In many ways, this review of the EVGA Z10 RGB keyboard is also a review of the older non-RGB EVGA Z10. I had planned on reviewing the non-RGB variant, but things came up and got in the way, and by the time everything was back on track, EVGA had released the Z10 RGB which made more sense to cover. It is understandable why the older Z10 has a much bigger discount now, with the average consumer preferring RGB backlighting in 2019/20, but that massive price difference makes it all the harder to justify the Z10 RGB now. Indeed, I have no problem recommending the Z10 with the red backlighting at $70 to anyone as it is a really good keyboard for that money and you get nearly everything included with the newer RGB version. The multi-color lighting aside, the software program is also different, so keep in mind that EVGA may prioritize features and updates for the newer Unleash RGB. But this review is not of the Z10, so let's get back to the Z10 RGB.
At $180, the EVGA Z10 RGB faces tough competition from a lot of companies, including direct competitors in the more mainstream market that offer similar/better built keyboards with more popular switches and a more refined software. A lot of this cost no doubt comes from the extra hardware here we do not see typically, including two spare USB ports, nice metal sliders for backlighting brightness and volume, and more added keys on top. Then there's that display looking back at you. This really is where EVGA could have turned things massively in its favor, but the execution is lacking. With initial promises not coming to fruition and customers needing EVGA GPUs/motherboards to make the most of the feature set of the display, the default functionality is nothing special, and it comes off more as a "What if?" situation instead. There is not enough offered here to recommend this to everyone, but I appreciate EVGA trying out different things, and the concept of re-introducing a display on a keyboard, where it makes a lot of sense, merits an innovation award. It is not a true innovation, but might as well be one in 2019/20 given no one else is really doing it anymore. Hopefully, we see another iteration or update to this very one for compatibility with freely distributed monitoring programs, such as our own GPU-Z, which would make the Z10 RGB a more attractive keyboard and information device.