Keychron knows how to make a good mouse that packs a punch without breaking the bank — and the Keychron M2 8K is one such rodent. Featuring 8,000Hz polling and adjustable DPI up to 30,000, the M2 8K is a gaming powerhouse. It features Angle Snapping, too, which gives you a competitive advantage in FPS titles. Adding to its appeal is up to 140 hours of runtime, and extensive web-based customization.

But the M2 8K isn’t perfect. Its scroll wheel is stiff and feels rigid, which has a negative impact on your gaming experience. The body feels quite slippery, and it’s also a fingerprint magnet. The sub-$100 mouse market is overcrowded already, and even the tiniest flaw feels big when you consider the competition.

So, is it still the best gaming mouse for you? Read my full Keychron M2 8K review to find out.

Keychron M2 8K review: Specs

Keychron M2 8K review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wireless gaming mouse with 30,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling
• Who is it for? Gamers on a budget
• How much does it cost? The Keychron M2 8K is available for just $69 / £54
• What do we like? The superb gaming performance, long battery life, user-friendly software, and budget-friendly price
• What don’t we like? The slippery and fingerprint-prone design, and stiff scroll wheel

Keychron M2 8K review: The ups

From its 30,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling rate, to its long battery life and web-based software, the Keychron M2 8K is a solid budget-friendly gaming mouse.

Superb gaming performance

The Keychron M2 8K’s biggest selling point is, of course, its gaming performance. Even though it weighs just 1.94oz, the M2 8K packs a lot of tech. It’s got an 8,000Hz polling rate and a maximum DPI of 30,000 — both of which can be adjusted using the dedicated buttons at the bottom of the mouse.

8KHz polling in competition mice is fairly commonplace now, as is such high DPI, like the SteelSeries Rival Pro ($179) with 42,000, the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike ($179) with 44,000, the Razer Viper V4 Pro ($159) with 50,000, and the Fnatic x Lamzu Maya 8K ($119) with 30,000. It’s nice to see the M2 8K go toe-to-toe with these mice at a much lower price.

First of all, let’s talk about 8,000Hz polling. Regardless of the game I played, from Cyberpunk 2077 and Counter-Strike 2 to Lies of P, I didn’t experience or notice any latency issues. All of my commands were registered smoothly and instantaneously, and I appreciated the click buttons’ tactile feedback as well. You can always drop the polling rate down to 1,000Hz when you aren’t gaming, as 8KHz can be a drain on system resources (and the mouse’s battery life).

A high and adjustable DPI of 30,000 proves to be a big advantage across genres, as you can slow down your movements or speed them up, depending on the in-game scenario. For instance, when I wanted precise, smooth and controlled crosshair placement for landing headshots in Counter-Strike 2, I opted for a low DPI like 800.

This gave me a lot of control over my movement, and when I was trying to execute a headshot in the distance, my shaky hand movements didn’t throw off my aim. It also helps that the M2 8K features Angle Snapping (enabled via the companion app) that smooths out lateral mouse movements to ensure a straight line, helping you keep your cursor at head-level at all times. It ensures that your hand’s natural and minute movements don’t impact your cursor’s movement, thereby giving you an advantage in games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant.

Setting the M2 8K to its maximum DPI of 30,000 is probably overkill for most people — I know it is for me — but I guess it’s good to have in case you need it. I opted for a high DPI of 10,000 when I wanted to be super quick in Cyberpunk 2077 and Lies of P. When trying to stealth my way through a base in Cyberpunk 2077, or being surrounded by slow-moving puppet enemies in Lies of P, I was able to use the mouse’s high DPI to quickly move my camera and scan my surroundings. It also enabled me to change directions really quickly while in close-quarter combat.

Extensive web-based customization

The Keychron M2 8K can be extensively customized via the web-based Keychron Launcher app. Keychron Launcher is one of my favorite apps, as it sports a very clean interface, doesn’t feature intrusive pop-ups (unlike my archnemesis Asus Armoury Crate), and best of all, it can be used without having to install any third-party bloatware on to your machine.

Once you’ve plugged in your M2 8K and opened Keychron Launcher in Google Chrome (or other browser), you’re able to assign different DPI values and polling rates to their dedicated buttons, toggle smart features like Angle Snapping, change scroll direction, and update the mouse’s firmware. Keychron Launcher is super easy to use, and each setting is accompanied by a short explanation so that you understand what each function does.

Up to 140 hours of battery life

Keychron has spared no expense in ensuring that the M2 8K lasts as long as possible — and for a budget-friendly mouse, it boasts exceptional battery life. The M2 8K is equipped with the same 600mAh rechargeable battery that’s also found in the Keychron M3 Mini 8K ($69). When polling at 1,000Hz, the M2 8K is rated for up to 140 hours. 8,000Hz polling is naturally detrimental to any device’s runtime, and the M2 8K isn’t an exception to that. Its battery life drops to 40 hours when polling at 8,000Hz — but that’s still excellent.

In comparison, both the Keychron M6 8K ($69) and the pricier Fnatic x Lamzu Maya 8K are rated for 80 hours each at 1,000Hz. The M2 8K is bested by the likes of the Razer Viper V4 Pro with its 45-hour runtime when polling at 8,000Hz, and the SteelSeries Rival Pro with its zero-downtime battery — but they cost a lot more than the M2 8K.

Budget-friendly

On top of everything the Keychron M2 8K offers, it’s the mouse’s price that really sweetens the deal. Priced at just $69 / £54, it’s one of the cheapest mice you can buy today. There’s no dearth of competition in that price range, and the M2 8K goes up against heavy hitters, like the Keychron M7 ($49), the Keychron M3 Mini 8K ($69), and the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless ($79). The M2 8K leaves its mark as one of the best, though, and is great for anyone who wants a simple-looking but powerful gaming mouse.

Keychron M2 8K review: The downs

Unfortunately, the Keychron M2 8K has a few flaws. Its scroll wheel is very stiff, the mouse itself proved slippery in testing, and it’s a fingerprint magnet.

Stiff scroll wheel

One of the things that’s annoyed me most about using the Keychron M2 8K is its stiff scroll wheel. It feels like it has high resistance, and it feels heavy, tight and hard to rotate. In addition to that, the scroll click also feels heavy. While that’s great for avoiding accidental clicks while, say, scrolling through a spreadsheet, it can cause finger fatigue and impact reaction times in video games.

The M2 8K’s scroll wheel certainly had an impact on my experience when playing Cyberpunk 2077. When in the heat of combat, I wasn’t able to swap between my quick-access weapons as quickly as I’d have liked, because the scroll wheel felt heavy. I haven’t experienced this issue with other Keychron mice, like the M6 8K or the M3 Mini 8K. Maybe the M2 8K’s scroll wheel will loosen over time — but I wish it felt smooth straight out of the box.

Slippery body

While I’ve found the Keychron M2 8K mostly comfortable, it proved quite slippery in testing. The uncoated, smooth ABS plastic lacks inherent grip. If your hands tend to sweat a lot, you won’t be pleased with this mouse, as the smooth surface becomes harder to hold during intense gaming sessions.

This issue can be fixed by sticking grip tape to the M2 8K — but frustratingly, Keychron doesn’t include any in the mouse’s box, so you’ll have to grab some third-party one. If you want a textured mouse that feels grippy, I’d recommend the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K or the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless. Neither gave me any grip issues during testing. Elite esports mice, like the Razer Viper V4 Pro and the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, feel grippy too, so it’s a problem with the M2 8K, not competition mice as a whole.

Fingerprint magnet

This isn’t a major drawback but for anyone who gets the ick easily may want to consider this before buying the Keychron M2 8K. Thanks to its matte ABS coating, this thing is a fingerprint magnet. I noticed my fingerprints shining on the mouse just after an hour of use. We had the same issue with the SteelSeries Rival and Sensei Pro, so this isn’t isolated to Keychron. But if it bothers you, grab the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless or the Lemokey G1 ($64) instead.

Keychron M2 8K review: Verdict

The Keychron M2 8K is a competent little rodent. It’s great for FPS and RPGs as it packs 8,000Hz polling and 30,000 DPI, both of which can be adjusted on the fly, thanks to the buttons on the bottom. When polling at 1,000Hz, the mouse can last up to a whopping 140 hours, too. Oh, and customization is easy as pie via web-based software.

However, the M2 8K has a few flaws. It picks up fingerprints extremely easily and quickly, and the mouse’s body feels quite slippery. The M2 8K’s scroll wheel feels very stiff and rigid, too, which has a detrimental effect on gaming performance. For $69 or just under, you can get a more well-rounded mouse, like the Lemokey G1 or the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K. Though the M2 8K is good, it’s simply outdone by others.

When Microsoft introduced its new Surface lineup at Snapdragon Summit, attention naturally gravitated toward the silicon and the screens. I mean it did to me — fawning over the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop armed with Snapdragon X2 Plus.

But yet, the quietest peripheral on the table — the redesigned $79 Surface Mouse — might be the most significant announcement of them all.

Beyond its 30% recycled chassis, ambidextrous silhouette and dedicated action button, the standout feature is that the integrated haptic feedback can actually communicate with you as you work.

Let me explain.

Closing the tactile feedback loop

For decades, the computer mouse has been an entirely one-way transmission line: your hand clicks or drags, and your eyes watch the screen to confirm the result. Trackpads have experimented with haptics to mimic mechanical switches, but standalone desktop mice have largely remained hollow plastic shells with rigid microswitches.

