SteelSeries USB Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Per-Key RGB Illumination – Aircraft Grade Aluminum Alloy Frame – OLED Smart Display (Hybrid Blue Switch)

Pretty good, i purchased it twice. This keyboard is perfect for late-night gaming or office work. The keys are soft and silent, and the RGB lighting adds a fun touch. The wrist rest is comfortable and the water resistance is a nice bonus.Feels premium without the premium price. Great for gamers who want performance and style.

The SteelSeries Apex 5 left a strong impression. It’s a well-built keyboard with some excellent features and clever design choices. The cable is thick, long, and even has a nice touch — the SteelSeries logo on the USB plug. The RGB effects are top-notch, with smooth transitions both on keypress and when idle. I was genuinely excited about all of this... until I noticed what was missing. And for me, that’s a big deal.Let’s break it down.😁### What Makes It (Almost) 5 Stars – The Good:😃- Excellent Media Controls: The volume wheel is fantastic: easy to reach, smooth to use, and includes a click-to-mute function. The menu button also works similarly to the playback controls found on many headsets with built-in microphones or hands-free kits. Super convenient.- Onboard Controls – No Software Needed: You can manage brightness, RGB colors, effects, profiles, and more — all from the keyboard itself. No software required. Only macros can’t be directly viewed or edited in menu, which is a small detail worth noting.- Smart OLED Display: It shows the status of Num Lock, Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and whether the Windows key is disabled. Very handy (though there’s a small catch — more on that below).- Customization & Visual Feedback: Besides full per-key RGB customization and reactive effects, pressing the “Fn” key (the SteelSeries logo key) lights up related function keys in red for quick reference. It’s super helpful… but again, not perfect (you can’t change the color — more on that too).- Profile Memory Built-In: You can save up to 5 profiles directly on the keyboard and toggle them on/off without cycling through all of them. I personally use just two: one for gaming and one for productivity.### The Not-So-Good – My Gripes😒:- No Dedicated Context Menu Key: This is my biggest issue. A full-size keyboard should include the dedicated menu key (the "right-click menu" key). SteelSeries replaced it with their custom “Fn” key, which really disrupted my usual workflow. I ended up switching to Shift + F10 to keep things consistent across devices.- Fn Key Can’t Be Reassigned: The SteelSeries logo key, which replaces the context menu key, is fixed — it can’t be remapped. Personally, I’d have preferred having the Windows key only on the left, and using the right one for Fn, keeping the menu key in its usual place.- OLED Button Always Lit: The brightness of the button next to the OLED screen cannot be dimmed or turned off. If you’re working in a dark room or watching movies, this little light will keep shining at you — kind of annoying.- OLED Icons Overlap Custom Logos: If you upload a custom image to the OLED screen, the status icons for Num Lock, Caps, etc. may overlap your logo. Not a dealbreaker, but it limits how creative you can get with personalization.- No Visual Feedback When Windows Key Is Locked: Unlike other lock states (like Caps Lock), there’s no lighting change or visual indicator on the keyboard itself when the Windows key is disabled — just a small icon on the OLED. Feels inconsistent.- Function Key Highlight Color Can’t Be Changed: When pressing “Fn,” the related keys light up red — but that red is not customizable. If your RGB theme is red, this effect becomes basically invisible.- Slight Input Delay: There’s a small delay in key activation. I don’t notice it while typing or working, but for competitive gaming, it might matter. Rtings.com confirmed this in their testing too.- Non-Replaceable Hybrid Switches This is the most serious issue. The switches aren’t standard and can’t be replaced by the user. If a key fails, you’re stuck with relying on warranty, support… or scavenging another board. Not great.### Neutral Points – Might Be Good or Bad Depending on You🤷🏻‍♂️:- Actuation Distance: I switched from a keyboard with ultra-light 0.8 mm actuation, and I kept typing extra characters. The Apex 5 feels much more precise and helped reduce typos — a big plus for me.- Key Feel & Keycaps: The keycaps aren’t made from premium material, but they feel decent. Coming from linear switches, the tactile feel took a bit of getting used to — but I adjusted quickly.- Magnetic Wrist Rest: I don’t use it much, but the magnets are strong and hold it firmly in place.- Macro Labeling (M1, M2, etc.): Some keys are labeled as macro keys (M1, M2...), which can be confusing at first — but you’ll get used to it.- Customization Without Software: You can change basic RGB effects and profiles directly from the keyboard. The software adds more depth, but it’s nice that you’re not forced to use it.- USB Plug with Logo: A small but smart touch: the SteelSeries logo on the USB plug helps you spot which device you’re plugging in.- No Physical Lock LEDs: The lock indicators (Num Lock, Caps, Scroll) have been moved to the OLED screen, and you can set those keys to change color when active. Some might miss the old-school LED lights, but I’m fine with it.### Final Verdict 💸😇 The SteelSeries Apex 5 is a well-built, visually polished keyboard with great RGB, useful media controls, and a solid set of features for gamers and professionals alike. Still, a few oversights — especially the missing context menu key and the non-replaceable switches — keep it from being a perfect 5-star device in my eyes.If those flaws don’t bother you, then this keyboard is an easy recommendation. Just know what you're getting — and what you're not

I love everything about it. I can't get into my BIOS with the delete key, but neither could my other keyboard except once on accident. So clearly the problem lies elsewhere. But thats irrelevant.I love membrane keyboards now. I'd always heard they felt bad. But they feel and sound great too me. Obviously a preference thing. It's much quieter than my mechanical keyboard, and that was the entire point in me getting the keyboard. So that's great. I can press these keys as fast I want without breaking the sound barrier! Keep in mind, any keyboard will be loud during intense gameplay, but this one is still quieter.I love having a full keyboard. Used to have a 60%. The extra keybinds are great. Feels super responsive in my experience. No complaints. The media wheel is pretty fun to play with. Just don't accidentally blow out your eardrums by maxing the volume and forgetting it. The rgb is bright enough without flashbanging you. Nice weight. Feels like a solid keyboard. Material feels great. Magnetic wrist rest is awesome. I love it. I wish it was a little stronger of a connection, but it's perfectly fine. No complaints.Can't speak for software because I'm on Linux.Edit: I made into BIOS a long time ago. Just needed to hold the key instead of pressing it as fast as I could.

The media could not be loaded. W keyboard, it’s a membrane keyboard but idrc, I was looking for a 75 or 80% keyboard that was white, for my setup, not noisy at all, has a nice combination of colors and effects if you download the software on pc, good for money, good size, types pretty well, good with games but it’s mostly nice for an aesthetic if your going for a white theme, 100% recommend