches. You also lose out on the aluminium frame, USB pass-through port, light bar, and better build quality in general, but save nearly two-thirds of the cost.

Many may not be interested because of the membrane switches alone, but let's recognize that there are many others even here who prefer membrane over mechanical switches. Some of this has to do with the general impression that mechanical keyboards tend to be louder, which they can be with the clicky switches on most pre-packaged keyboards today. There are simple tweaks to make them quieter, including using O-rings, but the world of quiet mechanical keyboards is not a sub-$100 market nine times out of ten. Membrane switches do have their own peculiar issues, however, including the need to bottom out for actuation and their general stickiness when typing, especially if you are a fast typist. The lower price point and budget-friendly mindset associated with these switches also means CORSAIR has taken some shortcuts to get to that price point, including thin ABS keycaps with laser etched legends, keyboard feet that are barely functional, and a wrist rest I personally would not describe as "soft-textured."

It is with the software support that the K55 RGB PRO XT really makes its mark in the membrane keyboard market since there is otherwise fierce competition from smaller brands that offer mechanical keyboards with different feature sets at the same or lower price point. So if you are a fan of CORSAIR's iCUE, the revamped engine and aesthetics will appeal to you even more. It may not be to everyone's satisfaction, but having tested many different software drivers over the years, I can say that iCUE is possibly the most complete thus far; however, do look out for Razer Synapse coming to our keyboard review database soon. Add Elgato Stream Deck functionality with the six G-keys and you have two separate software solutions that add a lot to the keyboard user experience. It is this combination that really merits my recommendation here—I consider the hardware itself to be the bread around the software fillings you are really buying the keyboard for. I dare say the K55 RGB PRO may be the better option of the two new releases today since you only lose out on the per-key RGB backlighting in favor of the five-zone RGB backlighting, but also save nearly 30% of the cost. Either way, both should be pretty decent keyboards for those who don't mind or even prefer membrane keyboards. The previous K55 RGB sold like hotcakes globally from what I know, and I expect these new additions to follow through similarly.