If a Razer product has a Pro label, it is highly likely to talk about wireless peripherals. Keyboard Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro was no exception and received two wireless interfaces at once – its own HyperSpeed with a USB transmitter and Bluetooth. Let’s find out if the keyboard can be played wirelessly.
Appearance and convenience
Mechanical keyboards consist of a large number of keys with minimal bezels – designers have nowhere to roam. However, the BlackWidow V3 Pro appearance turned out to be quite distinctive, thanks to the beveled front end with a luminous logo and multimedia buttons in the upper right corner. The top panel is made of matte black painted aluminum, while the rest of the body is thick, hard plastic.
The keyboard turned out to be quite high. You can’t do without a palm rest. Fortunately, the kit contains a small platform with an elastic filler sheathed with leatherette. The material is not breathable, so your palms can start to sweat and stick if you don’t move your hands from time to time.
The stop does not cling to the keyboard but is placed next to it, making it possible to position it at a convenient distance. The plastic platform itself is lightweight but does not slip on the table, thanks to six anti-slip pads.
The Razer signature remains unchanged – the case can be raised 6 or 9 degrees with two-stage legs. In any case, to move the keyboard from its place, you need to make a lot of effort since the structure’s weight exceeds 1 kilogram.
Switches and performance
The 104-key layout is tailored without any surprises for gaming and touch typing. Powered by Razer branded mechanical switches with 80 million clicks. There is a choice between green tactile switches or yellow linear switches.
I got tactile switches with green flags. The required force is 50 grams, and the actuation occurs at a distance of 1.9 millimeters immediately after the characteristic click. For a quickly repeated pressing, it is not necessary to return the key to its original position. Repeated operation is possible at a short distance without clicking. Full stroke is standard 4 mm. The switches give good feedback and are fully adapted for gaming or typing. Since a ringing click can annoy others, I advise you to buy a keyboard with tactile switches for working in a separate room.
The stabilizers of the long keys in the form of metal rods are hidden behind the front panel. Only the main switch in the center and a couple of auxiliary switches on the sides are visible under the cap.
RGB backlighting is individual for each key. However, only Latin characters are lit since the only LED is located at the top of the switch. Cyrillic and additional pictograms are applied with reflective paint and are not translucent. This is a common flaw in most Cherry-like switches. However, Logitech and ASUS have solved the problem in their own designs. Razer is lagging.
The multimedia unit has already been found in the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog and migrated to the new product without changes. By default, three keys and a spinning wheel with a button control playback and Windows system volume.
Connection and autonomy
The Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro has two wireless interfaces at once. The main HyperSpeed , with its own USB receiver and auxiliary Bluetooth, can connect up to three devices. Fast switching between Bluetooth devices is performed by holding Fn and numbers from 1 to 3. According to my observations, the quality of the connection is comparable; the proprietary utility works in both cases, which means that the interfaces can be considered equivalent.
The miniature receiver is hidden in a compartment at the bottom of the case. The lid is securely fixed but does not remain on the case in the open position. You have to be careful not to lose it. The Razer Pro Type, which came out a little earlier than our heroine, has a much more convenient magnetic mount for the transmitter.
One mouse and one keyboard can be connected to one HyperSpeed receiver, not to occupy extra USB ports. Transmitter changes can be done at any time via Synapse. For now, in addition to our heroine, DeathAdder V2 Pro and Naga Pro mice are supported.
Battery life is highly dependent on usage and backlight brightness. In my case, BlackWidow V3 Pro lasts 2 days, provided 8 hours of daily work at 30% brightness with the “wave” effect. With the backlight off, the company promises up to 200 hours of battery life.
After the battery is discharged, you can continue working in wired mode. To do this, the first step is to move the toggle switch to the middle position and then connect to USB-C.
The kit contains the usual Razer 2-meter cable in a fabric braid with a reusable clamp.
Razer Synapse Utility
The main function of the application is to remap any keys except Fn and Windows. The list of available actions is extensive. There are macros and dual-use via Hypershift. The game mode is activated via a utility or automatically with the launch of games. In addition to “Windows,” the Alt + Tab and Alt + F4 combinations can be disabled. All settings are saved in profiles. The keyboard memory is designed for four. Profiles can be assigned to launch applications. Macros are also stored in the keyboard memory.
The backlight is configured on the second tab. A full suite of effects is available, as well as a custom Chroma Studio mode builder to fine-tune each LED and sync with other Razer peripherals.
To save power, you can adjust the time after which the backlight brightness will approximately halve. And also the time-out for the transition to energy saving with the complete shutdown of the LEDs. When working through HyperSpeed, waking up from sleep is instant. The first pressed key is transmitted to the computer. Via Bluetooth, the first press wakes the keyboard from sleep, followed by reconnection in three seconds.
Razer software adequately consumes system resources; 7 background processes take up no more than 200 MB of RAM and have minimal impact on the processor.
Feedback after two weeks of use
Razer can be considered the pioneers of eliminating wires in gaming peripherals, the company has both mice and headsets, and now it’s time for keyboards. For example, in Razer BlackWidow V3, the transition can be considered successful. The wireless interfaces work as well as the wire. The only weak point is autonomy. With the backlight on, the keyboard can work for more than 2 days. Fortunately, Razer took care of the USB-C connector on the case.
Otherwise, the novelty is fully consistent with the high level of Razer peripherals: high-quality switches, full-fledged layout, and palm rest provide comfort while playing and typing. There is only one serious drawback – the lack of backlighting of the Cyrillic alphabet and secondary characters. The company has not yet dealt with this problem.
Pros:
- Equally good work via USB transmitter and via Bluetooth;
- Possibility of wired connection via USB-C;
- Razer tactile mechanical switches;
- Full-fledged 104-key layout;
- Additional multimedia buttons;
- Two-stage height adjustment;
- Comfortable palm rest.
Minuses:
- Secondary pictograms and Cyrillic are not translucent;
- Short battery life.
May not like:
- High price.