- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Razer Pro Type is a good wireless mechanical keyboard intended for productivity. Designed to complement the Razer Pro Click mouse, it has a simple design with a matte white finish. It can connect to four devices at once, either through a wireless USB receiver or over Bluetooth, allowing you to switch between them easily. The backlighting is bright enough to be visible in well-lit environments; however, it's limited to a single color and doesn't allow for custom lighting effects. The Razer Orange switches provide an excellent typing experience, with satisfying tactile feedback and incredible responsiveness. It isn't fatiguing to type on, but the lack of a wrist rest is rather disappointing. Although every key is programmable, customization requires the Synapse 3 software, which is only available for Windows.
Our Verdict
The Razer Pro Type is excellent for gaming. The Razer Orange switches are easy to actuate, and their short pre-travel distance provides incredible responsiveness. It's well-built, and it has backlighting for those who like to play in the dark. Every key is programmable, but sadly, there aren't any dedicated macro keys for MMO games.
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Programmable keys.
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Bright backlighting.
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Excellent build quality.
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Low pre-travel distance.
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Doesn't come with wrist rest.
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No dedicated media controls.
The Razer Pro Type is mediocre for use with mobile devices. Due to its Bluetooth support, it can connect to most mobile devices. Most keys function properly; however, there's no software support for customization. Also, it's too big and heavy to carry around.
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Multi-device pairing.
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Excellent build quality.
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Doesn't come with wrist rest.
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No dedicated media controls.
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Too big and heavy for portable use.
The Razer Pro Type is a good keyboard for office use. It provides an excellent typing experience that feels light and responsive without causing too much typing noise. It isn't fatiguing to type on, but some people may need a wrist rest due to the keyboard's relatively high profile, and there isn't one included in the box. Unfortunately, while it has full compatibility with Windows, macOS users don't have access to customization options due to the lack of software support.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Quiet typing noise.
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Multi-device pairing.
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Excellent build quality.
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No software support for macOS.
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Doesn't come with wrist rest.
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No dedicated media controls.
The Razer Pro Type is a great keyboard for programmers. The Razer Orange switches provide a good amount of tactile feedback and are easy to actuate, resulting in an amazing typing experience. There's backlighting if you like to work in the dark, but it isn't customizable. Every key is macro-programmable, and it has a multi-device pairing feature that lets you connect up to four devices simultaneously for easy switching. Some people may need a wrist rest due to the keyboard's fairly high profile; however, there isn't one included.
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Excellent typing experience.
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Programmable keys.
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Bright backlighting.
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Excellent build quality.
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No software support for macOS.
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Doesn't come with wrist rest.
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No dedicated media controls.
The Razer Pro Type is decent for use with a home theater PC. It has Bluetooth connectivity, which means you don't need to have a cable running from your PC to the couch. However, you need a separate mouse to navigate the user interface because there's no trackpad. On the upside, it has backlighting so that you can see the keys when watching a movie or gaming in the dark.
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Excellent build quality.
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Doesn't come with wrist rest.
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No dedicated media controls.
- 8.9 Gaming
- 6.3 Mobile/Tablet
- 7.8 Office
- 8.4 Programming
- 7.0 Entertainment / HTPC
- Updated Feb 04, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 18, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Sep 04, 2020: Early access published.
Test Results
The Razer Pro Type is a large, full-size keyboard. It looks a lot like the Razer BlackWidow Lite, just with an added numeric pad. Unfortunately, there aren't any TKL or compact variants available.
Build quality is excellent. It has a plastic frame with a metal plate on top to provide rigidity. It flexes a little bit, but not enough to be a cause for concern. The feet are sturdy and provide enough grip to prevent the keyboard from sliding around. The keycaps are made of ABS plastic and have a soft-touch coating that feels nice. The coating doesn't feel cheap, but it might chip or fade over time. The stabilizers on the spacebar, Shift, and Enter keys aren't that great and rattle slightly.
The ergonomics are okay. It isn't fatiguing to type on, but some people may need a wrist rest due to the keyboard's fairly high profile, and there isn't one included in the box. Unfortunately, while Razer does sell wrist rests separately, there isn't one specifically made for this keyboard.
The Razer Pro Type has simple white backlighting, and it gets bright enough to be visible in a well-lit environment. Unfortunately, it's limited to two lighting effects, 'Static' or 'Breathing'. It isn't possible to create custom lighting effects even though the keys are individually-lit. The brightness is adjustable directly on the keyboard or through the software.
The included USB-C is braided. It's stiff and maintains kinks. It's only for charging, as data is still sent over the wireless connection when it's plugged in. Note that while this keyboard uses a USB-C charging cable, the Razer Pro Click, a mouse designed to complement this keyboard, uses a Micro-USB cable.