The Surface Mouse turns that input into a two-way conversation in some small but significant ways:

• Window snapping: Drag a browser window toward the edge of your screen, and the mouse body delivers a subtle tactile bump when Windows 11 snaps the pane into place. It’s one of a few different haptic responses you’ll feel across the OS, and adds a liveliness to the whole UI.
• Object alignment: Slide an element across any of the Microsoft Office applications, or in Adobe’s Creative Suite, and I physically felt a micro-tick when the shape locks onto an alignment guide or center axis. This will be massive for me — someone with zero alignment awareness — who always falls out trying to snap objects onto ruler lines.
• Tactile verification: Instead of guessing whether a click registered in a laggy software pipeline, the haptic actuator provides an instant physical confirmation under your palm. If you’re doing anything particularly heavy, it’s good to know separate of the machine running slow that the click has been acknowledged.

The takeaway

Haptic feedback in a mouse sounds gimmicky on a spec sheet. I’ve seen it before in the Logitech MX Master 4, and while it feels good, it doesn’t really do anything.

But in real-world productivity workflows, the Surface Mouse is transformative. It offloads visual verification to your fingertips, shaving seconds off repetitive alignment tasks.

That Copilot key may grab the headlines, but the tactile dialogue inside the Surface Mouse is the game changer here.

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• Snap’s CEO told me he hates getting AI-drafted texts from his wife — so what’s the plan to fight brain fry with Specs?

Having recently spent time with MelGeek’s Made68 Ultra V2 keyboard, I came away declaring my love for its magnetic switches, slick styling and clean sound. With those things fresh in my mind, I approached the Centauri60 Evangelion ‘Asuka Edition’ expecting a familiar experience. What I found instead was a keyboard that carries over everything I liked about the Ultra V2 while improving the parts that matter most to me in everyday use.

The Asuka Edition isn’t exactly subtle — it leans into its Evangelion theme and makes no effort to hide it. You get a ‘dominant’ red case, sharp angled edges, lighting strips on both sides, a hidden engraving of Asuka’s most iconic line, a Prog‑Knife motif, a metal nameplate built into the frame, and a laser‑etched EVA‑02 insignia. It’s unapologetically bold and openly geeky, far more so than the Made68 Ultra V2 I tested earlier, and that personality hits you straight away.

And yes, the volume knob is still one of those small touches that makes a big impact. On a 60% board, having a tactile media control feels like a luxury, and it’s one I’m thankful for given its absence from the Made 68 Ultra V2. Of course, there’s more to the Centauri60 than its theme — it’s a keyboard which so resoundingly nails its build, sound, feel, gaming features and typing experience, that it’s now become my daily driver at home — here’s why.

A thocking spectacular sound profile

The acoustic profile is where the Centauri60 surprised me most. The Ultra V2 I tested sounded super clean, but it used KOM Lite switches which resulted in a brighter, snappier sound signature. The Centauri60, by contrast, comes installed with TTC Flip King magnetic switches, which I instantly preferred for their deeper, more muted tone.

Another major contributor has to be its CNC aluminium unibody, which weighs a hefty 1.32kg and provides a dense, vibration‑absorbing foundation. Compared to some of the more plastic-centric keyboards I’ve used in the past, this heavy-duty body noticeably suppresses higher‑frequency noise while letting lower tones develop more fully, giving the board a richer, more grounded sound.

The Centauri60 also uses a five‑layer acoustic dampening system — a combination of Poron foam, PET film, and a leaf‑spring gasket mount — designed to eliminate hollow cavities and absorb unwanted resonance. The result, in my estimation, is a keyboard that minimises harsh clacks for a smoother, more “creamy” signature

The magnetic switches certainly help with consistency, but the case design and acoustic layering are doing most of the heavy lifting, resulting in a sound profile that makes you want to keep typing simply because it sounds so great.

Easily the sturdiest keyboard I’ve ever tested

The build quality on the last MelGeek board I tested was already impressive, but the Centauri60 feels like a step up in every direction. Its machined aluminium chassis has that dense, rigid character you’d expect from a well‑cut block of metal, and there’s genuinely no flex anywhere in the frame. The tighter tolerances, cleaner seams, and more even weight distribution give it a more confident, premium feel — even compared to the already excellent Made68 Ultra V2.

Granted, I’ve only used two MelGeek keyboards to date, but it feels like there’s very little room for improvement when it comes to the Centauri60’s build quality. Compared to the Made68 Ultra V2, there’s a more deliberate weight to the board when you pick it up — 1.32kg (2.91 lbs) to be exact — so you know it won’t slide around your desk in the heat of online battle.

That weight distribution also contributes to a “single‑piece” feel in hand, something that really sells the mecha‑like character of the board. Nothing shifts, nothing creaks, and the chassis feels impeccably engineered in true Evangelion fashion. It’s so good, it could almost make Shinji’s father smile — if he were capable of such a thing.

Immaculate styling for Evangelion fans

As mentioned earlier, the Asuka Edition’s red colourway is easily its standout feature. It’s a saturated, confident red that really drives home its Evangelion inspiration. It’s unashamedly geeky, and its lighting helps amplify that personality: the south‑facing RGB shines cleanly through the keycaps. That bothered me somewhat on the Made68 Ultra V2, largely due to the dark purple text which made the keys hard to read. Here, the characters are white, making them far easier to make out at a glance.

Speaking of keycaps, the Asuka Edition employs a mix of red, orange and charcoal caps that mirror Asuka’s Unit‑02 palette, and the legends use Evangelion‑inspired typography that give the board a cool, futuristic vibe. The accent keys — particularly the green escape key and the darker modifiers — continues the anime‑driven look in a way that feels cohesive. Even the bottom of the case carries EVA‑specific detailing — the aforementioned “hidden” engraving — making the board feel like a collectible rather than just a themed variant.

The biggest downside of the entire keyboard sits right at the back: the USB‑C port. The port itself is recessed, but the real issue is the extra lip on MelGeek’s own USB‑C cable, which is designed to slot perfectly into that recess for a snug fit. Because of that proprietary lip, almost no third‑party cable can seat properly. So if you were hoping to pair the board with a coiled cable or any non‑MelGeek option, you’ll have to let that idea go or start thinking in terms of soldering irons. For a board that otherwise nails its visual identity, this restrictive setup feels out of place — and it’s the one styling choice that genuinely frustrated me.

Fully specced for modern gaming

The Centauri60’s magnetic switch system performs on par with any Hall‑effect board I’ve tested, delivering consistent, predictable keystrokes that can be tuned to impressively fine sensitivity. All the core features — rapid trigger, SOCD cleaning, adjustable actuation, analog‑style travel sensing, NKRO and zero‑dead‑zone behaviour — run smoothly and without any fuss.

Actuation can be adjusted from 0.1mm all the way to 3.4mm, giving you plenty of control whether you prefer hair‑trigger responsiveness or a more deliberate typing feel. Rapid Trigger is adjustable from 0.01mm to 2.5mm, resetting the moment a key starts to rise, which makes repeated inputs feel snappy and effortless. SOCD cleaning is handled in firmware and follows standard competitive rules, ensuring clean directional behaviour when opposite keys are pressed.

The switches also support full analog‑style travel sensing, with 0.01mm precision, allowing the board to read the exact depth of each keypress rather than just on/off states. In practice, this enables multi‑stage actions, variable movement speeds and pressure‑sensitive inputs in supported games. The keyboard runs at an 8,000Hz polling rate with a 0.125ms latency, and key response feels immediate whether you’re typing or gaming.

Man’s ultimate fighting machine

While I loved almost everything about MelGeek’s Made68 Ultra V2, the Centauri60 Evangelion ‘Asuka Edition’ improves on it in several of the areas which are most important to me. It’s got incredible styling that’s inspired by my favourite Evangelion character and EVA unit, its build quality feels strong enough to go into battle with Angels, its acoustics are deeper and thockier than that keyboard in a way that I find immensely satisfying, and its highly tunable Hall-effect switches give me all the high-end features I need in a competitive gaming keyboard.

As a noted fan of 75% layouts, I thought I’d be bothered by the Centauri60’s 60% layout, but it actually doesn’t feel too compact for me to use on a daily basis. And the fact that it still includes a small volume knob despite its condensed layout is a massive plus for me — especially since that was one of my biggest gripes with the Made68 Ultra V2.

The only real drawback is the USB‑C port, which is restrictive enough to be a genuine annoyance. That flaw aside, the Centauri60 becomes an easy recommendation for any Evangelion fan who wants a compact magnetic board with strong acoustics and a standout colourway.

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I’ve tested nearly 100 keyboards, at the time of writing, and the Tecware Spectre 75 is one I’ve boxed back up the quickest. The keyboard costs just $79, and offers a great typing experience. It’s great for hardcore typists who want nothing but responsive switches for a day’s worth of work — but its issues are too hard to ignore.

The Spectre 75 features a built-in LCD screen you can display GIFs on, but frustratingly, its companion software (needed for customizing the screen) is finicky to use. The build and design are nothing to write home about, neither is its limited stock switch choice. But my biggest issue with the Spectre 75 is how it becomes unresponsive after being in sleep mode.

To find out why it isn’t one of the best mechanical keyboards, read my full Tecware Spectre 75 review.

Tecware Spectre 75 review: Specs

Tecware Spectre 75 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 75% layout, hot-swappable mechanical keyboard with either tactile or linear switches
• Who is it for? For hardcore typists and casual gamers
• How much does it cost? The Tecware Spectre 75 costs just $79
• What do we like? The typing experience, LCD screen to display GIFs on, and 1KHz polling for gaming
• What don’t we like? The plasticky build, the lackluster design, janky companion software, and limited stock switch choice

Tecware Spectre 75 review: The ups

The Tecware Spectre 75 is lovely to type on, it sounds good, and it features a built-in LCD screen you can display GIFs on. It’s a decent keyboard for gaming, too, thanks to 1KHz polling.

