Steelseries Apex M750 Gaming Keyboard Review

Up Close

Getting the right angle on the packaging to demonstrate everything the product has to offer is always a difficult task, but Steelseries art department have managed to show the swooping curve on the side, the strength and capability of the lighting and the trim nature of the chassis in a single image, whilst the corner hides the explanation for how the QX2 switches are put together.

Normally we start at the top and work downwards, but today we need to mention the feet. When we opened the box we were a little bemused by the bag with two rubber things in it, but once you flip the Apex M750 over you realise that these are raised feet and the ones included with the keyboard are removable flat ones. We're not entirely sure that this is better than the old hinged feet, particularly if you're the type of person who adjusts them a lot, but it is nice to have something different and the huge amount of rubber means that the Apex has plenty of grip on your desk and absorbs any vibrations from typing/gaming better than standard plastic feet do.

The chassis is aluminium with a nice curved design to it. Rather than being all utilitarian sharp edges - just enough to cover the PCB and switches - instead it has a soft, almost pebble like feel to all the surfaces.

You can get a really good sense of the curvature and soft edges from the side view, which not only shows the novel triangular design on side but also how carefully the chassis has had all the excess trimmed from it to keep the weight as low as possible without compromising the rigidity of the build. Let there be no doubt, if this had any less flex in it it would have to be made from concrete.

Beneath the Cherry stalk compatible keycaps are the switches themselves. With 45cN of actuation force and 2mm of travel the QX2 switches remind us of Cherry Reds, and the linear tactile response only accentuates this. There is a reason the stalk is red we think. Although just because the specifications echo that of another brand doesn't mean the typing experience will be the same, and that's why we test them so rigorously.