The Razer Huntsman Elite is an outstanding full-size mechanical gaming keyboard. Like its smaller siblings in the Huntsman family, it's configurable with Clicky Optical (Purple) or Linear Optical (Red) switches. Our unit's Red switches provide a light and responsive typing experience; however, some may find them too sensitive, leading to more typos than usual. The build quality is excellent, it has dedicated media controls, and in addition to its full RGB backlighting, it has underglow LEDs on the keyboard and the wrist rest. All keys are macro-programmable and even the volume dial can be reassigned. Some customizations can be done on the board, but sadly, Razer Synapse 3 is needed to access full customization options and it's only available on Windows.
Our Verdict
The Razer Huntsman Elite is an outstanding gaming keyboard. The Linear Optical switches on our unit feel incredibly responsive due to their low actuation point, and they require hardly any force to actuate. There's full RGB backlighting, you can reassign or set a macro to any key, and its dedicated media controls include a customizable volume dial. Unfortunately, there aren't any dedicated macro keys for MMOs.
- Extremely responsive.
- Macro-programmable keys.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Acceptable ergonomics.
- Dedicated media controls.
- No dedicated macro keys for MMOs.
- Slippery keys.
The Razer Huntsman Elite is a wired-only keyboard and isn't suitable for use with mobile devices.
The Razer Huntsman Elite is decent for office use. With its incline settings and plushy wrist rest, it's comfortable to type on all day long. The Linear Optical switches on our unit provide a light typing experience, but their low actuation point can end up causing more typos than usual. Furthermore, the ABS keycaps are slippery and can get worse with oil build-up. Typing noise isn't an issue with the Red switches; however, the Purple switches are much louder.
- Acceptable ergonomics.
- Dedicated media controls.
- Light typing experience.
- Quiet typing noise with Linear Optical switches.
- Overly sensitive for typing.
- Slippery keys.
- No software support for Linux and macOS.
The Razer Huntsman Elite is a good keyboard for programming or coding. It's comfortable to type on, it has macro-programmable keys, and it has full RGB backlighting, which is great for those who like to work in the dark. Our unit's Red switches provide an okay typing experience, but some may find them overly sensitive, leading to more typos. That said, you can get the keyboard with Clicky switches if you prefer, which are similar to Cherry MX Blue switches. All keys work on Linux, but customization options are limited due to the lack of software support.
- Macro-programmable keys.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Acceptable ergonomics.
- Dedicated media controls.
- Light typing experience.
- Overly sensitive for typing.
- Slippery keys.
- No software support for Linux and macOS.
- Acceptable ergonomics.
- Dedicated media controls.
- Slippery keys.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 21, 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 31, 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.
- Updated Feb 26, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Aug 11, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Razer Huntsman Elite Gaming Keyboard is the flagship model of the Huntsman lineup, which includes the Razer Huntsman, the Razer Huntsman Mini, and the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition. It only comes in black and there are two types of switches to choose from: Linear Optical (Red) or Clicky Optical (Purple).
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Razer Huntsman Elite is an outstanding gaming keyboard. Compared to other keyboards in its price range, it stands out for its incredible responsiveness. However, it lacks features such as dedicated macro keys and USB passthrough, which the Corsair K95 RGB PLATINUM XT offers for the same price. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best gaming keyboards, the best mechanical keyboards, and the best RGB 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 Huntsman Elite and the Razer Huntsman V2 are wired mechanical gaming keyboards, but the V2 performs better overall. The V2 is Razer's first keyboard with an 8000Hz polling rate, and its latency is lower than the Elite's. Also, the V2 comes with PBT keycaps, which feel more durable and are less prone to shine than ABS keycaps, and the typing experience is much better on the V2 due to an issue with our Elite unit's spacebar. On the other hand, the Elite has an RGB strip along the sides of its wrist rest and around the board itself, which fans of RGB may prefer. Both boards are available with Razer Linear Optical and Razer Clicky Optical switches.
The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog is essentially the Razer Huntsman Elite, but with Analog Optical switches as they're nearly identical in their exterior designs. The difference between the Analog Optical and the linear optical switch is that the Analog Optical has an adjustable pre-travel distance and lets you use the keyboard like an analog joystick. Also, it allows you to program the keys to perform two functions with one keypress. The Elite's linear optical switch requires less force to actuate, which is both a good and bad thing because even though it makes it easier to actuate, it's overly sensitive for general typing, leading to more typos.
For most uses, the SteelSeries Apex Pro is better than the Razer Huntsman Elite. The SteelSeries has a customizable OLED screen, a USB passthrough, and its Omnipoint switches provide a better typing experience than the Linear Optical switches on our unit of the Razer. You can get the Razer with Clicky Optical switches if you want, but they generate more typing noise. The SteelSeries has better compatibility, as its customization software is available for macOS.
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