Lovely to type on

The Tecware Spectre 75 is a fantastic keyboard to type on, so it’s great for hardcore typists (like myself). The keyboard comes fitted with pre-lubed Cocoa Brown (tactile) or Candy Red (linear) mechanical switches. I tested the Candy Reds which require 45g of force to activate. They’re slightly heavier than the 35g Sea Salt linears in the Epomaker RT100 ($115) but even so, I’ve found the Candy Reds non-fatiguing to type on. I wrote this review and another on the Spectre 75!

The Candy Reds feel smooth and responsive to type on. Combined with the double-shot PBT keycaps, the gasket mount, and several layers of foam padding, the Spectre 75 sounds lovely, too. It’s got a deep, creamy sound which isn’t too loud that it disturbs your coworkers, but it isn’t too quiet either, so you can appreciate it.

Speaking of, the double-shot PBT keycaps feel soft to touch. By their nature, the PBT keycaps are more resistant to oil and wear and tear than their ABS counterparts. They don’t get shiny like the ones on the expensive Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 ($149) either.

As soon as I unboxed the Spectre 75, I took a typing test at 10fastfingers.com (as I always do). Straight out of the box, I was able to achieve 93 words per minute with 90% accuracy. Though a little slower than what I’m used to, like 109WPM on the Epomaker Glyph ($139), I’m happy anytime I get over 90WPM, so I’m pleased with the Spectre 75’s performance.

Good gaming performance

The Tecware Spectre 75 is a competent gaming keyboard, packing a 1,000Hz polling rate over a wired connection. Over Bluetooth, this naturally drops to just 125Hz. 1KHz polling is more than plenty for 99% of gamers. I played Counter-Strike 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 on the Alienware 16X Aurora, and I didn’t notice any latency issues or input lag.

Linear switches are usually great for gaming, and the same is true for the Spectre 75’s Candy Reds. I found them extremely responsive in my testing. Tecware doesn’t specify the switches’ pre-travel distance, or how far down the switches need to be pressed to activate them. Even so, I felt they only required light taps to activate.

You also get N-key rollover which ensures consistent and accurate key registration when you’re typing and playing. You can basically hold down several keys at once and all of them will be registered by the keyboard’s hardware and executed on screen. In Cyberpunk 2077, I was able to sprint, jump, reload my weapon and activate my Sandevistan cyberware to slow down time, all at once. This gave me a slight competitive advantage and I was able to run circles around enemies.

For competitive gamers or esports players, I’d recommend a Hall Effect keyboard with adjustable actuation and 8,000Hz polling, like the Epomaker HE68 ($59) or the Epomaker HE65 Mag ($99). If you’re a casual gamer, though, the Spectre 75 should more than suffice.

Customizable LCD screen

If I had a nickel for every keyboard I’ve tested that features a built-in LCD screen, I’d have many. Similar to the likes of the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5, the Epomaker RT100 Pro ($119) and the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless ($259), the Tecware Spectre 75 features a customizable LCD screen.

Located between the volume knob and Function row, the screen is tiny but bright. By default, it displays a pre-installed GIF, and the knob lets you adjust the volume. If you hold down Fn and the knob, you can enter LCD Menu Navigation mode. Twisting the knob thereafter lets you cycle through the keyboard’s various settings. You can use the screen (and the knob) to adjust the RGB lighting’s effects, speed and brightness, and swap between macOS and Windows layouts.

I found the screen responsive in my testing — it's the Spectre 75’s companion software (that’s needed to upload GIFs) that I have a problem with. More on that later, though.

Low price

One of the best things about the Tecware Spectre 75 is that it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It retails for just $79 at Amazon U.S. which makes it one of the cheapest keyboards I’ve tested so far. It’s cheaper than some of our favorite budget mech decks, like the NuPhy Node75 ($99) and the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K ($114). It’s priced similarly to the Royal Kludge L75 ($79) and the Keychron V1 8K ($74) — though the latter is wired-only.

Tecware Spectre 75 review: The downs

The Tecware Spectre 75 isn’t perfect. Its lackluster design, plasticky build, janky companion software, and limited stock switch choice leave a lot to be desired.

Lackluster design

I’ll preface this by saying that there’s nothing wrong with the Tecware Spectre 75’s design — it’s just very dull and very boring to look at. There’s nothing special about the design. The Spectre 75 comes in either black or white, and they’re… fine? This is a decent-looking keyboard for anyone who prefers something low-key. There’s flashy per-key RGB lighting that adds a splash of color, though.

If you want a keyboard that pops, or utilizes a combination of different colors at the least, I’d recommend the Royal Kludge L75, the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite ($89) or the MCHOSE K99 V2 ($99). Of those, the Mercury K1 Lite is the polar opposite of the Spectre 75, with a garish, loud design. I’d stick to the Royal Kludge L75 if I were you.

Plasticky build

The Tecware Spectre 75 isn’t the best built keyboard out there. Its body is made entirely of plastic which feels a little too cheap for my liking. It looks like a reskinned Keychron V1 ($94) but without the steel plate. The plastic case feels slightly flimsy, and there’s some flex when you twist the Spectre 75 by its sides. It does feature a metallic knob in the top-right corner which feels premium, though.

Its all-plastic build makes the keyboard fairly light, though, so it’s good to travel with. The Spectre 75 weighs 1.87lbs so it’s lighter than the Keychron V1 8K (2.19lbs). But if you want an even lighter keyboard that also feels premium, I’d recommend the NuPhy Node75 (1.45lbs).

Janky companion software

I’m no stranger to janky companion software, having tested many gadgets with finicky apps, but great snakes is the Tecware Spectre 75’s app infuriating. You’ll need to download the Spectre 75’s dedicated software from the Tecware website, and it’s not available on macOS, even though the keyboard itself is compatible with Apple’s laptops. If you own a MacBook, you won’t be able to customize the LCD screen or upload GIFs to it — it’s worth considering a keyboard like the Epomaker RT75 ($91) instead.

Speaking of GIFs, uploading one to the Spectre 75 feels like an uphill climb, or like Sisyphus pushing a heavy boulder up said hill, only to watch it roll back down. The process seems simple enough at first. Navigate to the GIF tab, click on the + icon, and add your preferred GIF. When I did so, the software told me that the GIF had 61 frames and only 44 were allowed. You can delete specific frames within the software itself, but you can’t do so in bulk. You have to delete each frame individually — and this includes confirming every time that you’re certain you want to delete said frame.

It took some time, but I managed to trim the frames down to 44. I clicked ‘Upload to Keyboard’ and watched the progress bar fill up… and then the software crashed. I booted up the software again and repeated the process, only this time the software didn’t say that the frames were limited to 44 — strange, but at least it saves me a gazillion steps. Again, I clicked ‘Upload to Keyboard’ and this time, it worked (thankfully).

But that isn’t where my troubles stopped. I wanted to test the software’s macro recording feature but for some reason, none of the options in the macro tab were clickable. I reinstalled the software and the issue persisted. I even checked if the Spectre 75 had the latest firmware installed (it did).

The Spectre 75’s LCD screen is capable of displaying CPU and GPU stats, too, but the software needs to be running in the background — again, impossible to do on macOS. Overall, the software left a sour taste in my mouth, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Limited stock switch choice

The Tecware Spectre 75 comes with pre-lubed switches that are made in-house. Unfortunately, you’re limited to just two stock switch sets. You can choose either Cocoa Brown tactile or Candy Red linear switches. There are no clicky or silent switches, and you’ll have to buy your preferred ones separately.

Thankfully, the Spectre 75 is hot-swappable and compatible with south-facing 5-pin mechanical switches. It’s nice to see a budget keyboard offering hot-swappability when some pricey keyboards don’t (looking at you, Turtle Beach Command Series KB5). If you want more stock switch choice at checkout, I’d recommend the Keychron V1 8K.

Not the most responsive when waking

The last nail in the Tecware Spectre 75’s coffin is its tendency to not respond when it’s waking from sleep mode. In my testing, over Bluetooth and a wired connection, the keyboard wouldn’t respond after my laptop — and therefore, the Spectre 75 — had been asleep for a while. Though it didn’t happen all the time, I had to reconnect the keyboard a few times to get it working again. I tested this on macOS and Windows machines and had the same issue each time.

I haven’t had this issue with other mechanical keyboards I’ve tested. For that reason, and everything else I’ve mentioned up until now, I’d recommend the Keychron V1 8K or the Royal Kludge L75. I’ve tested both keyboards extensively and neither of them have given me this much grief.

I've reached out to Tecware's representative about this issue, to see whether it's limited to my review unit alone.

Tecware Spectre 75 review: Verdict

The Tecware Spectre 75 is a decent mechanical keyboard for typing and casual gaming, thanks to its responsive linear switches and 1,000Hz polling rate. It features an LCD screen that you can view keyboard and system stats on, or display GIFs on, too.

But there isn’t much else to like about the Spectre 75. The companion software needed to customize the screen is janky and frustrating to use, while the keyboard itself sports a lackluster design and plasticky build. You’re limited to just two stock switch sets, too. I also struggled with the keyboard becoming unresponsive in my testing.

While $79 isn’t a high asking price, you can get better value for your money elsewhere. The Keychron V1 8K and the Royal Kludge L75 are fantastic keyboards under $80, and are much better choices if you want a feature-packed deck.

