The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is a TenKeyLess gaming keyboard with a wide set of features and superb companion software. It has full RGB backlighting, macro-programmable keys, and an OLED screen that lets you access various settings without minimizing games. It has an excellent build quality nearly identical to the SteelSeries Apex Pro, and our unit has SteelSeries Brown switches that provide a light typing experience with good tactile feedback. It's also available with linear SteelSeries Red or clicky SteelSeries Blue switches.
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is an amazing gaming keyboard. It has excellent build quality, and the SteelSeries Brown switches on the unit we bought and tested are easy to press and provide good tactile feedback. It has full RGB lighting, individually backlit keys, decent ergonomics, and an included wrist rest. It also has an OLED screen that lets you change settings without minimizing games. It also has excellent companion software that allows you to reprogram keys, set macros, and adjust lighting settings.
- Excellent build quality.
- Outstanding gaming features.
- Superb companion software.
- Low latency.
- Wrist rest tends to attract dust.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is great for office use. It has decent ergonomics, comes with a magnetically-attached wrist rest, and most people should find it very comfortable to use, even when typing for long periods. It's made mostly of plastic but has an aluminum plate that makes the keyboard feel very sturdy. Typing noise is minimal, the keys are very stable, and it's fully compatible with Windows and macOS.
- Excellent build quality.
- Great typing experience.
- Fully compatible with Windows and MacOS.
- Wrist rest tends to attract dust.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL can't be used with mobile devices, as it has no wireless capabilities.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is great for programming use, and the SteelSeries Brown switches on our unit offer a light typing experience while keeping noise to a minimum. Its exceptional companion software allows you to reprogram keys, set macros, and adjust lighting settings. The keyboard is fully compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, but the software only works in Windows and macOS. It also has decent ergonomics with a magnetically-attached wrist rest and has RGB lighting with individually-backlit keys.
- Excellent build quality.
- Great typing experience.
- Superb companion software.
- Compatible with Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Wrist rest tends to attract dust.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is sub-par for home theater PC use. It can't be connected wirelessly, so you'll have to sit within range of the cable, and it doesn't have a trackpad, so you'll likely need a mouse to navigate menus. On the bright side, it has a wheel for volume control, dedicated media keys, and full RGB backlighting.
- Excellent build quality.
- Wrist rest tends to attract dust.
- Wired-only.
- No trackpad.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL offers impressive raw performance, with great single-key and very good multi-key latency. It also has full N-Key rollover and can take full effective advantage of its 1000Hz polling rate without bottlenecking from other latency components.
- Excellent build quality.
- Wrist rest tends to attract dust.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 30, 2023: We've added a link to the newly-reviewed 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard in the Dimensions section of this review.
- 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 Aug 30, 2023: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in TBU 1.3.
- Updated Aug 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.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is part of the SteelSeries Apex lineup that also includes the SteelSeries Apex 3, the SteelSeries Apex 5, and the SteelSeries Apex Pro. These keyboards share many similarities, but only the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL and the SteelSeries Apex 7, which is the full-sized version, have different switch types available. Both the Apex 7 TKL and Apex 7 are available with tactile SteelSeries Brown, clicky SteelSeries Blue, or linear SteelSeries Red switches. With the exception of typing quality, we expect our test results to be applicable to the other switch type variants as well.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL, and its full-sized counterpart, the SteelSeries Apex 7, are the only keyboards in the SteelSeries Apex lineup available with multiple switch types. While it's primarily designed as a gaming keyboard, the Apex 7 TKL is more versatile than most dedicated gaming keyboards and should please people looking for a mechanical keyboard that's well suited to gaming and office use. For more options, see our recommendations for the best keyboards for programming, the best keyboards, and the best gaming keyboards.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro and SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL are wired, mechanical gaming keyboards with very similar build qualities and many features in common. Their major differences are in size and available switch types. The Apex Pro has OmniPoint linear switches that allow you to adjust the pre-travel distanced needed to input keystrokes to your liking. While the version we tested was the full-sized version, there’s also a TenKeyLess variant available. On the other hand, the Apex 7 TKL we tested is a TenKeyLess design, but a full-sized variant, the SteelSeries Apex 7, is also available. The unit we tested has tactile SteelSeries Brown switches that feel similar to Cherry MX Brown switches, and It’s also available with clicky SteelSeries Blue or linear SteelSeries Red switches.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL and the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 are both outstanding gaming keyboards. The Corsair is a full-size keyboard with companion software that’s compatible with Windows and macOS. The unit we tested has tactile Cherry MX Brown switches, and it has many variants available with a range of Cherry MX switch types, as well as a variant with low profile switches. The SteelSeries has an OLED screen that you can use to adjust settings without minimizing games, and it has onboard memory for storing configuration profiles from the companion software. The unit we tested had SteelSeries Brown switches, though it’s also available with linear Reds and clicky Blues.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL and the SteelSeries Apex 5 are wired mechanical keyboards with similar features but a few important differences. The Apex 7 we tested is a TenKeyLess keyboard, though there’s also a full-sized variant. It’s available with tactile SteelSeries Brown, linear SteelSeries Red, or clicky SteelSeries Blue switches. On the other hand, the Apex 5 is a full-sized keyboard without any smaller variants and is only available with clicky Hybrid Blue Mechanical switches that feel similar to Cherry MX Blue switches. Unfortunately, it also has extremely high latency, which likely won't be a problem for slower-paced gaming, but it's less suitable for competitive and reaction-based games.
The Razer Huntsman and the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL are outstanding mechanical gaming keyboards with a few noteworthy differences. The Razer is a full-sized keyboard with clicky Razer Optical switches that feel very responsive due to a low pre-travel and light force required to actuate keys. Unfortunately, its software isn’t compatible with macOS, and it doesn’t have an included wrist rest. The SteelSeries has companion software with support for Windows and macOS and has an included wrist rest. It also has several extra features, including an OLED screen, a volume wheel, and a USB passthrough. Our unit has SteelSeries tactile Brown switches, though it’s also available with clicky Blue and linear Red switches.
Test Results
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