Closer Examination

As with the Huntsman V2 TKL, the new Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro adopts a clean design language I am a fan of. The all-black color is no surprise for mainstream keyboards, but the extremely subtle Razer branding might be if expecting something bold and Razer green instead. Another thing to consider is that Razer will offer the keyboard in a variety of different layouts while supporting different languages natively too, which is unfortunately not the case with smaller companies and alone makes the DeathStalker V2 Pro and other such mainstream contenders worth consideration. What differentiates this one from the pack is the low-profile nature of the keyboard—there are only a handful of those today.

The DeathStalker V2 Pro is a full-size keyboard, and I have the US ANSI layout here. There's also a scroll wheel with infinite rotation that can also be pressed down and an associated media button on the top right corner, which default to volume control and media playback respectively but can be customized to a few different options. Otherwise this is as straightforward as it gets in offering a full number pad to those who want it, and thin bezels all around help keep the keyboard's footprint on the lower side of average. Indicator LEDs get placed above the arrow keys here, and we see secondary legends placed below the primary ones on the number pad. The rest of the keyboard goes with secondary legends alongside the primary legends instead, with keyboard-specific legends taking up the room at the bottom where applicable. This all indicates the use of north-facing LEDs aboard, and the legends themselves are appropriately sized even if I am not a fan of all small letters used on the modifier keys. This is otherwise a keyboard that will easily suit a shared office space just as much as a gaming setup at home—especially with the thin aluminium alloy frame adding a smooth finish on top.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the expected sticker in the middle that has the keyboard name, model and serial numbers, and certification information. This was placed the other way round from all other keyboards I have used to date, but it makes sense in that it would be the right way up when you lift it from the front. The top section is raised slightly to allow the keyboard to have some elevation when typing and then we see two additional sets of feet integrated in the ABS plastic case to allow for 6° and 9° of further elevation options. These feet have thin rubber pads on the bottom which go along with the other larger rubber pads at the top and bottom to help prevent the keyboard from sliding around on your desk.


The Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro supports wired and wireless connectivity out of the box, and the latter comes in the form of Bluetooth 5.0 in addition to 2.4 GHz wireless over Razer's Hyperspeed connection feature. The associated dongle is found in a cutout on the back, as seen above, and it can be plugged into the provided extension adapter and cable to get it closer to the keyboard itself. There are dedicated buttons and sliders on the side facing away fro mthe user and placed closer to the top left corner for this, including the ability to choose between connected devices and also the connectivity mode itself. Next to these is the expected Type-C port for the wired option, and the provided cable fits in perfectly with the Razer logo pointing upward if needed. The cable is a nice one too in all black and sleeved for a durable construction, is the usual 6' in length, and goes to an available USB Type-A port on your PC where USB 3.2 Gen 1 is recommended.


A look at the side shows the built-in case elevation, and also helps confirm the low profile nature of the DeathStalker V2 Pro courtesy not only the thin case, but also the low profile keycaps and the switches themselves. It measures at 26.6 mm at the tallest point and 21 mm at the bottom, making it easy to use with a wrist rest involved. The keycaps adopt a mostly flat profile, as with the typical such low profile mechanical keyboard, and are floating in design with the walls terminating soon after they go around the top surface. These are made of ABS plastic and have laser-etched legends, and there is a textured coating applied on top to help prevent the legends from wearing out soon or the keycaps from developing a shine from finger oils. I can feel the coating applied, but I can't speak for how well it would do the job. Needless to say that these are backlighting-compatible though, but I would still have preferred to see doubleshot injected PBT keycaps instead. The keyboard has a uniform key spacing for increased aftermarket keycap compatibility though!


The DealthStalker V2 Pro is an optical keyboard available in two first-party switch options, the Razer Low Profile Linear Optical (Red) and Clicky Optical (Purple) switches. At the time of launch, the former linear switch is all you will find with Razer claiming the clicky switch will come out later this year. These adopt a similar design as the full-size Razer-branded and A4Tech-manufactured optical switches we have seen on other Razer keyboards recently, and have the Razer branding on every single switch as seen above. The larger keycaps use plate-mounted stabilizers with no lube applied, and the Caps Lock keycap actually uses a different stabilizer mechanism as seen above. Not the best engineering here, especially if you are a keyboard enthusiast, but perhaps there was a monetary and/or size constraint in play.


Given the optical nature of the keyboard, these switches are not soldered in place and thus I was able to remove one for better examination not only of the switch but also the switch socket itself. The latter contains the associated SMD RGB LED for backlighting through the switch, centering/mounting holes, and also the circuitry for the light signal that is used for the actuation mechanism itself. The Razer Low Profile Linear Optical switch is indeed shorter than usual and adopts a squarish design for the red stem itself. There is also a clear top to help with the lighting going through it, and the top is held in place over an opaque black housing itself.