The best gaming keyboards have come leaps and bounds in recent years, and the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 hopes to join the ranks. Packing highly responsive linear switches, 8,000Hz polling, and features like ReacTap in a sturdy, aluminum body, the KB5 is a formidable performer. It’s great to type on, too, and it features a handy touchscreen for on-the-go customization.

But is that enough to be considered one of the best in 2026, when the competition is so fierce? The KB5 is competent but its flaws are difficult to overlook when it costs nearly $150. It’s wired only; it isn’t hot-swappable; and its touchscreen can be sluggish. Of course, if none of those matter to you, and you’ve got the cash, the KB5 is still an okay choice for gaming and productivity.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 review.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 review: Specs

Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A full-size mechanical keyboard with a customizable touchscreen
• Who is it for? Gamers and typists alike
• How much does it cost? The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 is available for $149 / £139
• What do we like? The sturdy build, 8KHz polling for gaming, responsive switches, and customizable touchscreen
• What don’t we like? The wired-only and non-hot-swappable design, sometimes sluggish touchscreen, and hefty price tag

Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 review: The ups

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 is well-built and it’s a joy to type on. 8,000Hz polling and ReacTap make it great for gaming, and the customizable touchscreen lets you make changes on the fly.

Sturdy construction

The KB5 is part of Turtle Beach’s Command Series, so it shares a lot of similarities with the KB7 TKL ($199) — one of them being the sturdy construction. Just like the KB7 TKL, the KB5 is made of an anodized aluminum top plate and a plastic chassis. There’s no flex in the body and no rattling. The aluminum plate gives the keyboard some heft too, as the KB5 weighs 2.43lbs (with the included palm rest). Though a little heavy, the KB5 is nowhere near as gargantuan as some of Keychron’s all-metal keyboards, like the Q65 Max (5.33lbs, $209) and the Q3 Ultra 8K (3.9lbs, $229).

As a full-size 100% keyboard, the KB5 has a large desk footprint too, measuring 18.78 x 10.12 x 1.06 inches (with palm rest), so it’s best suited to staying put at your desk. Given its length, the KB5 didn’t fit into my day bag. The keyboard’s wired-only nature may make you reluctant to travel with it anyway.

Adding to the KB5’s appeal are its double-shot PBT keycaps which are more resistant to oil, wear and tear compared to their ABS counterparts. It’s nice to see Turtle Beach do away with the ABS keycaps its Vulcan II Max ($229) uses — they get very shiny with fingerprints.

I also like the notched clickable volume barrel located right above the first four Function keys. You can use this to adjust the volume and mute playback (or remap it completely in Swarm II). Rolling its barrel is what I’d imagine the thrust lever on an airplane would feel like.

Excellent for typing

Though the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 is primarily a gaming keyboard, it’s a sheer delight to type on. While its clacky, hollow sound profile is nothing to write home about, it still offers an enjoyable typing experience. Its Titan low-profile mechanical switches have a pre-travel distance of 1.2mm (total 3.1mm) which means that they don’t need to be pressed all the way down to activate. This helps you type faster, and even after a full day’s worth of typing, my fingers and hands didn’t feel fatigued.

I put the KB5 through its paces by taking a typing test at 10fastfingers.com as soon as I unboxed the keyboard. I wasn’t expecting to type as fast as I did, because the KB5 isn’t marketed as a productivity deck, and yet, I was able to achieve 108 words per minute with 97% accuracy. The keyboard upstaged all but one deck when it came to sheer speed: the Epomaker Glyph ($139). Color me impressed!

8,000Hz polling and ReacTap

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5’s biggest selling point is its 8,000Hz polling rate. Though impressive, 8KHz polling is overkill for 99% of gamers, and is an unnecessary drain on system resources. For most gamers, including myself, 1KHz polling is more than sufficient. You won’t notice latency issues or input lag regardless.

Still, I tested the KB5’s 8KHz polling by playing Counter-Strike 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 on the Alienware 16X Aurora. As predicted, there were no latency issues to make a big song and dance about. All of my commands were promptly registered. I found the Titan low-profile linear switches extremely responsive too, and their 1.3mm pre-travel distance meant that I could lightly tap one key after another to execute a series of actions in quick succession.

You can also enable ReacTap by tapping the screen’s left edge and swiping left. ReacTap is Turtle Beach’s term for Last Key Prioritization (LKP), and it’s a type of Simultaneous Opposite Key Detection (SOCD) resolution. As you can probably tell by the name, it prioritizes the last key pressed, and I primarily use it for counter-strafing. Basically, if you hold down A and press D, the LKP resolution overrides A and instantly registers D (or vice versa). Doing so results in an immediate end to movement and therefore accuracy penalties in titles that have inertia in their movement mechanics, like Counter-Strike 2 (where LKP will get you kicked) and Valorant.

The KB5 features five dedicated macro keys too, located on the keyboard’s left-hand side. These can be configured to execute commands with just the tap of a button. You can use these to launch another program, record the last 30 seconds of gameplay, what-have-you. Four different commands can be bound to each key, and these layers can be accessed via key combinations, such as holding down Caps Lock / Easy Shift [+].

These macro keys are useful in both gaming and productivity, and you can assign work- or game-specific commands and save them to five customizable profiles.

Built-in touchscreen for on-the-fly customization

LCD and even OLED screens are becoming more and more common on keyboards. We’ve seen them on the likes of the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro ($189), the Epomaker RT100 Pro ($119), and now the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5. Unlike the large 4.3-inch touchscreen on the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL, the KB5’s 2.4-inch is much smaller but useful nonetheless.

The KB5’s touchscreen enables you to make adjustments to the keyboard’s settings on the fly and without having to launch Swarm II every time. You can use it to record macros, swap between five profiles, launch apps, manage audio playback, and more. Annoyingly, though, you can’t adjust the polling rate via the screen itself, and this can be done via Swarm II only.

The touchscreen’s layout can be changed, too, and you’ll need to download the user-friendly Swarm II in order to do so. Via the Windows-only software (sorry, macOS users), you can add your preferred widgets to the screen, or select a preset template (productivity- or gaming-focused). If you play a lot of Counter-Strike, you might like the ‘KB5 CS’ preset, which displays stats like equipped weapon, bullets remaining, and total kills.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 review: The downs

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 isn’t hot-swappable, can’t be used wirelessly, and its touchscreen can be finicky at times, so is it worth the premium? I’m not convinced.

Sluggish touchscreen

While the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5’s touchscreen is useful and behaves well for the most part, I found it sluggish at times. In my testing, I found that the touchscreen would randomly freeze and get stuck on one page, and I also noticed that my commands weren’t always registered. I had to tap a couple of times to get the touchscreen to skip the song I was listening to, for instance. Yes, even after updating the keyboard’s firmware, these issues didn’t magically disappear.

Wired-only

Sadly, the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 is a wired-only keyboard so there’s no Bluetooth wireless connectivity. That also means the keyboard is designed to stay put at your desk. This isn’t necessarily a flaw but it’s disappointing given that so many mechanical keyboards today are wireless. This becomes an even bigger problem when you realize how expensive the KB5 is (more on that in a second).

If you want a wireless mechanical keyboard with 8,000Hz polling, I’d recommend the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K which features high polling over both wired and wireless connections. However, as I said earlier, 8,000Hz polling is overkill for most people anyway.

Not hot-swappable

Okay, so the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 is wired-only. Big deal. But my biggest gripe with the keyboard is that its switches aren’t hot-swappable. I find that surprising in 2026, when most keyboards (especially in this price range) are hot-swappable. Because the KB5 isn’t, you can’t change its switches by simply popping them out — you’ll need to de- and re-solder them to the PCB which is not only time-consuming, but it requires specialist tools and skill, too.

This means that if, say, one switch stops working, you’ll have to take the entire keyboard apart. I also feel like if you’re spending short of $150 on a keyboard, the least you should expect is hot-swappable switches. If this irks you as much as it does me, I’d again recommend the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K, the Keychron C1 Pro 8K ($54) or the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro (which does enough to justify its $189 price tag).

Expensive for what you get

This brings me to my last argument: the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5’s price tag. The keyboard retails for $149 / £139 at Amazon, which is quite steep given that the keyboard is wired-only and isn’t hot-swappable. Its touchscreen, though useful, can be sluggish and is also heavily reliant on Swarm II, which isn’t available on macOS.

When brands like Epomaker and Keychron continue making powerful keyboards for a fraction of the KB5’s price, Turtle Beach’s offering is a hard sell. The Keychron V1 Ultra 8K, the Keychron C1 Pro 8K, and the Epomaker P65 ($119) are much easier to recommend. Heck, even some outstanding Hall Effect decks, like the Epomaker HE68 ($59), offer exceptional value for money while being cheaper than the KB5.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 review: Verdict

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 isn’t a bad keyboard — quite the opposite in fact. It boasts strong gaming performance thanks to features like 8,000Hz polling and ReacTap. It’s good for typing, too, and it’s fitted with a responsive touchscreen that lets you make adjustments on the go.

At the end of the day, though, are those features enough to justify the $150 asking price? The KB5, though well-built and capable, isn’t hot-swappable, and when its competitors are offering 8KHz polling over wireless connections, the KB5’s wired-only design leaves a lot to be desired. The sluggish touchscreen is frustrating at this price point, too. You’d be better off with the Keychron V1 8K, if it’s a bang-for-your-buck mechanical deck you’re after.

