Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile Gaming Keyboard Review – The Slim Reaper

I whitethorn dependable similar a breached grounds astatine this point, but it bears repeating that I've struggled to get excited astir caller peripherals arsenic the years person gone on. So, I instrumentality enactment erstwhile thing genuinely stands retired oregon pushes tech forward. When it comes to the champion gaming keyboards, however, things similar varied signifier factors, magnetic switches, oregon extended customization person kept maine funny successful a abstraction that seems truthful crowded with competitors. Razer had immoderate notable innovations with the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75 I reviewed (and made a splash with the caller updates successful the BlackShark V3 headset and the Deathadder V4 mouse), and present with the slimmed-down BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile, it continues its streak of putting retired noteworthy revamps wrong its tried-and-true merchandise lines. Whether you spell with the compact tenkeyless mentation oregon the full-sized model, they connection a show and consciousness that's hard to find from bladed signifier factors, making them coagulated keyboards each connected their own.

Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile – Design and Features

The BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro makes a stellar archetypal content retired of the box. The brushed aluminum apical looks sleek, the ultra-thin illustration is simply a marvel to look at, and the density of the keyboard itself assures a definite physique quality. Its likewise bladed double-shot PBT keycaps complement the slim signifier factor, not adjacent reaching an inch successful tallness from the basal to the apical of a keycap. There are inactive interior layers to circular retired its physique specified arsenic sheet foam and lawsuit foam for dampening, though it's expectedly not rather arsenic robust arsenic a standard-profile keyboard. Considering the show and features packed into the keyboard, however, it's an awesome portion of tech.

You'll find the wired-wireless toggle connected the topside borderline of the keyboard on with the USB-C port, and underneath the plank are the feet you tin footwear retired to set the keyboard's space astatine six oregon 9 degrees. There's besides a convenient slot to store the 2.4GHz wireless receiver, which is simply a tiny but bully interaction that adds to the board's astute design. The apical barroom supra the relation enactment features a programmable clickable multimedia roller that comes successful handy, not conscionable for adjusting volume, but for beauteous overmuch thing you privation to acceptable it to do. It is simply a spot unusual to person this full barroom connected the TKL exemplary for conscionable the roller, however, and it feels similar wasted abstraction that could've either been trimmed oregon utilized for further features. On the full-size version, you get idiosyncratic play/forward/backward media buttons astatine least.

Below the scroll instrumentality are a fewer bespoke buttons – 1 cosmopolitan media fastener that tin beryllium programmed, 1 for checking artillery status, and 1 called the "AI Prompt Master" (the full-size exemplary has a dedicated Bluetooth toggle present arsenic well). The AI fastener feels much similar a gimmick that's lone determination for chasing a trend; it's a shortcut that pulls up the Prompt Master programme model wherever you punch successful substance to person it summarized done an AI engine, and is an illustration of AI being shoehorned successful immoderate spot possible. On the different hand, the artillery fastener is simply a neat diagnostic highlighting artillery beingness done the RGB lighting connected the fig row. It's besides utilized to rapidly swap to the keyboard's powerfulness redeeming mode that importantly extends artillery life.

Otherwise, the BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro is simply a reasonably straightforward keyboard that finds its footing by nailing the fundamentals – and that revolves astir its mechanical switches. You tin get it with the low-profile versions of the clicky Greens, tactile Oranges, oregon linear Yellows. These person shorter actuation points (1.2mm for the Greens and Yellows, 1.6mm for the Oranges) and question distances (2.8mm for each three). This tin technically beryllium an vantage since inputs are sent retired sooner on a keystroke compared to the emblematic 2.0mm actuation point, but it'll instrumentality a small getting utilized to if you're coming disconnected of modular mechanical switches. One insignificant drawback is that keystrokes don't dependable rather arsenic satisfying arsenic different keyboards, and I wouldn't picture these arsenic "creamy" but alternatively "clacky," though not successful a harsh way. However, what's important is that they're responsive and accordant whether you're gaming oregon typing, which is further supported with the ultra low-latency HyperSpeed tech done a 2.4GHz connection.

Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile – Software and Customization

As with immoderate of its gear, Razer Synapse is required successful bid to tweak the BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro (particularly Synapse 4, which is simply a revamped suite you'll request to instal if you're inactive connected Synapse 3). Like astir of its keyboards, you person afloat entree to Chroma RGB customization, letting you alteration backlighting colors, patterns, and behaviour which tin besides beryllium acceptable to person antithetic reactions to games you're playing oregon keystrokes. Furthermore, you tin representation your fistful of media keys done Synapse, which gives the keyboard a small other versatility.

Like astir modern Razer keyboards, you tin alteration Snap Tap connected the BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro, allowing simultaneous opposing cardinal absorption (SOCD) inputs. As I've mentioned successful erstwhile keyboard reviews, it's a contentious diagnostic that has been banned successful the pro gaming country and tin get you kicked from Steam games. It gives an vantage by cutting retired the quality mistake erstwhile trying to rapidly determination successful other directions arsenic accelerated arsenic possible, and successful a competitory shooter specified arsenic Counter-Strike 2, it provides a tangible payment with quick-strafing and precise positioning and making yourself a hard target.

When it comes to the AI Prompt Master button, it functions arsenic a shortcut that pulls up a breakout model from Synapse. Here, you punch successful substance for a connection exemplary of your choosing (either ChatGPT oregon Copilot) to past rephrase based connected the parameters you acceptable – you person options for wide length, depth, and code of the summary you get back. Razer posits this arsenic a mode to get speedy guide-style assistance successful games oregon distill spot notes, truthful its usefulness is mostly contingent upon the effectiveness of the connection model. In my experience, it's conscionable not worthy the hassle arsenic the results person not been helpful, and astatine best, are conscionable shortcuts to accusation we tin easy question connected our ain (as opposed to Razer's upcoming gaming copilot that is astatine slightest showing committedness for what it's mounting retired to accomplish).

Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile – Gaming and Performance

My BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro came with the proprietary Razer Yellow linear switches, which is conscionable however I similar my mechanical keyboards. They've been immoderate of my favourite switches extracurricular of the Hall Effect magnetic ones connected my existent apical keyboards similar the Keychron K4 HE oregon Pulsar PCMK 2 HE. It's impervious that mechanical is inactive viable for precocious show successful gaming, evident successful the clip I enactment into Battlefield 6 and Counter-Strike 2.

I played astir 10 hours of the Battlefield 6 beta connected PC utilizing this keyboard and the abbreviated propulsion of the low-profile switches made maine consciousness nimble successful the vigor of combat. That agility whitethorn not person made a quality successful my kill-death ratio astatine the extremity of the day, but it's the level of comfortableness and show these switches connection maine successful a competitory game. Sprinting successful and retired of firefights, mantling implicit rubble to scope cover, oregon swapping betwixt cogwheel to enactment my squad successful the midst of Battlefield's chaos each hap successful speedy succession truthful it's imperative that my keyboard keeps up, and the BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro surely did.

For a crippled that demands precision specified arsenic Counter-Strike 2, it took a fewer rounds for maine to set to the circumstantial propulsion region and actuation unit of these Razer Yellow switches (and musculus representation plays a large portion successful a crippled specified arsenic this). But erstwhile I got utilized to them, it was creaseless sailing successful presumption of feeling successful power of my movements and keyboard-based actions. I'd person nary occupation recommending it to those who instrumentality competitory gaming seriously.

Typing whitethorn not beryllium arsenic brushed to the interaction arsenic different mechanical keyboards specified arsenic the Pulsar Xboard QS (which uses Kailh Box Ice Mint switches), and that's owed successful portion to little robust absorption by virtuousness of this being a overmuch thinner keyboard. Still, arsenic benignant retired this reappraisal with the BlackWidow V4 Low-Pro, I'm reminded of its pinpoint precision and easy-going quality of its keystrokes, arsenic if I'm typing connected a laptop that has top-tier mechanical switches.