SteelSeries Apex Mini Pro - Review
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to review a number of products designed by the folks at SteelSeries and for the most part, they have been fantastic. So when the Apex Pro Mini keyboard turned up, I figured that this would be another wonderful product and I was partially correct.
The moment I took the box out of its delivery packaging, I was thrown by just how mini it was, but that paled in comparison to how small the keyboard it self actually was. The keyboard is barely 30cm in width and a little over 10cm in depth, which compared to my normal keyboards 42cm x 12cm seems tiny. Of course, with a smaller footprint comes the need to evaluate what keys are needed and then if they are, finding new homes for them. Basically every key except the QWERTY ones from a standard size keyboard have been given new homes, so the arrows, number pad and even the control keys (home, end, delete) are placed onto the letter keys. This was perhaps the biggest change that I had to adapt to in using it, as the lack of normally accessible keys just kept throwing me off. Don’t misunderstand I did get my head around it eventually, I mean using WASD for arrows is no different from using them to move in a game, I just had to remember to hold down the function key first.
Of course, the smaller footprint also had an issue in that my hands over the past 30 odd years of using a keyboard, have been conditioned to understand the spacing of the keys. I have reviewed other keyboards before and always found myself struggling those first few days, as I get used to either a smaller or larger footprint, but nothing compared to how small it was here. What this means, was that each time I wanted to reach a certain key, I didn’t have to reach over anywhere near as far. Of course, when talking about efficiency, this is wonderful news, however when it comes to reprogramming my old brain, it is perhaps not the best. As I said it did take a few days, but I eventually got my head around the size and found a sublime typing experience.
The keyboard does come with OmniPoint 2.0 Adjustable HyperMagnetic switches, which SteelSeries claim to offer 20 times faster actuation, when compared to other mechanical keyboards. What this means is that you no longer need to press the key down to a set place for it to activate, you only need to press it down at all. Think of it like this, a standard key may have a moment of 5mm before it activates, which is not a lot, but you need to hit that mark each and every time. Here the moment you move the key down 1mm, it activates and if you decide to go down to 5mm, it still activates. What this means is that you don’t need to smash the keys down to get them to respond, which is very much like the chicklet style keyboards you find on laptops and Surface or iPad cases. It doesn’t stop there though as the keys also offer 2-in-1 options, which mean you get two functions from a single press. In a game, when you use a controller, pushing the control stick forward a little will get you walking, push it all the way forward and you start to run. With a keyboard, you generally have to press a second key to trigger a run, but not here, a light press of the key will start your walk but a full press will get your character running. They honestly remind me so much of the shoulder buttons on the Nintendo GameCube controller and if you remember that, this is just the same, though on a great deal many more inputs.
As far as other features on the keyboard, you can use the SteelSeries software on the PC to modify functions, lights and such, but it has never been something I put any amount of time into, as I just don’t care. As long as I can turn off all the extra lights, I am a happy gamer and that was fairly easy to do via the keyboard itself. Something that was nice to see, and I honestly didn’t think anything of it at first, was that on the underside of the keyboard, where you can use the two step feet for height adjustment, is a giant rubber pad. When I first saw it, I just assumed it was for extra grip, which would have been nice, but it actually lifts up. Located under the flap is a little plastic tool for key removal, if you need to clean your board or replace the key caps. Far to often doing that sort of thing requires a plastic tool of your own, or if you don’t have one a small screwdriver, neither of which is great for the job, so an included tool was a nice touch. The only other major addition for the keyboard is that of the USB-C to USB-A cable, for connecting it, as there is no wireless option for it.
So does it work, well as I said, as a keyboard it does everything you would want from it, the response times alone make it phenomenal for gaming. However, for my own use, I wouldn’t see it becoming my daily use keyboard and the main reason is that missing the keys to the side of the board. Maybe I am just too set in my ways, but not having access to some keys, without needing a function key press mixed in, is just to awkward for me. If you are someone who wants it purely for its gaming performance, then it is going to be amazing, as all the extra keys are never used in any game that I can recall. There are countless options available to add the missing keys back in, with extra keypads, so it won’t be the end of things if you do find out you need them later, but maybe by then it won’t matter for you.
SteelSeries make fantastic gaming hardware and they have made something fantastic here with the Apex Pro Mini, but its size is going to be the breaking point for everyone. For those seeking a smaller keyboard that will help elevate their gaming potential, then this will tick all the boxes, the OmniPoint Switches alone make it worthwhile. However if you are looking to replace an existing keyboard, you need to think on it a bit, as while the keys are still present, they are not easily accessible and that could be a problem. If you do pick it up, you will find a keyboard that is smooth to use, delivers across the board on what it promises and is just quite a mighty, even though its mini.
The Score
8.5
Review code provided by SteelSeries
The Pros
The key presses are perhaps the smoothest I have felt in a long time and the responsiveness can’t be understated
The per key lighting is fantastic and while I normally turn them off asap, I found myself messing around here to see what I can do
The Cons
The size of the board is going to be not for everyone as there is no denying that, with some keys in weird places now
Needing software to unlock the full potential means that it won’t be available for those who can’t access it
