Performance

The Tecware Phantom RGB supports N-key rollover USB out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either.

When first connected with the software driver installed and running, the keyboard lights up in a rainbow wave lighting effect as seen above. The transition animation is smooth, and the effect is a good demo to also ensure the keyboard is powered on and working properly. There are also many onboard lighting controls to help you get something that will more than make do if you do not have the driver installed, although you can only get precise control over the lighting via the software.


Setting all keys to white allows me to test for color fidelity, which was worse than average for RGB backlit keyboards, producing a white with a pink hue as opposed to a more true-to-color white. Light bleed is present when using per-key backlighting; however, it is far less than most such keyboards with floating keycaps as a result of the darker and matte finish of the cover plate and keycaps.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, for those interested. Everything said on lighting thus far remain valid here, too. Tecware says there are 104 LED colors that can be picked onboard, as well as several different dynamic lighting effects using a combination of Fn + Insert-Page Down cluster keys. There are five global brightness steps (0/25/50/75/100%) for each effect, static or dynamic alike, as well as controls for the direction of lighting effects as applicable. In addition to lighting control, there are several onboard controls for pre-programmed functions as program shortcuts, volume control, and playback control. Customization is a strong point in both function and form.

Speaking of customization, the biggest feature is no doubt the modular switch design. There are some limitations in switch compatibility, but the Phantom RGB keyboard otherwise gives end users not only the freedom to choose from among several switches by different switch manufacturers, but also customize on a per-key basis. You could, for example, have a linear switch where you use the keys a lot for gaming and tactile or clicky switches elsewhere. If you are so compelled, you could also swap out switches for specific applications, effectively making this a one size fits all keyboard.


As we saw before, this review sample uses the Outemu Blue (from Gaote Corporation) mechanical switches. The force-travel diagram above shows that these are as close to a Cherry MX Clone as any other. Both are medium-actuation force tactile and clicky switches and, as tested by the Input Club, have similar designs throughout (note that the box version of the switch is functionally the same as far as this section is concerned). The Outemu Blue is rated at a 50 +/-5 gf actuation point with a peak force of 60 gf, and a standard 2/4 mm for tactile feedback and total travel distance respectively. Actuation ends up closer to 2.5 mm, and actuation force is harder to quantify because the tactile event occurs before it. For what it is worth, the average actuation force was estimated to be 49.75 cN across twenty random switches I tested, and bottoming out felt just fine as well since nothing in particular stood out. If anything, I would say these feel smoother than most Cherry MX Blue switches.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the review sample at ~100 WPM as it comes out of the box. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile and clicky switches. I did bottom out, although it is definitely possible to with practice. The bottoming out adds a keycap-to-metal cover plate ping, which affects the sound profile accordingly.