DrunkDeer A75  Keyboard Review

This keyboard has a Compact (75%) form factor, which means it has a set of arrow keys and some keys from the Navigation cluster, but it doesn't have a Numpad.

The height measurement is from the top of the control knob, the highest point on the keyboard. For reference, the height of the escape key is 4.3cm.

If you're interested in a similar gaming keyboard that supports adjustable input with a larger full-size form factor, check out the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3.

This keyboard has good build quality overall. The base plate and control knob are metal, but most of the body is somewhat cheap-feeling plastic. That said, the board only exhibits minimal flex. The stabilizers do a good job of minimizing wobble on some of the larger keys. However, the spacebar rattles somewhat and makes a higher-pitched sound when bottomed out.

The unit we bought and tested has ABS keycaps with shine-through legends. These keycaps have a smooth finish and feel fine, but, like most ABS keycaps, they have a smooth finish that can get slippery with extended use. This keyboard is also available for purchase with slightly more expensive PBT keycap configurations that we expect to feel higher quality.

Inside the case are layers of acoustic foam, which helps reduce the overall typing noise. That said, the overall sound profile is more on the hollow side, with noticeable pinging sounds on certain keys, specifically the R and U keys.

There are four rubber stoppers on the bottom that do a good job of keeping the keyboard in place while you type. However, the plastic incline feet don't have rubber ends, so the board is somewhat more prone to slide around with the incline feet extended.

If you're interested in a similar gaming keyboard with Hall effect switches but with a more premium-feeling build quality, check out the Lemokey P1 HE, the IQUNIX EZ60/EZ63, or the Keychron Q1 HE.

This keyboard has acceptable ergonomics. It's fairly tall and doesn't come with a wrist rest, so you need to angle your wrists to reach the keys, which can be tiring when typing or gaming for long periods. That said, DrunkDeer does offer wrist rests for this keyboard available for separate purchase on its website here.

The DrunkDeer A75 offers good hardware customizability overall. The stabilizers have a plate-mounted, Cherry-style design, which means they're fairly easy to remove if you want to lube, mod, or replace them. Just note that the right-side modifier keys are 1u rather than the somewhat more common 1.25u size. The PCB is also hot-swappable. However, it's designed to accept proprietary DrunkDeer Magnetic Switches and doesn't use standard 3- or 5-pin sockets like most mechanical switches.

The LEDs on the PCB are north-facing, and the switches are installed north-facing out of the box. Due to this north-facing orientation, there's a possibility of interference with some aftermarket sets of Cherry MX profile keycaps.

While you can rotate the switches 180 degrees into a south-facing orientation, this significantly impacts backlight clarity for the shine-through keycaps. It can also affect actuation accuracy and may damage the PCB, so we don't recommend it.

If you're interested in a gaming keyboard compatible with both magnetic and mechanical switches, check out the Akko MOD007-HE PC.

This keyboard has an outstanding set of backlighting features. You can customize the brightness and effects using key combinations directly on the keyboard or using the web-based configuration software.

This keyboard provides outstanding backlight clarity. The legends are extremely clear on virtually all keys, with only some minor obstructions visible on the backspace key.

We purchased the fully assembled configuration of this keyboard that comes with OEM-profile, shine-through ABS keycaps. This keyboard is also available for purchase with different keycaps. We expect PBT keycap options with shine-through legends to provide comparable backlight clarity, but if you buy this keyboard with PBT keycap options without shine-through legends, you can't read the legends in darker conditions.

The DrunkDeer A75 includes a braided USB-C to USB-C cable. The cable feels fine but retains kinks from its packaging. A USB-C to USB-A adapter is also included in the box if you don't have a USB-C port on your computer.

The DrunkDeer A75 is a wired-only keyboard.

This keyboard has no dedicated macro keys, and you can't create macros directly on the keyboard or using the web-based configuration software.

This keyboard offers several common extra features, including a Windows Key lock, a Caps Lock indicator light, labeled media key hotkeys, and a control knob in the top right corner.

Additionally, this keyboard's Hall effect switches allow you to customize the pre-travel of individual switches. You can adjust the pre-travel distance of each switch between 0.2mm and 4.0mm in increments of 0.1mm. You can adjust these settings with key combinations or the web-based configuration software.

Similar to several other gaming keyboards with Hall effect switches, this keyboard also has a Rapid Trigger feature to set a custom, more sensitive reset point. This means you can activate repeated keystrokes more quickly than on keyboards with conventional mechanical switches, which typically have a much higher reset point that limits how quickly you can make repeated keystrokes.

