Closer Examination

The Fnatic miniSTREAK is on the lighter side of average when it comes to both footprint and weight for even TKL form factor keyboards. A lot of this has to do with a deliberate choice to have minimal bezels and use a polycarbonate and anodized aluminium case, the latter of which has a dark green finish for some contrast with the black and white elsewhere. The case also has rounded corners for a smooth finish, which means having fewer materials compared to a typical blocky keyboard. All this results in a ~700 g keyboard that still feels quite solid in the hands. In addition to the usual 87 keys in the US ANSI TKL layout, Fnatic has four more buttons on the miniSTREAK, with one next to the Esc key and the other three where the indicator LEDs are usually seen.

There is also a Fnatic logo on the front of the space bar key, in addition to the Fnatic name in top-left corner, but the keyboard should fit in nicely in a variety of environments otherwise. The alphanumeric section has secondary legends below the primary ones, and the Fn key row goes another route with the primary legends on the front and keyboard-specific legends on the top instead. Single legend placement on the keycaps is top center, and interestingly, we see a lot of the legends fully spelled out, including Page Down and Print Screen. The legends have a clean typeface and are large enough to easily be legible for most people.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker in the center bottom. There are four rubber pads on the corners to keep the keyboard from sliding around on the desk, and two feet at the top open up to optionally elevate the keyboard. These feet also have rubber pads on the bottom to prevent scratches and retain grip on the resting surface. Underneath the foot on the left is a small hole that provides access to a reset button on the PCB, and we also see a cable-routing channel that leads to the USB Type-C port on the keyboard.


The provided cable perfectly fits into the cable routing channel, and the Type-C connector plugs into the keyboard snugly as well. The cable exits the keyboard facing away from the user, and you will need an available USB Type A port on your PC. USB 2.0 will suffice here, although the lack of USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) ports is not really a problem with even relatively recent hardware. Also note the magnetic side plate with the Fnatic logo, which the company calls a signature plate. The company has plans to have custom signature plates for those wanting more options, but so far there have not been any others to choose from.


The wrist rest comes in two pieces held together via magnets, and the base clips into fitted holes at the bottom of the case as with many other such implementations. Once done, you can place the PU leather top into one of three slots, which results in the wrist rest going from a palm rest to a wrist rest depending on how you prefer it, as well as how large your hands are. This is a fairly novel implementation I have not really seen used by others, and one of the implementations the company incorporated based on feedback from their e-sport employees.


We see a STREAK print on the side of the keyboard as well, so there is definitely no lack of branding here. The keycaps have an OEM profile, and the various rows are thus sculpted accordingly. They have a floating design, which allows for easier cleaning, but can cause more light bleed, which may or may not be to your liking. The stock keycaps are thin ABS plastic with an average wall thickness of 0.91 mm, so expect them to develop a shine due to finger oils with use. The legends are laser etched, which will have these wear out quicker relative to other application techniques, including dye sublimation and doubleshot injection. As expected, backlighting will be affected depending on where the legends are located relative to the LED underneath.


There are four switch options for the Fnatic miniSTREAK (and the full-size STREAK), with all four offerings coming from Cherry in the form of the MX Red, MX Brown, MX Blue, and MX Silent Red. Again, these choices were dictated by player feedback, which was interesting to me because I usually do not associate the MX Silent Red with competitive gaming compared to, say, the newer MX Speed (Silver). This was also why I requested a sample with these specific switches, which continue not to be used as much as I would like, and all the switches are the RGB variant with a clear housing to diffuse light and allow LEDs to be placed underneath the switch as opposed to alongside it. The larger keycaps use Cherry stabilizers, which makes removing the keycaps easier, but does result in a fairly mushy typing experience, especially with the space bar key.