For most people, a keyboard doesn’t need to be too elaborate: as long as the right letters appear on the screen, everything is fine. Do you type a lot or enjoy playing video games? Then a good keyboard is actually indispensable. However, the choice is never simple. Whether it concerns membranes, mechanical and optical switches, ‘keycaps’ or so-called ‘backplates’: every brand offers something different and it is difficult to keep up. Not to mention the amount of functions that a keyboard can contain. With the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro it is clear what it is all about, and you immediately know what a well-designed keyboard should look like.
Design
Starting with the basics: the Huntsman V3 Pro is a wired keyboard with analog optical switches. That means it’s actually a kind of hybrid keyboard. Keystrokes are registered on the Huntsman V3 Pro using light. Normal optical keyboards can then check whether the key has been pressed, but nothing more. Analog optical switches can monitor how deeply a key is pressed – a function that Razer makes good use of on this keyboard. The keys can be pressed with a weight of 40 g, which is actually very little. Still, the Razer Analog Optical Switches Gen-2 types exceptionally confidently.
This also makes the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro suitable for your home office. There is also an excellent rotary and push button above the number pad, along with three push buttons. You can assign any function to it, but you can also simply silence the sound. Furthermore, the keyboard is excellently designed. The back plate is brushed aluminum and the keyboard feels sturdy overall. The buttons themselves, the ‘keycaps’, consist of PBT that has been engraved on both sides. The light shines through neatly and the keys will never, ever fade. The fact that the palm rest is included in the keyboard box completes the whole package and provides a refined look and feel. The sturdy wrist rest, made of high-quality artificial leather, clicks magnetically against the keyboard. That could certainly have been a little firmer, but overall it feels good.
With or without light show
The most visible function on the keyboard is undoubtedly the lighting. You can adjust this completely according to your wishes. To do this, install the ‘Razer Synapse’ program on your PC, which will then automatically download the correct modules. The LED lighting can be adjusted key by key, which offers you all the possibilities in the world. The Chroma module lets you set the lighting with Photoshop-like layers so that you can create complex effects. Of course, that is not necessary: you can also leave the lighting off or simply set it to white.
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Additional features
However, the functions on the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro are not limited to lighting. In the same Razer Synapse program you can set how quickly a button is activated. The optical switches can measure between 0.1 and 4 mm how far you press the key. So you can choose how deeply you have to press the key before something happens on the screen. Particularly useful for those who type more clumsily or who want to be able to respond super quickly. You can really adjust how responsive the keyboard is, which allows you to partly adjust the feel. A Rapid Trigger option can also ensure that you can press a key faster. Instead of having to release it completely, you can only partially release the key and press it back down. On a ‘normal’ keyboard this does not count as a keystroke, but with the Rapid Fire setting enabled it does.
Furthermore, it is possible to adjust the function of each – and indeed every – key. Do you never use that Scroll Lock key and would you like to give it another function? That is perfectly possible. Are you having trouble with the Xbox Game Bar, which is linked to the first push button by default? Then you can adjust that in an instant. With Razer Hypershift it is even possible to set a second layer on the keyboard. You can then immediately store all kinds of macros and secondary functions there if you want. You can then save all these functions under a specific profile, so that you can easily keep track of the settings. The keyboard can store as many as 6 profiles, so you simply have to enter the right key combination to choose.
Typing experience
You probably already notice: most functions are explicitly aimed at gamers. The keyboard also offers a gaming mode that allows you to disable certain keys and combinations. It is even possible to connect the joystick of your controller to the WASD cluster, so that you can play games that do not actually support a controller. Not to mention N-key rollover and anti-ghosting. But, as mentioned earlier, the keyboard is still excellent to place in your home office. The fact that you can set the keystrokes so precisely means that you can avoid incorrect keystrokes. The media buttons also make it easy to adjust the volume without having to move your mouse. This is particularly useful during video calls, but also to fast forward to the next Spotify song without having to click away that large Excel file.
The rotary knob has been textured and is easy to reach along the side of the keyboard. The button does make some noise when pressed, but that’s the only time this keyboard is overly loud. The other media keys feel good, but are perhaps a little too close to the keys below them. In the case of the large version, this is the number block. Don’t you need that? There are also smaller models available, such as the TKL version without a number block. The mini version also omits the home cluster and arrow keys. You will also lose the window with indicators. On the larger versions of the keyboard you can easily see whether Caps or Num Lock is enabled or not, and exactly which other modes or profiles you have activated.
Conclusion
The question is of course whether all those functions and excellent design are worth the money. Of course, that largely depends on how much value you attach to a good keyboard. In the case of the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro, the price tag of €289.99 is completely correct. That’s a lot, but this Huntsman certainly knows what to offer. The smaller versions weigh slightly less on the wallet, with a price of €249.99 and €209.99 respectively. This is, in every respect, a premium keyboard. This Razer Huntsman V3 Pro makes you feel and notice it, whether it concerns the design, the typing experience, the many functions or the ease with which you can set them.