• DrunkDeer A75
• USB-C to USB-C power cable
• USB-C to USB-A Adapter
• 3x keys for Windows
• Keycap puller
• Quick guide pamphlet
• User documentation

This keyboard provides excellent typing quality. The switches are pre-lubed and operate smoothly, and the keys are well-spaced and fairly stable, with only a small degree of wobble that isn't noticeable while typing. The unit we purchased has ABS keycaps which can feel cheap. This keyboard is also available with PBT keycaps, which we expect to feel higher quality.

Some larger modifier keys without stabilizers, like the Tab, Caps Lock, and Right Shift keys, wobble a bit more while typing, but this is normal as they don't have stabilizers. For the largest keys, like Enter and Spacebar, the stabilizers do a good job and feel even regardless of where you press them.

Unfortunately, while the keyboard has a nice sound profile overall, the spacebar sounds and feels less satisfying than other keys. We noticed that the R and U keys, in particular, made a noticeable pinging sound.

This keyboard is fairly quiet and unlikely to bother those around you unless you're in a particularly noise-sensitive environment.

This keyboard doesn't make any distracting high-pitch clicking noises while typing, but some keys produce more of a pinging sound, particularly the R and U keys.

The DrunkDeer A75 allows you to customize the actuation point of individual switches using the software or with key combinations directly on the keyboard.

The DrunkDeer A75 has decent input granularity with acceptable overall linearity, but it shows significant inconsistency at the 0.2 mm actuation setting, visible on both the press and release curves in the linearity graph.

That said, it has a low minimum step depth and reasonably small deadzones, which allow for quick and mostly consistent initial and follow-up inputs. This responsiveness is useful for movement techniques like tap-strafing in FPS titles. The keyboard also has a good detection ratio, enabling it to register inputs across most of the full range of key travel.

It doesn't support true analog output, though this isn't a significant limitation for most gaming scenarios. However, it does mean that you can't enable gradual gamepad- or joystick-style inputs. This type of control can be particularly useful in platformers, racing games, or flight sims.

The DrunkDeer A75 uses DrunkDeer Magnetic Switches, which work with magnets rather than standard metal contact points like most mechanical switches. These switches allow you to customize the pre-travel distance of individual keys between 0.2mm and 3.6mm.

The DrunkDeer A75 has outstanding single-key latency performance. It delivers an extremely responsive in-game experience for gaming in any genre.

This test was conducted with the lowest actuation point setting of 0.2mm, with the Rapid Trigger setting on (downstroke/upstroke both set to 0.1mm), and and with Turbo Mode—a software setting that optimizes input latency performance—enabled.

Enabling Turbo Mode applies a static Blue-colored backlighting setting. You can't change the color of the static backlighting, but you can turn it off.

This keyboard delivers excellent multi-key latency performance, making it well-suited for playing games that require additional inputs when multiple keys are held and maintained.

This test was conducted with the lowest actuation point setting of 0.2mm, with the Rapid Trigger setting on (downstroke/upstroke both set to 0.1mm), and and with Turbo Mode—a software setting that optimizes input latency performance—enabled.

This keyboard uses DrunkDeer Antler, which is a web-based software client available on DrunkDeer's website here. This straightforward software allows you to adjust various settings, including the ability to adjust actuation distance and rapid trigger sensitivity. Other expected options allow you to remap keys and set custom RGB lighting.

Previously, this software was available as a downloadable client but is now exclusively web-based. Furthermore, while the previous software version offered a macro programming feature, the web-based client doesn't. The software is functional but feels clunky and isn't very intuitive. This software is in the beta stage, and the manufacturer may update it in the future. If you have this keyboard and notice this software is updated, please let us know in the discussions.

We retested this keyboard on newer firmware since recording the Software Tour video above. As such, some settings and messages may now be different. Namely, you can now enable both Turbo Mode and Rapid Trigger settings together, whereas when we first tested this board and recorded the Software Tour, you could not.

Additionally, DrunkDeer has added two new software features:

Dual Trigger: Allows you to set two actions: one triggered on key press and the other on release.

Last Win (also known as SOCD): A setting that forces the keyboard to prioritize your last keystroke. This can be helpful for performing counter-strafes without overlapping input in games like Overwatch 2 or CS2.

This keyboard is fully compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. The web-based configuration software is only compatible with Windows and macOS, but you can customize most settings directly on the keyboard with key combinations. You can see a list of key combinations in the user manual, which is available on DrunkDeer's website here.

This is a wired-only keyboard that isn't compatible with mobile devices.