I’ve been through a handful of magnetic‑switch boards over the last few months, and in that time I’ve figured out what I actually want from them — precise actuation, a clean, non‑ringy acoustic, and a weighty, stable case that keeps the sound consistent. MelGeek’s Made68 Ultra V2 is the closest to that sweet spot I’ve tested so far: the magnetic action hits the right balance of smooth and snappy, the chassis keeps resonance in check, and the overall sound leans towards deep and satisfying rather than bright or clacky.

It also looks the business, with a simple yet stylish vibe that’s undeniably aimed at gamers — its translucent keycaps and personalised lighting are testaments to that — but still manages to bring a level of refinement and precision that’d let it slip onto the desk of the average ultra‑modern professional without looking too out of place.

As someone who hardly ever uses a numpad, 75% keyboards are typically my favourite layout. However, the Made68 Ultra V2’s 65% layout doesn’t feel compromised to me — it’s compact without feeling cramped, and every key is within easy reach for smooth, accurate typing.

As for gaming, the Ultra V2 delivers all the high end features you’d expect from a keyboard with Hall effect switches, along with some sweet AI-powered lighting control options that give the board a personality all of its own.

While I can think of a couple of small additions that would make it the perfect keyboard for me, I could easily see myself using the Made68 Ultra V2 as my daily driver for years to come — here’s why.

It sounds fantastic and feels remarkably precise

The Made68 Ultra V2 I tested arrived with magnetic KOM Lite switches pre-installed, which lend the board a slightly lighter, more relaxed character. They land in a good middle-ground between creamy and snappy, leaning more towards a brighter sound than a deep thick one. The magnetic action feels smooth and predictable, with switches that provide a consistent, uniform press across the layout. That said, there’s no plasticky clack — just a clean, crispy sound that’s easy to settle into.

A big part of that comes down to MelGeek’s 6‑way silicone dampening and the use of a silicone gasket mount. I prefer it to the “foam everywhere” approach that some keyboards employ — the board feels cushioned without being mushy, and the silicone layers do a great job of minimising resonance. You get a firm, planted bottom‑out rather than a soft bounce, and the sound stays tight even when you’re typing furiously.

Compared to some of the creamier magnetic boards out there, the Made68 Ultra V2 is more focused on a clean, consistent feel. I recently tested GravaStar’s Mercury V60 Pro, and while I did prefer that keyboard’s deeper, chocolatey thock, the Ultra V2’s calmer, more controlled tone is admittedly easier to live with day‑to‑day — and far less distracting to those around you.

Exceptional gaming performance

As great as the Made68 Ultra V2 is for typing, it truly soars for gaming. Its magnetic switches provide adjustable actuation and rapid trigger functionality as expected, and you can really dial them into your ideal settings using MelGeek’s browser-based Hive 2.0 software. You can drop actuation right down to 0.1mm for quick reactions or push it higher if you prefer a firmer, more deliberate press. The board tracks movement with 0.01mm precision, so even tiny lifts or taps register straight away.

Rapid Trigger is just as sharp. Keys reset the moment you lift them, even slightly, thanks to an adjustable RT range that goes all the way down to 0.01mm. At those extreme low settings it can feel a bit too sensitive — you’ll occasionally fire an input just by brushing a key or shifting your hand. Thankfully, you can tailor it to your liking — in my experience, bumping actuation or RT up even a fraction gives you a more controlled feel without losing the speed that makes magnetic switches great for fast‑paced games.

Latency is properly low, with 8,000Hz polling, a 16,000Hz scan rate, and a listed 0.125ms response time. In practice, the board keeps up whether you’re flicking through menus or right in the thick of a battle, instantly responding to your inputs in a clean, predictable manner.

AI-powered lighting and personalisation

You can take personalisation even further with the hardware itself. The Ultra V2’s light bar can be customised to match whatever theme you’re running, though its purple tint does prevent certain colours from showing as intended. MelGeek also sells 3D‑printed light guide panels, which (in theory) let you shape how the RGB spreads across the sides of the case, as well as swappable side panels which can be easily screwed on, though both products have been sold out on MelGeek’s website for as long as I’ve been testing the Ultra V2.

The board’s AI‑powered lighting layer sits over the top of the usual RGB controls, adding a bit of smarts without turning the whole thing into a light show. Instead of cycling through random effects, it reacts to what you’re doing and keeps the lighting feeling relevant rather than noisy. In practice, it tends to make small, practical adjustments as you move between tasks or games, giving the keyboard a sense of personality without demanding constant tinkering.

Hive 2.0 gives you solid control — per‑key colours, simple dynamic effects, macros, profiles and all the usual tuning options are there, even if the lighting system itself is still pretty limited compared to what the hardware could do. You can set up game‑specific profiles (and cycle through them using a physical ‘mode’ button underneath the lightbar on the right side), adjust brightness curves or just keep things simple with a single clean theme, and once you’ve saved a profile the board switches between them quickly and reliably. If you want more traditional control of the Ultra V2’s RGB, Hive 2.0 handles that too, though it’s a bit more basic than competing software, with only per‑key static lighting and no support for layered or multi‑zone effects.

Real‑Time Game Sync (VCT) is the arguably the flashiest part of the package, but it’s handled with a light touch. Instead of blasting the whole board with rainbow effects, it reacts to in‑game events, like health changes or the use of skills and abilities, making your game feel more immersive without pulling your eyes off the screen.

Two small misses

On a board that otherwise nails fundamentals, there are two design choices that stand out as avoidable compromises. First, there’s no dedicated volume knob or rocker. Once you’ve used a physical control, its absence sticks out straight away. Sure, you can bump the volume up or down by holding Fn and tapping the arrow keys, but I can’t imagine anyone on this blue planet choosing that over a simple knob — it’s one of those small conveniences that matters more than you expect, especially when you need to drop the volume in a hurry.

Second, the stock transparent keycaps are a mixed bag. They look distinctive, but they don’t diffuse RGB softly — the LEDs appear more direct and clinical than the warm glow you get with thicker, opaque PBT caps. On top of that, the transparency and dark purple text can make the keys harder to read if you do ever need to look down. And while I love how the Ultra V2 sounds, the clear caps don’t help the board reach its full potential — I haven’t had a chance to test it myself, but I bet that swapping to a denser PBT set will deepen and tighten the sound even further than it already is.

The Made68 Ultra V2 is a refined, well‑built keyboard that prioritises consistent feel, controlled acoustics and high-level gaming precision. It may not be the loudest or most characterful option, but it has consistently delivered one of the most comfortable and dependable typing experiences I’ve had recently. If you value typing comfort, stability and a mature build, it’s worth considering — just be prepared to use shortcuts for volume control or different keycaps if those two omissions matter to you.

More from Tom's Guide

• Here’s why you should only buy a magnetic keyboard for gaming
• The GravaStar Mercury V60 Pro is almost perfect except for three finicky details
• Corsair’s Vanguard Pro 96 keyboard has convinced me that magnetic switches aren’t just hype

The Stealth Pro II is the flagship gaming headset from Turtle Beach, intended to compete with the heavy hitters from Razer, SteelSeries and Audeze. The crème de la crème are getting pricey now, with all the manufacturers above asking several hundred dollars for their very best gaming headsets.

The Stealth Pro II is no different, and hella pricey by objective standards, but actually comes in a little cheaper than some of its competition. It also offers excellent sound; an attractive, premium design; zero downtime battery; plus customization via a solid companion app. So could this be a fantastic balanced alternative to the main ultra-premium players?

As long as you don’t mind fairly weak ANC and a slightly tight clamp force! Find out more in my full Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II review.

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A premium flagship gaming headset from Turtle Beach
• Who is it for? Competitive gamers and those who value sound quality
• What does it cost? $349 / £299
• What do we like? The sound, mic, companion app, styling and build, base station and zero downtime battery system
• What don’t we like? The ANC is a little weak, and I found the headset a tad clampy

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II review: Specs

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II review: The ups

There’s a lot to love about the Stealth Pro II. Sound quality is excellent, there’s a useful companion app, a super clear mic, and a handy base station for ‘zero downtime’ battery life. It’s also moderately priced versus competition.

Excellent sound quality

The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II’s biggest strength is its sound quality. It uses a coaxial driver setup, with a 60mm woofer and separate tweeter in each earcup. This, in theory, gives better clarity and more separation between higher and lower frequencies, as each driver can focus on its own job. Connectivity-wise, there’s 24-bit/96kHz high resolution data/sampling rates over 2.4G, so this is a true hi-res headset, akin to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni / Elite and Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC.

The sound is super spacious with exceptional clarity up top and very strong imaging (this lets you pinpoint noises to a specific point). This naturally benefits competitive gameplay, letting me hear the location of enemy cues like footsteps or reloads in my test FPS games: Counter Strike 2 and Isonzo. It was also handy for stealthy games like Sniper Elite: Resistance, where I could again hear and locate even the quietest tapping of enemy footsteps. And it was ideal for immersion, giving three-dimensionality to sounds and effects in the campaign and battles of Total War: Rome II.

There’s also Dolby Atmos (DA) support, so you can benefit from that codec in games that use it for surround sound. But even without DA, the sound is impressively spatial.

Tonal separation and mid-range clarity are really excellent, too. Each of the instruments and layers of the beautiful Rome II soundtrack sounded isolated yet cohesive — the panpipes, the atmospheric flutes, the drums, the horns, all occupied their own distinct space.

And thanks to that hefty 60mm main driver, there’s plenty of bass performance, giving strong, impactful artillery explosions in Isonzo. Bass response is not quite as nicely controlled as on the Arctis Nova Pro Omni or Elite, and you don’t get anywhere near the tightness of the Maxwell 2’s low-end. I noticed a little bit of booming and muddying at times, too, but it was nothing major, and generally, I loved listening to games and music on the Stealth Pro II.

