SteelSeries' Apex Pro gaming keyboards were among the first models to feature analog switches, and the company has been making small upgrades to the line with each new generation. The most recent, the Apex Pro Gen 3 family, offers special Hall-effect key switches, wireless connectivity, a wider range of key layouts, and other small touches. SteelSeries keeps piling on the features, but know that the price, in turn, will pile on your budget: SteelSeries levies a whopping $299.99 MSRP for the full-size version, or $239.99 for the tenkeyless ("TKL") version we tested. (Even oft-discounted, the prices remain high.) The Gen 3 may be the best version of the Apex Pro, but it's not necessarily a top value. For a deluxe tenkeyless model that delivers heft, ruggedness, and unique design in the around-$200 range, our favorite of the moment is the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro. For a much more moderately priced sawed-off gaming board, see the Fnatic Streak65.

Design: Full-Size Layout, or Trimmed-Down TKL? You Choose

At a glance, the Gen 3 is virtually indistinguishable from previous generations of the Apex Pro. The keyboard is encased in a plastic shell with an aluminum top plate, featuring a small OLED screen and a volume-control roller in the upper-right corner. (Any keyboard with a roller and a screen in the corner gets a fist-bump, in my book.)

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

You can get the Gen 3 in Full Size, 60%, and Tenkeyless ("TKL") models. (SteelSeries also offers wired and wireless options for the TKL.) The full-size version of the Apex Pro Gen 3 measures 1.6 by 17.2 by 5.5 inches (HWD), while the 60% is 1.6 by 11.5 by 4 inches; the TKL model splits the difference at 1.7 by 14 by 5 inches. For a build that’s mostly plastic, the Gen 3 feels surprisingly sturdy and robust, weighing around 2.4 pounds for the wireless version of the Apex Pro TKL.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Aesthetically, the Apex Pro Gen 3 is nondescript, save for the little OLED screen, which can display small monochrome icons or GIFs. While this is a trademark of the Apex Pro, I found it has few practical applications. You can use the nearby roller—and the small button below it—to execute a variety of functions, such as adjusting the backlight brightness or recording macros, but to my eyes and fingers, the process is cumbersome. Anything I could do on this tiny screen, I was able to accomplish much faster via either the built-in hotkeys or the configuration software.

Features: It's All About the Hall Effect

The Apex Pro Gen 3 line is the first SteelSeries keyboard family designed with particular attention to acoustics. The chassis comes outfitted with sound-dampening layers between the chassis and PCB, and the result is a more muted response than previous models.

That assumes you're after that kind of audible aesthetic, though. The sound is far removed from what I've heard from other off-the-shelf gaming-keyboard options such as the Lemokey P1 HE or Wooting 80HE, which offer a rich, thocky typing experience. Here, this was more of a hollow response to my ears, particularly when striking the Apex Pro's rattly space bar.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Just like previous iterations of the Apex Pro, the Gen 3 features analog Hall-effect switches. Once a novelty, the switches have become more common in cutting-edge gaming keyboards. Hall-effect switches use position sensors and magnets to detect key presses, rather than closing a physical contact.

Because of their nature, these switches can have multiple actions mapped to a single key, each triggered based on actuation distance. Hall-effect switches can also offer features like Rapid Tap, which enhances movement in games by prioritizing the second key pressed when two are tapped at once. Features like these offer a tangible advantage over older mechanical switches.

These premium switches are the ones you are stuck with, though. SteelSeries' proprietary Omnipoint 3.0 switches aren’t hot-swappable, which drastically limits your ability to tinker with or repair your keyboard after the fact. The non-swappability isn’t a huge deal, especially given you paid a bundle, presumably, to get a keyboard with Hall-effect switches in the first place. But given the keyboard's cost—and the fact that other manufacturers include swappable key designs in this price range—know what you are getting into.

Testing the Apex Pro TKL Gen 3: Slick Keys, Tetchy Wireless

My hands-on time typing and gaming on the Apex Pro TKL was comfortable and snappy. The keyboard accurately registered all my inputs, and the Rapid Tap functionality proved particularly useful in several matches of Battlefield 6. While I will always hold a special place in my heart for the tactile feel of mechanical switches, Hall-effect keys offer an undeniable advantage for twitchy, high-speed gaming.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Unfortunately, this uncompromising performance is limited to the keyboard’s wired mode. While I was able to pair the Apex Pro TKL with my desktop via Bluetooth, I experienced some latency. If you're a casual gamer, you won't care or likely even notice, but it's enough to make the Bluetooth connection a poor option for intense competitive gaming and esports. Likewise, when using the keyboard with its 2.4GHz dongle, I experienced intermittent connectivity issues; specifically, at times, the keyboard would suddenly stop receiving input. I tried to resolve this by updating SteelSeries' firmware and testing the dongle in different USB Type-C ports on my desktop, but the problem persisted.

Eventually, I discovered that the fastest fix was to reseat the dongle in its corresponding port. (I tried the dongle with a second desktop, and saw the same balky behavior.) The problem occurred often enough that I eventually went back to using the keyboard primarily in wired or Bluetooth mode. If you opt for the Apex Pro, make sure you buy from an outlet that allows easy returns in case you run across this issue, too. This is likely just down to our test sample, but watch for it.

Software: GG Is Easy Enough

The SteelSeries configuration software, called GG, lets you fine-tune your keyboard's settings, including the per-key actuation distance, RGB lighting, and macro recording.

(Credit: SteelSeries)

The Apex Pro TKL supports up to five built-in profiles that you can save directly to the hardware, allowing you to use the same macros and other settings across different PCs, independent of the software. However, this same functionality doesn’t apply to the lighting; if you exit the GG application, the lighting schemes are limited to a handful of presets you can switch among, nothing more granular.

I found changing the various settings and customizing inputs with GG is fairly simple. The software provides a live preview overlay of the keyboard that shows any changes you’ve made to the default settings. The application also provides a dropdown menu of key assignments, offering a laundry list of your changes to peruse at a glance. It's solid-enough software for the tweaker in me.