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 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 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 9 are both TenKeyLess gaming keyboards with some fundamental differences. The Apex 7 uses standard mechanical switches, which come in your choice of clicky Blue, tactile Brown, and linear Red, while the Apex 9 uses specialized OptiPoint switches, which have two actuation point presets available, one for gaming and one for typing. That said, the Apex 9 is a much higher-performing gaming option with lower latency.
Test Results
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL has a small footprint, as it's a TenKeyLess keyboard, but it'll take up more space if you choose to use the included wrist rest. If you prefer a full-size keyboard, then check out the SteelSeries Apex Pro.
Alternatively, if you're looking for a similar TenKeyLess gaming model but with a distinct retro look, check out the 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL's build quality is excellent and nearly identical to the SteelSeries Apex Pro. While most of the keyboard is made of plastic, it has an aluminum plate on top to provide rigidity. The aluminum plate has a soft finish to it, and the keyboard uses doubleshot ABS keycaps, which is great for the durability of the key legends. The key stabilizers are excellent, and there's no sign of wobbling or rattling. It comes with a wrist rest with a soft finish that attaches to the keyboard magnetically. Unfortunately, this wrist rest is a dust magnet, but the overall build feels durable and shouldn't cause any issues with long-term use.
This keyboard has acceptable ergonomics. It has one incline setting and comes with a wrist rest that connects magnetically to the keyboard. This wrist rest has a soft finish that's very comfortable, although it's a bit of a dust magnet. The keys feel very light to type on, and it's unlikely to cause any fatigue if you're typing for an extended period of time.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL has full RGB lighting, and it can be customized via SteelSeries' Engine software, where each key can be customized individually. The backlight is bright enough to see in a well-lit room and perfect for those with dark rooms.
This keyboard's cable is not removable and has two USB connectors. Both need to be connected to use the USB passthrough feature. If you want a TKL keyboard with a detachable, replaceable cable, check out the Cooler Master MK730 or the Fnatic miniSTREAK.
This is a wired-only keyboard.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL has dedicated media control keys, and all keys are macro-programmable directly on the keyboard or with SteelSeries' Engine software. The wheel controls volume controls and provides navigation for the keyboard's OLED screen while the menu button is held. This OLED screen allows you to change settings and profiles without minimizing games, or you can customize it in certain games to display information such as K/D ratios.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL's typing experience is great. Our unit has tactile SteelSeries Brown switches, which are somewhat similar to Cherry MX Brown switches; however, the tactile bump is less pronounced and feels softer. The keys are stable, and they have a fairly standard spacing, which is great for typing accuracy, but they also feel less responsive, as they don't spring back as quickly. Overall, these switches feel light to type on and shouldn't cause any fatigue, even when typing for long periods, but they may feel too mushy for some.
The tactile SteelSeries Brown switches on our unit are quiet and shouldn't be bothersome to those around you, even in a quiet office setting. We expect the SteelSeries Red switches to be quieter and the SteelSeries Blue switches to be louder.
The unit we tested has SteelSeries Brown switches. They require very little force to operate, have a slight tactile bump to overcome, and provide a very light typing experience overall. The pre-travel distance is slightly higher than the advertised 2 mm, though most people likely won't notice the difference. This keyboard is also available with linear SteelSeries Red and clicky SteelSeries Blue switches as well. The upgraded version of this keyboard, the SteelSeries Apex 9, uses optical switches which allow you to choose between two preset actuation points, one that's best suited for gaming and one that's longer for typing, so be sure to check it out if you're looking for something more versatile.
This keyboard has excellent single-key latency performance that's quite consistent. It delivers an extremely responsive-feeling experience for gaming in any genre at a casual or competitive level.
This keyboard has very good multi-key latency performance and is well-suited for playing games requiring inputs while multiple keys are pressed and held.
This keyboard has excellent data transmission performance. It can send multiple keys per USB report and has full n-key rollover. It also has an effective polling rate of 1000Hz, making it capable of taking full advantage of its 1000Hz polling rate.
This keyboard has excellent chord split performance, with low 4-chord and 8-chord split delay, making it well-suited for playing games requiring many simultaneous inputs, such as rhythm games.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL has outstanding software support. The SteelSeries Engine software lets you program the RGB backlighting, remap keys, and set macros. You can save up to five different profiles onboard, and there's a cloud sync feature that allows you to carry your settings over to another computer, though this feature requires an account.
The Steel Series Apex 7 TKL has good compatibility. It has full functionality with all major desktop operating systems, but the SteelSeries Engine software isn't available for Linux; as such, Linux users won't be able to customize the keyboard or import profiles from the cloud, though all the keys work and you can save certain settings to the onboard profiles.