Many gamers know that a mechanical keyboard can add an extra edge to their skills. What many gamers fail to realize is that not all mechanical keyboards are the same, even at times when they look exactly the same. Case in point – the SteelSeries Apex 7 and the Apex 7 Pro.
Either of these will be a valuable weapon in your gaming arsenal. But only one of these will give you an actual advantage over most other players, since it comes with a feature that is not available anywhere else; one that allows for astounding customization and unheard of response time – virtually instant – and allows activating actions by barely grazing a key, if you so desire.
Spoiler alert: it’s not the cheaper one that allows it; this is one of those cases in which the “Pro” suffix really means something. Although it’s worthwhile to keep in mind that unless you’re a really advanced competitive gamer who is serious about pushing their performance to the limits (or simply someone who really likes tinkering), chances are you might be content with the vanilla Steelseries Apex 7.
Read on to learn why that is so, and get a sense of whether you will find it worthwhile to fork out the extra cash for the better model. The key difference relates to the “Omnipoint 2.0” switch types that are included in the Apex Pro; these state of the art switches allow you to adjust precisely the pre-travel distance that will activate keystrokes, as well as adding two separate actions to each key, depending on how far you press it.
They also have more than 10 times faster response and actuation compared to the base model, since the minimum registration distance is a mere 0.2mm – meaning you can trigger an action in a fraction of a millisecond rather than a few milliseconds.
SteelSeries Apex 7: Overviewing Key benefits
- Features OLED Smart Display that can be used to receive notifications while gaming
- Frame made from extremely resistant aircraft grade aluminum (series 5000)
- Mechanical switches are very sturdy and durable, and are available in three colors (red / blue / brown)
- Detachable magnetic wrist rest with strong holding power and soft texture
- Features RGB light with 16.8M colors that can be fully customized
SteelSeries Apex Pro: Overviewing Key benefits
- Features OmniPoint 2.0 mechanical switches that can be individually adjusted, and provide the fastest response (11x) and actuation speed (10x)
- Sensitivity of the adjustable witches can be individually set anywhere from 0.2 to 3.8mm to provide the ideal tactile feel for each action
- Allows setting two separate actions to each key, depending on how far down it’s pressed
- Features OLED Smart Display that can allow getting notifications from games and apps at a glance
- Features a convenient USB passthrough that allows charging a USB device directly from the keyboard
- RGB lights with 16.8 million colors, versatile customization options and PrismSync enabled
- Extremely resistant aircraft grade aluminum frame (series 5000)
What Amazon Reviewers Are Saying
Right now, you can find the Steelseries Apex 7 on Amazon for around 140$; let’s look at some reviews:
On the other hand, the Steelseries Apex Pro is selling for $170, and this is the sort of feedback being left by previous customers:
The Final Verdict
If the price gap between these products were a lot wider, we might have a harder time picking the best choice for gamers – since it would involve balancing a bunch of considerations such as their skill level, their competitive flair, and their budget.
As it is, we feel the Apex Pro is simply the most advisable option no matter how we approach this. It is very much a souped-up version of the Apex 7; one that while looking very much alike on the surface, adds a really interesting feature under the hood.
The Omnipoint switches are a really interesting feature that is well worth the proportionally small cost of admission, and they’re not just about chasing the fastest possible reaction speeds; the concept of adding two separate actions for each key opens up interesting possibilities, and it’s something that you can experiment with as casually or as thoroughly as it suits you. If you’re up for getting a top of the line mechanical keyboard for gaming, this is probably the best available option right now.