Alright, I’ll admit it, I’ve never used a compact keyboard. I’m quite particular when it comes to the precise space I expect to have when maneuvering my hands across a keyboard, and the thought of having to muscle memory learn to deal with smaller real estate—even if it is just a Numpad or some extra function keys being lost—has always terrified me.
Razer just dropped its Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, a wireless hot-swappable pro version of BlackWidow V4 featuring the latest Razer technology: HyperSpeed and 4K Hz HyperPolling. With all the tech in this Pro version, I figured this was as good a time as any to take the plunge into the world of compact keyboards, and boy have I been missing out.
I’ve always preferred wired peripherals, but if all peripherals came with the HyperSpeed and HyperPolling technology that the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has, I think I’d make the switch to wireless. With a 4,000 Hz polling rate, there was never a delay. I’ve used wireless keyboards in the past where even the most minimal delay has been enough to make me switch back to wired. I’ve used the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% now in a variety of ways; gaming, working, even just chilling and surfing the internet. And if I hadn’t known, I’d assume it was wired. It looks like delays with wireless could finally be a thing of the past.
If you have other hardware that could make use of they keyboard, you can actually add up to three devices at a time and instantaneously toggle between them. I tried it out with my nearby PS5, and sure enough, I was able to quickly toggle between it and my PC without the need to go in and re-configured it each time.
The original BlackWidow V4 75% was all about customization, and that mantra continues with the Pro. The hot-swappable design is back, with the versatility for both 3 and 5-pin mechanical switches. The pre-loaded default for the Pro includes Razer’s Orange Tactile Switches, a classic set of Razer switches that was surely a safe option overall. Most seem to prefer either the orange or green, and for me, the green is just a tad bit too loud, so I feel like pre-loaded with the orange was a solid albeit safe choice. Of course, hot-swappable means you have the freedom to change that if you disagree.
Of course, we can’t talk about a Razer peripheral without talking about the RGB. As I expected, both the RGB quality and versatility via the Razer Chroma app continue to be the best in the industry. I’m rather simple in my creativity when it comes to this sort of thing but even still I’ve made some pretty cool profiles. The lighting is bright, making the light show vibrant and concise no matter the profile. I hadn’t messed around with the Razer Chroma app in a little while, so these may not all be new, but some of the pre-existing profiles that you can apply based on specific gaming scenarios are pretty sick. Like I said, best in the industry for a reason.
With the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, the scrollable wheel in the top right of the keyboard has been replaced with a grayscale OLED display. You can cycle through lots of pre-set options to display on the OLED such as crucial PC information including temps and speeds, detailed info about the keyboard, an audio meter, and even custom animations such as animated gifs. On the side to the right of the OLED is a scrollable wheel knob to cycle through pre-set profiles on the keyboard as well as change things like polling rate and RBG profiles on the fly. The OLED is a nice touch, but I have to wonder why the choice to go with grayscale of color. I assume it’s a cost-cutting measure, which is fair given the $299.99 price point of this BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, which is already considered a premium price.
Speaking of premium, let’s talk about the wrist rest. I know I know, not typically a focal point when deciding on a keyboard. But the Magnetic Plush Leatherette wrist rest that comes with the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is exceptionally well made. It’s the perfect blend of soft and cushiony, without feeling indentable or like a pillow. When I think of the right middle ground, this is what I envision.
After using the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% over the last couple of weeks, there is only one real issues I have with it: the battery life. I understand there’s a lot of potential battery draw with RGB lighting, an OLED, and HyperPolling, but even with all of that dialed down a minimum the keyboard struggles to get through a normal work day without needing a bit more juice. It’s quite possible that turning all of that off will boost the battery life—in fact, I’m certain it will—but all the cool bells and whistles are part of the draw for the keyboard, so they should be used.
According to Razer, the built-in Power Saving Mode deactivates the OLED and keyboard backlighting while also pausing communication with Razer Synapse, allowing the keyboard to achieve up to 2100 hours of battery life. That’s quite a formidable battery, but it seems just having any of those features enabled really ramps up on that drain.
My issue with the battery life aside, the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has been an absolute joy to use. I’m pretty particular when it comes to keyboards, which is part of the reason I’ve yet to try a compact keyboard before now. But the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has converted me. It’s officially replaced my previous keyboard and became my mainstay gaming keyboard. Who knows, I might even get creative and see how I like the green switches when this keyboard after all.
The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is available now for $299.99.
[This review is based on a retail build of the hardware provided by the manufacturer.]
Published: Oct 14, 2024 03:32 pm