Listen along to my audio testing playlist on Qobuz, our favorite music streaming service for audiophiles.

Useful companion app

Complementing the Stealth Pro II’s sound is an equally strong companion app, which gives you access to a full custom EQ, as well as EQ presets and a (cringe) “Superhuman hearing” mode — essentially some EQ presets to enhance things like footsteps.

There’s not the same enormous range of presets as on the SteelSeries GG app, with its hundreds-strong library of per-game EQs. But there’s still more than enough control in Swarm II to get the most out of your game audio.

In the app, you can also control the microphone EQ, update the headset and (my favorite aspect) change the control assignments to customize how the headset operates. So useful!

Multipoint connectivity

The Stealth Pro II offers multipoint connectivity. You can hook up two devices over 2.4G out of the box, using the base station and included USB dongle. You can also buy more dongles (the carry case even comes with a spare dongle slot) to connect to even more, up to four devices.

If that weren’t enough, you can also connect over Bluetooth simultaneously. I found this a little annoying, though, as the headset doesn’t mute game sounds to prioritize Bluetooth if, for example, you get a call or need to take a work meeting while gaming (which, as you can imagine, happens a lot in my job). You just have both going on at once, and the sidetone dial didn't work to fix this. It’s not a huge issue, but I like that the Nova Pro Omni and Maxwell 2 prioritize Bluetooth in those scenarios.

Super clear mic

The Stealth Pro II uses a unidirectional mic that’s “floating,” meaning it’s suspended on rubber spokes to eliminate vibration. Turtle Beach says this gives exceptional clarity, although in fairness it’s just a great mic anyway, floating or otherwise.

Headset mics, even flagship ones, usually disappoint, so I was very surprised at the cleanness and airiness of voice recordings. There was arguably a little too much clarity, as I started to pick up on some of my inherent lispy and sibilant qualities — but there’s no denying how clean and noise-free the recordings were, especially using the ‘clarity’ mic EQ.

There’s environmental noise reduction, but being a unidirectional mic, that isn’t really needed — the mic only picks up sound from your mouth anyway. I recorded test clips with my window open to a very busy and loud road. Even with noise reduction off, I couldn’t hear the road in any recordings.

Stealthy, grown-up design

Turtle Beach gear is very often styled a little ‘gamer-y’ for my tastes. Even the pricey stuff is typically a bit garish for me, like the $200 Turtle Beach Command KB7 we tested before this headset. So I was pleasantly surprised by how grown up the Stealth Pro II feels. The eponymous, stealthy, blacked-out look means it won’t seem out of place in any setup — whether you’re an RGB-clad unicorn puke kinda person, or an anti-RGBer like me.

I definitely prefer the look of the Stealth Pro II to the chunky Maxwell 2 ANC, and I’d say it edges the Arctis Nova Pro Omni and Elite (although there’s not much in it). For sheer prettiness, the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and Fractal Design Scape still win out for me, but naturally this is all highly subjective.

Premium build, too

The Stealth Pro II looks and feels like a premium headset, too (as it should, given the price). The brushed metal earcup plates, gunmetal earcup carriers, matte black rubberized headband and mesh padding all scream quality.

Again, there’s very little between all the flagships here. You’ll find a touch of extra finesse and attention to detail on the Fractal Design Scape and BlackShark V3 Pro, but there’s seriously not much in it. The Maxwell 2 ANC feels as sturdy as they come, sure, but that’s mainly because it weighs a frankly preposterous 1.2lbs — it’s like comparing supercars to a dump truck. I’d say the Stealth Pro II feels a tad sturdier than the Arctis Nova Elite / Pro Omni, though. But did I mention there isn’t much in it?

Handy base station

Man, I love me a base station. The Stealth Pro II’s is perhaps rather basic versus the Arctis Nova base station, which bundles a DAC for hi-res wireless, a multipoint USB-C hub, an EQ interface, a settings menu and a battery charging dock.

But hey, the Stealth Pro II’s base station is still super handy, facilitating wireless hi-res audio and battery charging for no downtime (more on this later). I love the simplistic status lights, too. The outer light shows you the audio sample rate and/or mic mute status, while the inner light around the battery eject button displays the current charge of the docked power cell.

By contrast, the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC and Razer BlackShark V3 Pro only come with a 2.4G dongle — and the Razer’s was particularly annoying in testing.

'Zero-downtime' battery

The Stealth Pro II is rated for up to 20 hours on a single charge by Turtle Beach, ANC off. This is ostensibly a little weak. The BlackShark V3 Pro is rated for up to 70 hours, while even the power-hungry Maxwell 2 ANC manages 40 hours without ANC.

However, from my testing, I think Turtle Beach is being a little conservative. After around 18 hours of use with ANC on, I still had around 65% left — partly, this is because the headset is really loud, meaning I only ran it at around 30% volume to hear everything and be comfortable. That saves juice.

Just like SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova headsets, though, the important factor is that the Stealth Pro II is a zero downtime headset. Its second battery charges in the base station as you play, meaning no meaningful downtime when gaming near the base station.

Competitively priced

It’d be remiss of me not to clarify here that the Stealth Pro II is objectively rather expensive at $349 / £299. That said, it offers comparable performance and build quality to all its rivals, despite sitting in the middle of them all.

It’s cheaper than the $399 Arctis Nova Pro Omni and especially the $599 Elite, while offering comparatively strong sound quality. Its mic is just as good as the $449 Maxwell 2 ANC, and it’s a hell of a lot lighter and more breathable, even if it can’t match the sheer sound quality of Audeze’s planar drivers. Yet it’s cheaper than all the above.

The Stealth Pro II’s biggest foil is the $249 Razer BlackShark V3 Pro, which looks a little more premium and offers better ANC for around $100 less. But the Razer lacks the Stealth Pro II’s ‘zero downtime’ battery system and handy base station, and uses the Synapse companion software, which I like a whole lot less than Swarm II (to put it mildly).

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II review: The downs

It ain’t perfect, though. The Stealth Pro II’s biggest letdown for me was its ANC, which let through a lot of sound it shouldn’t. I also found the headset a little too clampy, although mileage may vary based on your head shape.

A little too clampy for me

I'll caveat this section by saying I found the Stealth Pro II mostly very comfortable. The earcups are super thick and padded, not to mention breathable. There's a layer of foam covering the drivers so even if your ears stick out, they won't rub against the plastic driver housing. And the mesh headband padding is a marvel — it’s supportive, light, breathable and effortlessly comfy.

Unfortunately, the headset is a little too clampy for me, though. After a few hours using it, I started to feel pressure on my temples and experience headaches. In fairness, this may reduce over time as the headset flexes, and mileage will vary based on the shape of your head. I’ve got a moderately large noggin, so ye of average headsize may be just fine.

Disappointing ANC

My biggest grip with the Stealth Pro II is its ANC. It has it, and it works to some extent, but it’s really rather poor versus rivals. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni and Elite, while their ANC isn’t perfect (and certainly doesn’t live up to the claims it can drown out a helicopter), performed much better than the Stealth Pro II in the same test. The Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC, meanwhile, is in a different league, as is the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro.

The Stealth Pro II, tested in my home office with traffic outside, let through substantial amounts of traffic noise. It also let through voices, keyboard sounds, mouse clicks, and chairs moving across the floor. It’s better than no ANC, but I wouldn’t recommend buying this headset if immersive and isolating ANC is your chief priority.

What’s that… smell?

Here’s a weird one: I’ve never had to say this about a headset before, but my Stealth Pro II smells bad. Like really bad. Of smoke or burning or something carcinogenic. It’s as though it was QC’d in a room where someone smokes 80-a-day… for a week.

I’m not sure whether this is to do with the materials used or the manufacturing process, or both. But it’s bad enough to be noticeable when holding the headset, and even when wearing it sometimes. At times it made me feel a little nauseous.

I’ve reached out to Turtle Beach’s representative to see why this may be. They’ve confirmed it was an issue with some pre-production models, but I’ve arranged a replacement full production unit to confirm it’s a one-off. I’ll update this review accordingly.

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II review: Verdict

The Stealth Pro II is a really strong flagship offering from Turtle Beach. The sound quality is impressive, as is the mic, and I love the array of super useful features, from the handy companion app to the base station and ‘zero downtime’ battery. For Xbox and PC gamers, this is a highly commendable choice.

But it’s not perfect. The ANC system isn't quite up to scratch with the best in the biz, although that’s my only major issue. I found it a little clampy, but that’s really an anatomical roll of the dice, and my headset smelled rather weird, which is likely an isolated manufacturing issue. Given this headset comes in at a cool $50 cheaper than its chief rival, the Nova Pro Omni, they’re definitely things I can forgive.

As someone who reviews the best cameras and the best drones on the regular, I'm no stranger to massive files that eat into my laptop's small storage. Whenever I review a camera or drone that records 6K or 8K video, my laptop shakes in its boots. Testing a 100MP medium-format camera that captures RAW files over 200MB each, like the Fujifilm GFX100RF? A tear falls down my laptop's lid.

I know what you're thinking. "Just get an external SSD!" And you'd be right in suggesting that. Thankfully, as part of my job, I get to test all kinds of cool gadgets — and I think I've just tested one of the coolest digital storage systems, or Direct-Attached Storage more commonly known as DAS, (a lot of) money can buy right now. The Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5 is certainly big and definitely designed for pros — and it's got a hefty price to match.