The Razer Pro Type can connect to four devices simultaneously, one via the wireless USB receiver, and three over Bluetooth. You can switch between the devices that are connected through Bluetooth by holding 'FN' and pressing either '1', '2', or '3'. To access the device connected via the wireless USB receiver, set the switch at the top of the keyboard to 2.4GHz.
The built-in rechargeable battery is rated to last up to 12 hours with backlighting enabled, whether you use the wireless dongle or Bluetooth. With the backlighting off, it's rated to last up to 78 hours when using the wireless dongle, and 84 hours if you use Bluetooth. However, we don't test battery life.
The Razer Pro Type has media control hotkeys, not dedicated ones. Every key is macro-programmable except for the Windows key, but it requires the Synapse 3 software to set macros.
Unlike Razer's gaming keyboards, the Razer Pro Type is only available with Razer Orange switches, which are similar to Cherry MX Browns. These switches provide a good amount of tactile feedback and don't require much force to actuate. The pre-travel is low, making the keyboard feel very responsive.
The typing quality is excellent. The shape and spacing of the keys are relatively standard and shouldn't require much adaptation for most people. Although most keys wobble a bit, it isn't noticeable while typing. That said, the spacebar, Shift, and Enter keys wobble a lot more and rattle as well. Typing feels light and responsive, and the Razer Orange switches provide satisfying tactile feedback. It doesn't feel tiring to type on, but a wrist rest would have been nice since it has a relatively high profile.
The Razer Pro Type doesn't generate a lot of typing noise, so it shouldn't be bothersome to those around you. That said, it can be loud if you tend to bottom out the keys. Unlike the BlackWidow Lite, it doesn't come with any O-rings to reduce typing noise.
The Razer Pro Type has exceptionally low latency. If you want to game on it, it's recommended to use the USB dongle.
The Razer Pro Type uses Synapse 3 for customization. It allows you to program macros, remap keys, and create custom profiles. You can save as many profiles as you want within the software. There's no onboard memory, so you would need to re-install Synapse 3 and use the cloud sync function to retrieve your settings if you move to a different computer. Unfortunately, there's no backlight customization; you can only choose between a static or a breathing effect.
The Razer Pro Type is fully compatible with Windows. On macOS, the Pause/Break, Scroll Lock, and Context menu don't work, and there's no software for customization. All keys function on Linux, Android, iOS, and iPadOS; there's just no software support.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Razer Pro Type keyboard in white, and there are no other variants. You can see our unit's label here.
Compared To Other Keyboards
The Razer Pro Type is an overall great keyboard. It's well-built, has good multitasking features, and provides an excellent typing experience. However, it lacks dedicated media controls, backlight customization, and it's only available with one type of switch. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best ergonomic keyboards, the best wireless keyboards, and the best mechanical keyboards.
Overall, the Razer Pro Type is much better than the Logitech MX Keys. They're both designed with productivity in mind and share similar features like wireless connectivity, multi-device pairing, and a full-size layout with backlit keys. However, the Razer is a mechanical keyboard with Razer Orange switches and provides a significantly better typing experience than the scissor switches on the Logitech. The Logitech has better compatibility with various operating systems, but the Razer is more customizable because every key is programmable.
The Razer Pro Type and the Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED are designed for different uses. The Razer is a full-sized productivity keyboard, while the Logitech is a low-profile keyboard intended for gaming. The Razer provides a much better typing experience, but the Logitech might be more comfortable for some due to its low profile. The operating force is about the same on both keyboards; however, the Logitech's low-profile switches have a shorter pre-travel distance, making it a bit more responsive. Every key is macro-programmable on the Razer, while the Logitech lets you program the column of dedicated macro keys only.
The Razer Pro Type and the SteelSeries Apex Pro are very different. The Razer is a wireless productivity keyboard with multi-device pairing capability, while the SteelSeries is a wired gaming keyboard. The Razer has tactile switches and provides a better typing experience. On the other hand, the SteelSeries has more features, such as dedicated media controls, a customizable OLED screen, and a USB passthrough. Also, the SteelSeries has lower latency, and it lets you customize the pre-travel distance to your liking.
The Razer Pro Type and the Razer BlackWidow Elite are very different keyboards. The Pro Type is a wireless keyboard designed for productivity with multi-device pairing capability, while the Elite is a wired-only keyboard intended primarily for gaming. The Elite has more features, such as full RGB backlighting, dedicated media controls, onboard memory, and a wrist rest. Also, the Elite is more customizable because it's available with different types of switches, while the Pro Type is only available with Razer Orange switches. The Elite has lower latency, and its Razer Orange switches have a shorter pre-travel distance and lower operating force than the ones on the Pro Type.
The Razer Pro Type is better than the Das Keyboard X50Q. The Razer has better build quality, wireless connectivity, and a multi-device pairing feature. It also provides a better typing experience and has better software support. On the other hand, the Das Keyboard has dedicated media controls, full RGB backlighting, and a wrist rest.