SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 Review

The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 features state-of-the-art Hall effect switches with 40 levels of adjustable actuation, and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the innovations packed into this beast. There is no doubt that SteelSeries engineered this product with the intent of creating the ultimate gaming keyboard. To find out whether they succeeded, we meticulously evaluated it alongside over a dozen other gaming keyboards in our exhaustive performance tests.

Performance Comparison

Performance

Performance is what matters most for a top-of-the-line gaming keyboard, and the Apex Pro Gen 3 certainly does not disappoint. While it would have been nice to see a polling and scan rate of 8000 Hz at this price point, 1000 Hz is perfectly sufficient for all but the nichest of niche gaming situations.

In our latency tests, we measured a single-key latency of nine milliseconds. The built-in Rapid Tap and Rapid Trigger capabilities in this keyboard help facilitate even faster response time by letting you input a single command repeatedly or alternate commands in order of actuation without ever having to fully release any key.

The proprietary OmniPoint 3.0 Adjustable HyperMagnetic switches are a mouthful, but they're part of what makes this keyboard such a peak performer. Not only are these Hall effect switches incredibly responsive, but you can also configure how they behave using several customization options. Adjust actuation levels on a per-key basis to require as light or as heavy a touch as you want. Enabling Protection Mode also dynamically decreases the sensitivity of nearby keys when you actuate one, which lessens the chance of accidental inputs.

That's a lot of customization to work with — almost enough to be utterly overwhelming. That's why SteelSeries provides plenty of game-ready presets, or “GG Quicksets,” that configure all of these settings to what is recommended for your favorite games. This feature is compatible with many popular titles including Fortnite, Diablo IV, and League of Legends.

Take advantage of these quicksets or build your own profiles as you see fit. You can then use the OLED display on the upper-right section of the keyboard to toggle between profiles or make adjustments on the fly without even opening a separate window on your PC. Keep in mind, though, that this keyboard requires you to have five profiles loaded at all times. This can become a hassle if you are frequently cycling through just two or three profiles. In the midst of reveling in the Apex Pro Gen 3's numerous novelties, we didn't forget to test one of the important fundamentals: key rollover. As one would expect, this specifically designed gaming keyboard does have N-key rollover, which means you can press as many keys as you want and they will all register successfully without any conflicts.

Comfort

The Apex Pro Gen 3 scores an easy advantage over many other gaming keyboards by coming packaged with a comfortable, rubberized palm rest that has just the right angle and width to complement the keyboard excellently. The palm rest attaches magnetically, so there's no concern of it sliding out of place while you type or game — and it's entirely easy to remove it if it gets in the way of your action.

Without the palm rest, it feels the same as most any other standard-profile keyboard. The default angle of 4.5 degrees will feel natural for most users, and it's easy to reach the entire board even without the palm rest. You can also adjust the angle to 11 degrees if a steeper position suits your style better.

Overall, the Apex Pro Gen 3 is an exceptionally comfortable gaming keyboard that you can use for extended hours without strain. The low-actuation magnetic switches contribute to this by ensuring that you never need to exert more than the barest effort to command the battlefield on-screen.

Hardware Options

The biggest failing of the Apex Pro Gen 3, if it's worth regarding it as such, is the relative lack of hardware versatility compared to many of its competitors. The most notable offense is the lack of support for hot-swapping the switches. While the adjustable Hall effect switches native to the Apex Pro Gen 3 are one of its primary selling points, the option to change without tearing the entire unit apart would be appealing.

Potential buyers do have some control over the size of their board, though. The Apex Pro Gen 3 comes in a full-sized or tenkeyless variant. Another point in this product's favor is that, despite a lack of hot-swappable switches, it does have easily swappable keycaps.

If you have a preferred size, shape, material, or color for your keys, you can easily customize this board to look and feel the way you want.

Typing Noise

This keyboard shows that being high-class doesn't mean you have to be loud or obnoxious about it. It's not the quietest keyboard in the world, but it doesn't produce a noticeably distracting typing sound either.

Our tester described the profile of the sound as creamy but with a crunch to it, like crunchy peanut butter. The crunch is not necessarily a bad thing, though, because it doesn't sound entirely plastic-y like some similarly-sounding keyboards. When measuring the typing sound from two feet away, we determined that the average volume of the Apex Pro Gen 3 is 46 dBa. However, we noticed that the sound is somewhat hollow, giving it the illusion of being ever-so-slightly louder than other keyboards around the 46 dBa mark. The spacebar, in particular, has a rattle to it and is louder than the other keys.

Type Experience

In our typing experience tests, we use specialized devices to measure operating force and correlate these objective numbers to the subjective feel of using the keyboard. Our findings place the Apex Pro Gen 3 toward the higher end of gaming keyboards in this category as well.

Our force-displacement tests show that the average operating force needed is only 36.91 gram force, whereas many standard keyboards require around 45 gram force. By default, the actuation point is 2.31 millimeters into a keystroke. The total travel distance to the bottom is four millimeters, but Rapid Trigger technology makes it so you never have to go all the way down or come all the way back up before initiating the next action.

It's important to note that you can adjust the actuation point of each alphanumeric key using the accompanying software, which is great for customizing your gameplay experience. However, our measurements showed that the actuation settings in the software were not perfectly accurate to the results they yielded in the physical hardware. The discrepancy is negligible, but it's worth keeping in mind if you are passionate about the granular details. We were impressed by how much the shape of the keyboard contributed to the experience of typing and playing. Coupled with the magnetic Hall effect switches that provide satisfying resistance, albeit not tactile, it's a pleasing keyboard that leaves little room for complaint.

Lighting

What sets a gaming keyboard apart from the rest at a glance is its aesthetic lighting, and what sets a premium gaming keyboard apart is the level of control you have over that lighting. That's why the Apex Pro Gen 3 scores highly in this category.

Right out of the box, the Apex Pro Gen 3 has six onboard presets and the ability to perform some basic customization. Accessing the accompanying software will open up your options immensely, and it's fairly easy to use as well. The letters and the areas around the keys light up, and you can adjust the lights of each individual key. There are many effects to choose from, and you can layer them in some creative ways.

You have the whole RGB spectrum at your disposal, but we were somewhat disappointed by the color accuracy. White has some blue tint in it, and orange appears more red. Yellow is almost entirely green, but the blues are fairly on-point.

Should You Buy the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3?

The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 is a keyboard worth buying if you want to feel confident that you're getting the best gaming hardware available. It leaves no room for buyer's remorse despite its cost. Even so, it's worth thinking about in video game terms: Investing in your character's HP stat only matters if it will help you survive an extra hit. In the same way, investing in a premium keyboard only makes a difference if that extra boost is exactly what you need to bring your enjoyment to the next level.

What Other Gaming Keyboards Should You Consider?

If you're still considering the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 as a likely purchase, it probably means you're willing to pay a premium. The Wooting 60HE+ is another high-end keyboard, but one that might appeal more if you want something more compact. If you want to buy a high-quality product but you're not sure you need quite so many bells and whistles, consider the HyperX Alloy Origins.