So, what exactly is the LaCie 8big Pro5? Well, it's a high-capacity DAS system featuring eight hot-swappable bays that house IronWolf Pro hard drives of varying capacities depending on the model you buy. The cheapest you can get is the 32TB model ($6,812), while the most expensive is the 256TB model, which costs a whopping $14,259. The LaCie 8big Pro5 is designed for professional creative workflows, video production, and broadcast environments requiring real-time editing of 4K, 6K or 8K footage.

Or for anyone who really, really needs the storage and doesn't mind splurging on it. I've spent a couple of weeks testing and using the LaCie 8big Pro5 and I'm impressed. It makes me feel like I'll never need storage again for generations. Here are three things I like about it and two I don't.

What I like

Tank-like and hot-swappable design

When the Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5 arrived at my office and I tried to lift up the cardboard box, I was afraid I was going to pull my back out. That's because the LaCie 8big Pro is built like a tank. This thing is a beast, made of sturdy, solid, single-piece aluminum with a metallic gray finish. I'm certain it could stand the test of time and you'd find it, intact, under the rubble of a demolished building in the post-apocalyptic world.

The LaCie 8big Pro5 is a chunky DAS, measuring 11.69 x 9.13 x 8.46 inches and weighing a whopping 31.59lbs. To make moving it around easier, it features an integrated carrying handle on the top. I highly doubt you'd be doing much traveling with it, though. But hey, if you lifted this thing two or three times, you could probably skip arm day at the gym.

This DAS is hot-swappable, too. Now, as someone who tests the best mechanical keyboards day in and out, I could kind of gauge what 'hot-swappable' meant in this context. On a keyboard, it means that you can change the switches by simply popping them out and not having to de- and re-solder them to the PCB. It's a similar concept on the LaCie 8big Pro5. You can essentially remove and replace the eight individual hard drives while the storage system remains powered on and running, and your projects and data transfers keep running on the remaining active drives.

I also love the LaCie 8big Pro5's Redundancy Protection. When using a fault-tolerant RAID mode, like RAID 5 or RAID 6, the system uses parity data to keep your files safe while a broken drive is missing.

You needn't worry about manually getting a replacement drive up and running either, as LaCie RAID Manager automatically rebuilds the data array for you. As someone who's a newbie to this stuff, I appreciate that I don't have to wrap my head around a plethora of technical terms — the software does it for me.

Ridiculous read and write speeds

A storage system that's designed to aid creative workflows wouldn't mean much if it didn't boast fast read and write speeds — and thankfully, the Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5 does just that. I ran a disk speed test using CrystalDiskMark and the numbers speak for themselves. Read and write speeds are more dependant on the hard drives themselves, rather than the enclosure, and I tested the LaCie 8big Pro5 with Seagate IronWolf Pro 24TB Enterprise NAS HDDs ($859 each).

As you can see from the screenshot above, the LaCie 8big Pro5 boasts 2,928MBps read and 1,687MBps write speeds (Q8T1). These are great for copying movies, video files, or gargantuan RAW images. The 2,387MBps read and 1,572MBps write speeds in Q1T1 represent standard real-world transfer speeds when copying single large files one at a time.

These numbers basically tell you that the LaCie 8big Pro5 is healthy and operating at high speeds, and the DAS delivers fast boot times, rapid game load screens, and smooth handling of heavy file transfers. Overall, the LaCie 8big Pro5 performs formidably and proves its worth in complex workflows.

Doubles as a charger!

I don't know about you but I really don't like multiple cables cluttering my desk and making my setup look messy. A good cable management solution is a dock, and the Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5's got one built it in — it's a DAS that essentially doubles as a charger.

Located on the back are four USB-C ports. One of these is a Thunderbolt 5 port with 140W of power delivery, so you can power your Windows laptop or MacBook without an dedicated charger. There are also two downstream ports for connecting external displays (up to two 8K monitors) or daisy-chaining additional Thunderbolt devices with up to 30W PD per port.

The last is a downstream USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with speeds up to 20Gbps and 15W PD, and it's meant for your peripherals, like mice and keyboards. The 20Gbps speed is excellent as it made quick work of transferring big 4K video files from the Sony RX10 V. The LaCie 8big Pro5 basically packs everything you could ask for to maintain a neat and tidy setup.

What I don't like

The eye-watering price tag

Direct-Attached Storage systems don't come cheap, and the same goes for the Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5. Given that this DAS is designed for creative professionals, film studios, and perhaps game developers, it's no surprise that it costs an arm and a leg. Given that, it would be unfair to mark it down for the premium price tag, but it's worth pointing out anyway.

The LaCie 8big Pro5 starts at $6,812 for the 32TB model and goes up to $14,259 for the 256TB model. I'll give you a moment to take it in. If you want a breakdown of all the models, I've done the homework for you:

Yep, it's a lot. When I showed this table to my coworker and fellow senior reviews writer, Erin, she exclaimed over Slack, "You could buy ALMOST FIVE of my cars for that. That's 4.6 2012 Volkswagen Polos for £14,000. And my old car? You could get FORTY SIX 2007 Fiat Pandas for £14K."

Thankfully, though, should something go wrong with your LaCie 8big Pro5, Seagate happily offers a 5-year warranty and Rescue Data Recovery services (but it isn't available in all countries).

E-waste, anyone?

This might be a minor complaint and it might not matter to many people — but it does to me. The Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5 comes with not one, not two, not three, but four power cords for various international standards. I can kind of understand why that is. If you work for a film studio and are constantly lugging hard drives and storage units on planes or other modes of transport, perhaps you'd need — not one, not two, not three — four international power cables.

I, personally, find it a little frustrating, as most people will end up using just one power cord — as I did the U.K. one in my testing — and will probably get rid of the other three. These will then end up as e-waste in a landfill somewhere. As an environmentally-conscious person who tries to do her part to save the planet, it's annoying. I wish Seagate gave you the option to pick the power cords you needed most at checkout.

Looking ahead...

If you're someone who deals with massive video files and RAW images, and you need massive storage capacity and ultra-fast data speeds, the Seagate LaCie 8big Pro5 is the DAS for you. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It's powerful and it's built like a tank, and it's hot-swappable design means you can remove the individual SSDs without worrying about data corruption.

I also love that the LaCie 8big Pro5 essentially doubles as a dock, or a charger, for all your peripherals and external displays, which results in effective cable management. If you've got $7,000 saved up and need a competent DAS, this is the one to get.

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The Obsbot Meet Flip is one of the smallest webcams we’ve tested, but is it one of the best webcams? As much as I like it, I’m not sure.

The camera is highly portable and easy to set up. The 4K quality is ideal for making you look clear, and the companion software lets you make any adjustments you may need. The flip camera lens is also great for privacy and adjusting angles.

However, I wish the onboard microphone were better. If you want to find out more about the webcam, you can keep reading this full Obsbot Meet Flip review.

Obsbot Meet Flip review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A tiny 4K webcam
• Who is it for? Anyone who needs a small webcam for on-the-go use
• What does it cost? The Obsbot Meet Flip is available for $119 / £119 from Amazon or £99 from the Obsbot Online store
• What do we like? It's highly portable and easy to set up, delivers a clear image, and has effective companion software
• What don’t we like? The microphone isn’t the best

Obsbot Meet Flip review: Specs

Obsbot Meet Flip review: The ups

If you’re looking for a tiny, portable webcam, the Obsbot Meet Flip is a great choice. It’s simple to use and comes with companion software to make it your own.

About as small as you can get

If portability is your main concern when it comes to choosing the perfect webcam, the Obsbot Meet Flip is the one for you. It’s an ideal choice for anyone who needs a camera to go with their laptop, as it’s lightweight and won’t weigh the screen down in the same way as something like the Dell Pro 7 Webcam ($199).

The Obsbot Meet Flip measures 1.8 x 1.6 x 0.7 inches when folded, and 1.6 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches when open. The only webcam we’ve tested that’s smaller is the Opal Tadpole ($129), which is 1.5 x 1.3 x 0.7 inches when operational.

Having a small webcam like the Meet Flip means you can throw it in your bag and have it ready to go whenever you need it. And because it folds up, the lens won’t get any scratches when it's in your bag.

Couldn’t be easier

There was no fuss when setting up the Obsbot Meet Flip. The camera comes with a five-foot USB-C cable that plugs into the back of the camera. As soon as this is connected to your computer, it becomes operational. You just have to make sure the camera is selected as your video input for Google Meet, Teams, or whatever video calling software you’re using.

Clear image

The first thing I noticed about the Meet Flip was the clear image. The camera shoots in 4K at 30 frames per second, so I looked crisp, and my movements were smooth.

It’s worth noting that the camera is warm-toned, so if this isn’t for you, I’d recommend the Insta360 Link 2C Pro ($199) for a more natural look. However, I liked the warmth the camera added, as I think it made me look more professional.

Special effects

The Meet Flip is compatible with Obsbot Centre. This downloadable software gives you access to special effects for the webcam, such as backgrounds and color effects. Customization with backgrounds is useful as you can look like you’re in an office for a more professional look, or like you’re at the park.

When using the software, you can also use hand gestures to use the 4x digital zoom. However, for the framing to be effective, you need to stay within the frame, which I’ll talk about later.

Flip down for privacy

If you need to quickly turn off your camera while in a meeting but don’t want to head into your camera settings, you can simply flip the Meet Flip down. Folding the lens away puts the camera into sleep mode and assures complete privacy.

