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.
Check Price
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 V3 are both incredible full-sized gaming keyboards with similar performance. The V3 is available with linear Razer Yellow switches or clicky Razer Green switches. On the other hand, the Elite is available with Razer Linear Optical (Red) or Razer Clicky Optical (Purple) switches. It also has a plushier wrist rest and three dedicated media control buttons instead of one.
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 is better than the Razer BlackWidow for the most part. The Elite is available in two different optical switches, including the Linear Optical switches we tested. It's better-built and it comes with a wrist rest too. However, the Razer Green switches on the BlackWidow offer a better typing quality.
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.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
