Corsair K55 RGB Pro XT Review
Up Close
When you see as many peripherals come through the office as we do the bright yellow boxes Corsair supply their equipment in make it really easy to find them amongst the pile. That might be a benefit just for us, but it does also mean they’re super easy to find on the shelves of your local hardware emporium, should the day ever return when we’re allowed out of the house to go in to shops again. Fingers crossed.
The last couple of Corsair keyboards I’ve reviewed were the extremely small K65 and TKL K70, so having a full size model again makes you realise how big they are, especially with the addition of some dedicated macro keys on the left. The K55 RGB Pro XT is fairly simple in its design with no removeable cable and no pass through ports. It’s all about gorgeous lighting and full size keys at an affordable price.
The Corsair K55 RGB Pro XT has IP42 spill protection so if you happen to catch your can of energy drink or drop your coffee then it should be possible to rescue the situation. Helpfully the chassis has drain holes in the back to assist with this process. We’d definitely rather mop up our desk and put our jeans in the wash than have to bin our keyboard.
The six dedicated macro keys can also be combined with the Elgato Stream Deck if you happen to have one and want those features more easily within reach. We wonder how long it will be before these keys have the same OLED screens as the Stream Deck itself. Anyone else remember the Optimus Maximus? Just us? Okay then.
Whilst the K55 doesn’t have mechanical switches, instead opting for the rubber dome solution, the keys spring back nicely and there is plenty of light available as you’ll soon see.
At the other end we have the dedicated media keys that we’re always keen to see. Particularly given that every review is written with music pumping so we love being able to quickly pause to answer the phone. We are sure we’re not alone in this. There is also the always handy Windows Lock to save you accidentally appearing at your desktop when you meant to crouch.
