The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB is a fantastic gaming keyboard with a unique design. It's a fully split keyboard, meaning it has two halves that you can place however you like, as long as they're within 20 inches of each other because that's how long the connecting cable is. Thanks to this, it has impressive ergonomics, but it doesn't come with any incline settings; you can buy a 'Lift Kit' separately. It has many features found in standard gaming keyboards, like macro-programmable keys and RGB lighting, and although it has low latency, it's slightly higher than some other options. It's available with Cherry MX Brown, Blue, and Red switches, so you can easily get the ones you prefer.
Our Verdict
The Kinesis Gaming Freestyle Edge is a fantastic gaming keyboard. It features Cherry MX Brown switches and RGB lighting, but you can also get it with Cherry MX Red or Blue switches. The keyboard is solid and feels sturdy, and you can reprogram every key, including the dedicated macro keys. Its latency is also low enough for responsive gaming, but it's higher than other gaming keyboards.
- All keys are macro-programmable, including dedicated macro keys.
- You can place each half where you like.
- Full RGB lighting with individually lit keys.
- Available in Cherry MX Brown, Red, or Blue switches.
- No incline settings; must be purchased separately.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge is a great office keyboard, thanks to its impressive ergonomics. You can position the two halves in whichever way feels comfortable. It also has a comfortable wrist rest for each half, but you'll have to purchase the incline settings separately. On the upside, typing on it is quiet enough for an open-office environment unless you choose to get the MX Blue clicky switches, which will be louder.
- You can place each half where you like.
- Available in Cherry MX Brown, Red, or Blue switches.
- Great typing quality.
- No incline settings; must be purchased separately.
- May take time getting used to split design.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge isn't designed to be used with mobile devices.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge is a great programming keyboard. It offers a great typing experience and is available in a few Cherry MX switch variants. It has backlighting if you need to work in a dark environment or late at night, and its impressive ergonomics allow you to type comfortably for long sessions. Programmers should also enjoy the ability to reprogram each key, including the dedicated macro keys.
- All keys are macro-programmable, including dedicated macro keys.
- You can place each half where you like.
- Full RGB lighting with individually lit keys.
- No incline settings; must be purchased separately.
- May take time getting used to split design.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge isn't for home theater PC use, so it's poor for that. It can't connect to the TV wirelessly, so you have to run the cable along the ground to directly connect to the TV. It doesn't have a trackpad, but it still has dedicated media keys and RGB backlighting.
- Full RGB lighting with individually lit keys.
- Wired-only.
- Lack of trackpad.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 29, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3.1, which adds a new estimated PCB latency test to the Single-Key Latency section and a new Analog test to the Switches section of this review. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Oct 30, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3, which overhauls how key input is evaluated. We've added new tests for Single Key Latency, Multi Key Latency, Data Transmission, and Chord Split. We've also introduced a new Raw Performance usage and adjusted how the Gaming and Office usage scores are calculated. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Jun 30, 2023: We've added a link to the MoErgo Glove80 in the Ergonomics section of this review.
- Updated Jun 15, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update introduces new Backlight Features and Backlight Clarity test boxes. We've also added a new Switches test box, added additional test comparisons to our Hardware Customizability test box that we introduced with our last Test Bench. For an in-depth look at our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB with Cherry MX Brown switches, and it's also available with Cherry MX Blue or Red switches. Your typing experience will be different if you get the other sizes. This is a full-size keyboard and there aren't any variants for it.
If you have the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB and it's different from ours, let us know, and we'll update the review.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB is unique thanks to its split design. It has many of the same features and performance as other standard mechanical gaming keyboards with RGB lighting and macro-programmable keys, but it has much better ergonomics. It may not be as customizable as the ErgoDox EZ, but it's still great. It feels like an upgrade over the Kinesis Freestyle Pro, which doesn't have backlighting and doesn't come with a wrist rest.
Also see our recommendations for the best mechanical keyboards, the best gaming keyboards, and the best wireless keyboards.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB and the MoErgo Glove80 are split ergonomic keyboards. The Kinesis is a wired-only model with dedicated macro keys. The Kinesis also has dedicated customization software, and the wrist rests of the Kinesis are topped with plush material, while the wrist rests of the MoErgo are plastic. On the other hand, the MoErgo is a wireless model that connects via Bluetooth and can pair with up to four devices simultaneously. It has more comprehensive ergonomic features, is much lighter, and has considerably lower latency. While the MoErgo lacks dedicated software, you can extensively customize layouts and macros using ZMK firmware or a web-based tool.
The Logitech ERGO K860 is a better ergonomic keyboard for the office than the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB. It has negative incline settings, while the Kinesis doesn't have any unless you buy accessories separately. However, the Edge has mechanical switches and RGB lighting, which some may like.
The Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB is better than the Kinesis Freestyle Pro. The Edge comes with a wrist rest, RGB lighting, and an ever-so-slightly better build quality. If you're simply looking for an office keyboard, go for the Freestyle Pro, but if you game for long periods, especially at night, the Edge RGB is the better option.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro is a better gaming keyboard than the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB. You can customize its linear switches' pre-travel distance to better suit your preference. On the other hand, the Kinesis is available in a wider range of switches, and you can use just the left half of the split keyboard to make more room for your mouse.
Test Results
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