The Razer BlackWidow Elite is an outstanding gaming keyboard. This wired-only model feels very well-built and sturdy, and it has acceptable ergonomics, thanks to the two incline settings and detachable wrist rest. The full RGB backlighting is amazing for dark room gaming, and it’s easily customizable within the Razer Synapse 3 software. You can also set macros to any key and create multiple profiles to keep your favorite settings. The tactile Razer Orange switches on our unit have low operating force and short pre-travel, giving you a light and responsive gaming experience. It’s also available with clicky Razer Green and linear Razer Yellow switches to suit your preferences.
Our Verdict
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is an outstanding gaming keyboard thanks to its short pre-travel distance and low operating force. It's also very well-built, and gamers should appreciate its customization options, whether it's controlling the full RGB backlighting or recording macros. It's available in three different switch types so you can choose your preferred gaming experience.
- Feels very well-built and sturdy.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- All keys are macro-programmable.
- Available in three different types of switches.
- Short pre-travel distance.
- Customization software only available on Windows.
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is a great keyboard for the office. It has two incline settings and comes with a detachable wrist rest. The Razer Orange switches on our unit provide a very nice typing experience and are quiet enough for any open-office environment. However, the clicky Razer Green switches may be louder.
- Feels very well-built and sturdy.
- Detachable wrist-rest.
- Excellent typing quality.
- Available in three different types of switches.
- Quiet enough for noise-sensitive environments.
- Customization software only available on Windows.
- Wired-only
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is wired-only and isn't designed for mobile devices.
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is a great keyboard for programmers. It has excellent typing quality, and you can choose between three different types of switches. It's comfortable to type on for long periods, and the board feels very durable, which is great. It's a very versatile keyboard that can be used on multiple OS, and programmers should appreciate the ability to macro-program any key.
- Feels very well-built and sturdy.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Excellent typing quality.
- All keys are macro-programmable.
- Available in three different types of switches.
- Customization software only available on Windows.
- Wired-only
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is inadequate for use in a home theater PC setup. It's a large, wired-only keyboard with no trackpad, so not only do you need to run a cable from the couch to the computer, you also need a separate mouse. On the plus side, it has dedicated media controls for easy access and backlighting for those who like to watch TV in the dark.
- Feels very well-built and sturdy.
- Available in three different types of switches.
- No trackpad.
- Wired-only
- Feels very well-built and sturdy.
- Available in three different types of switches.
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 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.
- Updated May 26, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.1. This update adds several new tests addressing Hardware Customization, Macro Keys And Programming, and Wireless Mobile Compatibility. We've also added new objective evaluations to the Typing Noise test, and we've simplified several tests and removed several others that were no longer relevant. For an in-depth look at all our changes, you can see our full changelog here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The BlackWidow Elite is available in tactile Razer Orange, clicky Razer Green, and linear Razer Yellow switches. We tested the Razer Orange switches, and we expect our review to be relevant for the other variants, except for the overall typing experience, which should be different with other switches.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is one of the best gaming keyboards we’ve tested. It sets itself apart thanks to its proprietary Razer switches and some of its extra features, like the USB passthrough and the audio jack to connect your headphones. It's also very versatile compared to other gaming keyboards, as it performs very well for programming and office use as well. All in all, this model should satisfy most people. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best gaming keyboards, the best RGB keyboards, and the best mechanical gaming keyboards.
The Razer Huntsman Elite and the Razer BlackWidow Elite are very similar in build, comfort, and extra features. The biggest difference is that the Huntsman Elite is available with Razer Linear Optical switches, and the BlackWidow Elite is available with Razer tactile Orange, clicky Green, and linear Yellow ones.
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is much better than the Razer BlackWidow. The Elite is available in three different switches, so you can get the ones you prefer, it has a wrist rest, it's better-built, it has a USB passthrough, and it has dedicated media keys.
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is a better gaming keyboard than the Logitech G513, mainly because the Razer lets you reassign or set a macro to any key, while the Logitech is limited to the function keys only. There are some minor differences between Logitech's Romer-G and Razer's Orange switches, but overall, they perform very similarly for gaming. That said, the Razer provides a better typing experience because the tactile feedback is more distinct and not as mushy as the Logitech. The Razer has more extra features, like dedicated media controls and onboard memory, which the Logitech lacks.
The Razer Huntsman and the Razer BlackWidow Elite are fairly similar overall. The main difference is that the Huntsman uses optical clicky switches, while the Elite that we tested uses Razer's Orange switches, although it's available with Razer Green and Yellow switches as well. The Elite has more features, like dedicated media keys, a USB passthrough, and it comes with a comfortable wrist rest. Typing feels better on the Elite mainly because the Huntsman's keys wobble and feel slippery.
Test Results
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