The SteelSeries Apex 3 is a good gaming keyboard with rubber dome switches. It has a good build quality despite its budget price, and it also comes with a nice magnetic wrist rest. It provides a decent typing experience that isn't fatiguing, but some people might find the keys slightly mushy and that they lack distinct tactile feedback. Unfortunately, its latency is a bit high for a wired keyboard, and its rubber dome switches have a long pre-travel distance, so it's not the most responsive. The RGB backlight is zone-lit, although there's still a decent number of customization options through SteelSeries' Engine software. Overall, it's a good option for those on a budget or just don't like mechanical keyboards.
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is a good gaming keyboard. However, even though the keys are relatively easy to actuate, the rubber dome switches have a long pre-travel distance, and the keyboard's latency is fairly high, making it feel a bit unresponsive. You can set macros to any key, but it doesn't have dedicated macro keys for MMO players. Additionally, the RGB backlight is zone-lit, so you won't be able to customize each key individually.
- Good build quality.
- Great software support.
- Decent typing experience.
- High latency for a wired keyboard.
- Zone-lit backlighting.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is a good office keyboard. The rubber dome switches offer a decent typing experience, though some may find it a bit mushy. Typing noise is minimal, so it shouldn't bother your surrounding colleagues, even in the most noise-sensitive environments. Build quality is good and shouldn't cause any issues in the long run, and it's compatible with all desktop operating systems, though some keys don't work on macOS.
- Good build quality.
- Great software support.
- Decent typing experience.
- Keys feel a bit mushy and lack distinct tactile feedback.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is a wired-only keyboard and can't be used with mobile devices.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is a decent keyboard for programming. Every key is macro-programmable, although it's limited to Windows and macOS users only because its customization software isn't available for Linux, and there's no onboard memory. Typing on it feels decent, but some people may find the rubber dome switches a bit mushy, and the tactile feedback isn't as obvious.
- Good build quality.
- Great software support.
- Decent typing experience.
- Zone-lit backlighting.
- Wired-only.
- Keys feel a bit mushy and lack distinct tactile feedback.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is bad for use with a home theater PC. You can only use it wired, so you need to run a cable from the couch to the computer, which isn't ideal if you have kids or pets. Also, it lacks a trackpad, so you'll need a separate mouse to navigate. It has backlighting for those who like to watch TV in the dark, but the keys aren't individually-lit.
- Great software support.
- Decent typing experience.
- No trackpad.
- Zone-lit backlighting.
- Wired-only.
- Great software support.
- Decent typing experience.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 17, 2026: Our Test Bench 1.4.3 update adds clearer terminology and new measurements to our Keystrokes test group. For more details, see the full 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 27, 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.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the SteelSeries Apex 3 in black, which is the only variant in this size. There's a TenKeyLess variant, the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL, and there are many keyboards with various configurations in the Apex lineup, like the SteelSeries Apex 5, the Apex 7 TKL, and the Apex Pro.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
Since the SteelSeries Apex 3 is a membrane keyboard, it can be difficult to compare it to mechanical gaming keyboards, as the latter are much more responsive due to their shorter pre-travel distance. However, compared to a similar keyboard such as the Razer Cynosa Chroma, the SteelSeries has a much better typing experience, though the Razer has a more customizable RGB backlight, as it's individually lit. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best keyboards for writers, the best RGB keyboards, and the best gaming keyboards.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is essentially a bigger version of the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL, but there are a few differences. The Apex 3 has a numpad, and it comes with a wrist rest for better ergonomics. However, typing feels the same on each because they use the same rubber dome switches. They each have zone-lit RGB lighting, but the Apex 3 has ten customizable zones due to its bigger size compared to the TKL's eight zones. The TKL version uses the new SteelSeries GG software, which includes the Engine software that the Apex 3 uses. Other than that, both keyboards are very similar.
For most uses, the SteelSeries Apex 3 is significantly better than the Logitech G213 Prodigy. The SteelSeries' build quality is much better, it has full RGB backlighting with brightness control, and every key is macro-programmable. The SteelSeries also provides a better typing experience, it produces less typing noise, and the included wrist rest is detachable if you don't want to use it.
The SteelSeries Apex 5 and the SteelSeries Apex 3 are very different despite being from the same lineup. In terms of gaming performance, the Apex 5's hybrid mechanical switches have a shorter pre-travel distance and a slightly lower operating force than the rubber dome switches on the Apex 3, making them more responsive and easier to actuate. However, the Apex 5's latency is much higher than the Apex 3's and likely a dealbreaker for some. Other than that, the Apex 5 has an OLED screen, individually-lit RGB backlighting, and onboard memory, all features that the Apex 3 lacks.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 and the Corsair K55 RGB are both full-sized gaming keyboards with rubber dome switches. The SteelSeries has a sturdier-feeling build quality and keystrokes that require less operating force. The Corsair has substantially lower latency, and though its keystrokes require a higher operating force, they also have better tactile feedback, although that can tire your fingers more quickly.
Test Results
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