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Click, clack, some keys we’ll whack: The newest trend to emerge in the mechanical-keyboard world is the 75% keyboard. Slightly bigger than the now-common 60% and 65% programmer-style keyboards but more compact than a tenkeyless keyboard, the 75% keyboard taps into the sweet spot between the full-size and the tiny, trimming just enough layout without ditching too many useful extras. The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard ($199.99) is the latest example of this trend, and it impresses across the (key)board. Compact and hot-swappable, with eye-popping RGB lighting, the Pro Keyboard also marks the debut of Alienware’s new linear mechanical switches, which provide a snappy feel when typing or gaming. In short, it’s one of Alienware’s best keyboards and it snags our latest Editors’ Choice award for compact mechanical keyboards.Design: A Bright, Cut-Down DelightThe keyboard is available in either black or white, and the first thing that will catch your eye is the immaculate design. Our review unit’s white color scheme popped as soon as we took the unit out of the box, and the RGB lighting exploded like fireworks across all 83 keys when we plugged in the cable to charge. The Pro keyboard chops off the number pad and some additional buttons to create a compact board just six rows tall.
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(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Now, this is not the first 75% keyboard we’ve tested. That honor goes to the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%, but while the two are comparable in many ways, the Pro keyboard sets itself apart in a few important key areas (apart from the obvious difference that the BlackWidow is not wireless). For one, the Razer board opts for a sharper, rectangular build, while the Alienware’s corners are rounded tightly, almost disappearing beneath the double-shot PBT keycaps.The keyboard also ditches the “tempest” mod that appears on the BlackWidow V4 75%. Popular in the DIY keyboard community, the tempest involves applying painter’s tape or masking tape to the back of the PCB board inside the chassis to create a more muted sound. The BlackWidow comes pre-taped, but the Alienware Pro keyboard uses upper and lower sound-dampening layers that chase the same goal.
Measuring 1.6 by 12.3 by 5 inches (HWD), the keyboard is just about the same size as the 75% BlackWidow. But at only 1.81 pounds, it weighs less than half of the 75% BlackWidow’s 3.4 pounds.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Alienware Pro keyboard is wireless, supporting both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections. In fact, you can jump among three different Bluetooth devices with a press of a button you’ll find on the forward edge of the keyboard. Up here you’ll also find LED indicators that tell you which connection is active, and some welcome storage for the USB-C dongle. Turning the board over, you’ll find two feet that protrude outward to give the keyboard some lift, though the keyboard has a slight hump that naturally gives it a little height without the assistance. One long silicone strip stretches across the board to help keep it from moving during high-octane play.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
You’ll find no volume roller, which we always prefer to see on keyboards of any size, but the board does have dedicated volume buttons, as well as additional media controls grafted onto some of the keys. One unique macro button, located at the top right side of the keyboard, cycles through the RGB presets. The keyboard also does away with a wrist rest, which the 75% BlackWidow V4 offers.What both boards have in common are their hot-swappable key switches. Hot-swappable designs allow you to swap individual mechanical key switches in and out of their sockets and implement switches in either 3-pin or 5-pin configurations, whether they’re Alienware, Cherry, or any other brand of switch. This feature makes the Alienware keyboard’s rather high price easier to swallow—it is an investment, after all, so you can take comfort in knowing you won’t have to buy a completely different board to try out a different type of switch.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Alienware Pro keyboard comes equipped with Alienware linear mechanical switches. With 40 grams of actuation force, they’re a slightly easier press than your standard Cherry MX Red (or Cherry’s newest MX2A switch, which I first typed on in the Cherry KC 200 MX). In testing, the typing feel of the Alienware switches was excellent, and every button press was accurate, complete with a satisfying click thanks in part to a bit of polyoxymethylene thermoplastic added to the stem of each key. However, they still are not better than my personal favorites, the Razer Orange switches. But they are a worthy alternative to Cherry switches. While Alienware hasn’t confirmed whether it will introduce other types of key switches in the future, I’m looking forward to seeing what the company’s designers can do if they ever launch silent and tactile switch types.The Software: Report to the Command CenterThe Alienware Command Center utility has gotten a bit of a facelift since we last tested an Alienware product. Automatically downloaded to your computer when you first pair your device over a wired or wireless connection, the Alienware Command Center is where you’ll handle programming macros, key bindings, and the keyboard’s RGB lighting, the last of which supports up to 16.8 million color combinations.
(Credit: Alienware)
The app itself is easy to navigate, and the processes are self-explanatory, though a few additional prompts would certainly help new users looking to tweak their devices. The keyboard supports up to five different profiles, as well as scans your library of installed games to match RGB presets based on color schematics tied to the game.The RGB is breathtaking on this board, thanks to the transparent switches and a fully transparent “light guide.” A light guide is a backlighting component designed to distribute light evenly across the entire keyboard, filling just about every crevice of the keyboard with RGB glow. Alienware rates the Pro keyboard at 72 hours of battery life over a 2.4GHz connection with RGB on, but without it, you can get up to 798 hours over a 2.4GHz connection, or a whopping 1,800 hours over Bluetooth. We couldn’t drain the charge in our trial time with our review sample.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
While the Pro keyboard does deliver a best-in-class typing experience, serious competitive gamers should note that the keyboard offers a polling rate of only 1,000Hz (over a 2.4GHz or wired connection), down from the BlackWidow’s 8,000Hz polling-rate maximum. The difference? Well, it’s slim to none for most of us. Polling rate refers to the speed at which your device sends your keystrokes or other inputs to your PC. A rate of 1,000Hz means that information is sent to the keyboard once per millisecond, while 8,000Hz means it’s getting sent eight times that. This can make or break high-level play, but it will likely not affect the average gamer’s ability to perform. Verdict: We Welcome Our Alien Typing OverlordsThe Alienware Pro keyboard is easy to love, and it can go toe-to-toe with the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% in almost every regard. The comparison is so close, that the choice between the two comes down to personal preference. Razer’s tactile keys endow the BlackWidow with an exceptional typing experience, but the Pro Keyboard’s long rated battery life and wireless options make it an easy pick for gamers who want to dominate without being tethered to their computer. One of the best gaming keyboards of the year so far, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard earns our Editors’ Choice award for compact mechanical gaming models.
Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard
The Bottom Line
Its name may be plain, but the compact, attractive Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard is far from dull. Gorgeous RGB lighting and hot-swappable switches top off an excellent choice for serious gamers.
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