The solid SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is ?50 off at Amazon right now
A great keyboard with some special features.
The SteelSeries Apex 7 is a relative of one of our favourite gaming keyboards of recent times, the Apex Pro. It provides the majority of its features, including its clever OLED display, and can be had for quite reasonble money these days. This TKL variant chops off the number pad, and also some of that outlay, and can currently be had for £100 from Amazon.
The Apex 7 TKL features pretty much all of the aesthetics of the more expensive Apex Pro, with a solid construction and frame comprised of aircraft-grade aluminium, which gives it a strong and durable feel with no deck flex. It's definitely a well-built keyboard that matches up well with its price tag. Being the TKL variant means you miss out on the number pad, but you still get a nav cluster and an otherwise full complement of functions.
The Apex 7 TKL also comes with fun additions such as multimedia controls and its clever OLED display. That display can also be programmed to display certain information in SteelSeries' software, including Discord notifications, key info in CS:GO such as your K/D ratio, and PC component usage, so you can keep an eye on your vitals while you're engrossed in a game. It also comes with a rubberised magnetic wrist-rest too, helping you to be more comfortable. This is one of the better wristrests I've used in the past compared to other leatherette options from other manufacturers.
Inside, the Apex 7 TKL goes without SteelSeries' clever OmniPoint switches with their adjustable actuation points, and keeps things easy with the brand's own Brown switches. These are a soft tactile switch with a lighter actuation force and a pleasing bump halfway down the keypress, and perhaps represent the best all-round type of switch for typing and gaming. With a standard MX-stem fixing, you can also swap keycaps out easily with a wide range of aftermarket options if the ones SteelSeries provide aren't for you. SteelSeries themselves do their PrismCaps (sold separately), which allows RGB lighting to shine through a little better, if that's your jam. As this is also a wired 'board, there's no latency to worry about, and the Apex 7 also comes with full NKRO so you can press as many keys as you need.
The fun of per-key RGB lighting here is also present, and it's suitably vibrant on the Apex 7 TKL. What's more, there's also support for SteelSeries' nifty companion software, SteelSeries Engine. Engine allows you to remap keys, change lighting effects, and program the OLED display on the Apex 7 TKL. It's all presented in a clean interface, and the software is easy to navigate, too.
SteelSeries' Apex 7 TKL gives you a lot of keyboard for the price, and if you're after a brand new gaming keyboard with the fun of an OLED screen and more besides, then this Amazon deal is not to be missed.