Closer Examination

As we saw before, the SteelSeries Apex Pro keyboard comes inside a plastic wrap, but there is also a thin textile cover on top to keep it pristine and free of dust out of the box. Removing it, we get our first good look at the keyboard. It is on the smaller side of average for full-size keyboards owing mostly to the bezel-less sides and the small bezels at the top and bottom, which are also beveled to further minimize the footprint of the keyboard. This is a monochrome keyboard with a black base throughout and white legends on the keycaps, and there is very subtle branding with a SteelSeries logo along the bottom under the space bar and the logo symbol by the USB pass-through port in the top-left corner.

We see the use of an aluminium alloy frame which, combined with the smaller footprint, results in a relatively light keyboard clocking in at under 1 kg. Note the lack of separate indicator LEDs with an OLED display, the OLED menu button, and a volume scroll wheel taking up that space above the numpad instead. The numpad, incidentally, has no secondary legends at all. The alphanumeric section has them underneath the primary legends, as is the case with keyboard-specific secondary legends in the Fn key row. This and the location of single legends being in the top is indicative of where the backlighting will be more uniform, and those at the bottom may not end up as bright as those at the top. The font typeface is large to allow more light to pass through, but not to where it is out of place in a typical work environment.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker in the middle. There are five rubber pads along the side, as well as two feet which can be raised for a steeper angle for those who wish it. Both feet have a rubberized bottom for further friction against the resting surface. We also see three cable-routing options for the cable, with the default option having the cable come out of the left side when in use, away from the mouse for a right-handed user.


The cable is not detachable, black to match the keyboard, and fairly thick. It terminates in two USB male type A ports with a marking for either the keyboard or pass-through port, which we see on the left side of the keyboard facing away from the user as well. I would have preferred a side placement instead, but as it is, it is out of sight when not in use. It is recommended you use a USB 3.0 (3.1 Gen 1) port, which is not a big ask in 2020.


Installing the wrist rest is as simple as navigating it in place, with the magnets doing the rest. It is not as secure a fit as with plastic clips or screwed-in wrist rests, but stays in place when typing, and that is all you can really ask for at the end of the day.


The Apex Pro uses the tried and tested OEM keycap profile consisting of the usual slanted rows and concave surfaces on top for compatibility with a large number of aftermarket keycaps/sets if you so desire. The stock keycaps are mediocre at best, composed of thin ABS plastic (average wall thickness 0.92 mm) with laser etched legends for backlighting compatibility as seen above, but these will also wear out sooner rather than later relative to PBT plastic keycaps with doubleshot injected legends, for example.


This is a weird keyboard when it comes to switches. As we saw before, the SteelSeries Apex Pro uses their new OmniPoint Hall-effect switches with customizable actuation points, but what SteelSeries does not make immediately evident is that these switches (white stem) are only in the alphanumeric section. The rest of the switches are their older QX2 linear switches with the red stem, which are a result of a partnership with Gateron. We will talk about the two switches in more detail later on, but note the location of the RGB LED above the switches as opposed to underneath as with Cherry RGB switches. The larger keycaps adopt a Cherry-style stabilizer, and the space bar in particular was mushier than I would have liked.