But that’s not the only thing the Flip is good for. Slightly folding the webcam up and down will guarantee you the perfect camera angle. I found it useful because I like to move around when I’m working to get a change of scenery, but that means my laptop is always placed at different heights. Having the option to flip and fold the camera meant I could make sure I was always in frame and getting my best angle.

Obsbot Meet Flip review: The downs

While I mostly love the Obsbot Meet Flip, the tracking capabilities aren’t as good as other options on the market, and the built-in microphone left me disappointed.

Stay in field of view for framing

When using the Obsbot Centre software, you can enable auto-tracking. However, this won’t be the best option if you are presenting and moving around. You still need to sit within the field of view of the camera.

If you want something with actual tracking capabilities, look to the Insta360 Link 2C Pro ($199). This camera smoothly follows you around the room by cropping the image, making the tracking feel more like a more expensive gimbal-tracking camera.

The Meet Flip, on the other hand, just uses zoom to follow you around the frame, and this is nowhere near as smooth as the results you get from the Insta360, but you’d expect that since it’s $80 more expensive.

Can you hear me?

There are a few audio modes on the Obsbot Meet Flip through the Obsbot Centre, including Directional mode, Dual-directional mode, Smart omni mode and Pure audio mode. It’s great to have options depending on your environment, but I don’t think they worked that well.

When I took some recordings with the microphone, I couldn’t hear much of a difference between the modes, and I don’t think my voice sounded any clearer between them. I much prefer the way I sound when using the built-in microphone of my MacBook Pro M2. That said, the mic was good enough to make sure my voice was audible on work calls.

Obsbot Meet Flip review: Verdict

The Obsbot Meet Flip is incredibly small, so it’s easy to throw in your bag and take with you anywhere. The setup of the camera is very simple; you just have to plug in the USB-C cord, and it starts working immediately.

The 4K image quality is very impressive, and you can see me in detail. But don't worry, if it’s not a good hair or makeup day, you can use the Obsbot Centre companion software to make adjustments. Angle adjustments are easy, since the hinged flip-for-privacy feature also lets you position the camera to your liking.

However, the tracking on the camera isn’t as smooth as other options on the market, and the microphone performance was a letdown. But for something so tiny and portable, you may think these trade-offs are worth it.

The best mechanical keyboards can make typing all day long feel like a walk in the park, and that’s exactly what the MCHOSE K99 V2 does. Fitted with responsive linear switches, the K99 V2 is a delight to type on — and its creamy-thocky sound profile is a joy to listen to. The keyboard sports a colorful design, and its proprietary software makes customization a walk in the park. Oh, and it’s got 1,000Hz polling for casual gaming.

But the K99 V2 isn’t perfect, and I really wish it was. There’s some flex in its body, and there isn’t much variety when it comes to stock switches. My biggest issue, though, is its web-based software which simply refuses to work on macOS.

Should you still buy this keyboard? Read my full MCHOSE K99 V2 review to find out.

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: Specs

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A near-full-size mechanical keyboard with linear switches
• Who is it for? Hardcore typists and casual gamers
• How much does it cost? The MCHOSE K99 V2 is available for $99 / £78
• What do we like? The colorful design, excellent typing experience and sound, 1KHz polling for gaming, and user-friendly companion software
• What don’t we like? The limited stock switch choice, flexible body, and finicky web-based software

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: The ups

The MCHOSE K99 V2 sports a lovely, colorful design, and it’s a joy to type on. Its proprietary software is extremely user-friendly, too.

Lovely design

MCHOSE knows how to make a good-looking keyboard, like the X75 V2 ($89), but it’s also no stranger to making boring ones — case in point, the GX87 ($109). Thankfully, the K99 V2 falls into the former category, as it’s a lovely deck. It’s available in a bunch of colors, such as Navy Blue, Emerald Green, Glacier Gradient, etc. The model I tested features a combination of blue, orange, white and steel keycaps, and I think it looks gorgeous.

Adding to the K99 V2’s charm is its per-key RGB lighting which is customizable via either web-based or downloadable software (more on that shortly). There’s also an anodized mirror plate on the keyboard’s underside with RGB lighting running around it, which, according to MCHOSE, makes the K99 V2 look stylish. The keyboard’s design is practical too, with a slot located along the top to store the 2.4GHz dongle.

Similar to the GX87, the K99 V2’s box has the words “YOUNG’S CHOICE” (yes, in all caps) inscribed on it. Reading that left me stumped but thankfully, Pete, our senior reviews editor, had already asked MCHOSE what this means, to which the brand clarified: ‘youthful design.’ And I suppose the K99 V2’s design looks like it would appeal to… Gen Z, perhaps? It’s more colorful than the GX87, at least.

Beautiful for typing

I’ve tested my fair share of keyboards — somewhere around the 100 mark, at the time of writing — so I can confidently say that the MCHOSE K99 V2 offers a seriously beautiful typing experience. The K99 V2 comes fitted with pre-lubed Icy Creamsicle switches which I’ve tested before with the X75 V2.

These linear switches require a moderate 42g of force to activate, and they have a pre-travel distance of 1.3mm (3.5mm total). This means that you don’t need to press them all the way down to register a command, resulting in fast type speeds. The Icy Creamsicles are ever-so-slightly heavier than the 38g Wisterias in my trusty Epomaker Glyph ($139) but the difference is hardly noticeable in real-world use.

The K99 V2 features a gasket-mount design which ensures structural integrity while reducing vibrations and unwanted metallic pings. It also makes typing feel super comfortable — and even after a full day’s worth of typing on the K99 V2, my fingers didn’t feel tired at all. Combined with six layers of sound-dampening foam and the switches, the K99 V2 makes a lovely, creamy-thocky sound.

Lastly, the K99 V2 is fitted with double-shot PBT keycaps which are more durable and resistant to wear-and-tear than their ABS counterparts. One thing worth noting, though, is that the keycap profile differs depending on the keyboard color you get. The Navy Blue, Sky Blue and Horizon Orange models have MDA-profile keycaps, while the Mountains Gradient has Cherry-profile ones. MDA keycaps feature a taller, semi-sculpted rake (generally more comfortable) while Cherry ones are more low-profile (usually better for touch-typing). A lot of this comes down to preference, though — you can always swap out keycaps later on.

I put the K99 V2 through its paces by taking a typing test at 10fastfingers.com as soon as I unboxed the keyboard. Right off the bat, I achieved a speed of 98 words per minute with 91% accuracy. I’m happy any time I get over 90WPM, so I’m very pleased with the K99 V2’s performance. This is a fantastic keyboard for hardcore typists.

1,000Hz polling for gaming, too

Though it isn’t mentioned on the MCHOSE K99 V2’s product page or box, it actually has a 1,000Hz polling rate (according to its companion software) which is more than sufficient for casual gamers. MCHOSE has since come out with the K99 V3 ($109) which features 8,000Hz polling over wired and 2.4GHz wireless connections. But like I’ve said in prior reviews, 8KHz polling is overkill for 99% of gamers, and it’s a drain on system resources. The K99 V2’s 1KHz polling should be just fine for you.

When I played Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, I didn’t notice any input lag or latency issues. I found the switches extremely responsive, and I appreciated the short pre-travel distance as it meant I could simply tap a key to execute an action. The K99 V2 also features N-key rollover which ensures that each keypress is scanned and correctly detected by the keyboard’s hardware, so you can hold down several keys and rest assured that your inputs will be registered. For instance, in Forza Horizon 5, I held down W to maintain full throttle and A to steer hard into a corner, and I was able to tap the spacebar for the emergency brake too.

Of course, if you still want a mechanical keyboard with 8KHz polling, you can’t go wrong with the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K ($114). And if you’re a serious or competitive gamer, it’s worth checking out Hall Effect keyboards like the Epomaker HE75 Mag ($99).

User-friendly companion software

The MCHOSE K99 V2 is accompanied by M HUB Driver, a user-friendly app that enables you to customize every aspect of the keyboard. It’s available for free on Windows 10 and above, but annoyingly, it isn’t compatible with macOS (even though the K99 V2 itself is).

Once you’ve downloaded and installed M HUB Driver on a Windows machine, all you need to do is plug in the K99 V2 or connect it over 2.4GHz to customize it. The software sports a clean interface and is extremely straightforward to use. There are no annoying, intrusive pop-ups or ads — like the ones you get on Asus Armoury Crate when customizing the Asus TUF Gaming K3 Gen II ($99) — which is great. It enables you to customize the K99 V2’s RGB lighting and effects, remap its keys, record macros, and choose between three polling rates (250, 500 and 1,000Hz).

Competitively priced

The MCHOSE K99 V2 offers a beautiful typing experience and boasts decent gaming performance, too, without breaking the bank. In the U.S., you can buy the keyboard directly from MCHOSE for $99, and in the U.K., it’s available for £78 at Amazon. It’s available at Amazon U.S., yes, but it costs a whopping $199 — holy markup, Batman!

We’ve tested some excellent keyboards in the sub-$100 price range, like the Royal Kludge S98 ($99), the Epomaker Cypher96 ($89), and the five-star NuPhy Node75 ($99). Is the K99 V2 better than all of them? Not necessarily, but if you want a mechanical keyboard for typing on all day long, you can’t go wrong with it.

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: The downs

Though the MCHOSE K99 V2 is great, it isn’t without its flaws. There’s some flex in its body, there are no tactile stock switches, and the web-based software is finicky on macOS.

Some flex in the body

Now, this is a common issue I’ve encountered when testing budget-friendly, plastic keyboards — that doesn’t necessarily make it okay, though. The MCHOSE K99 V2 has a fair bit of flex in its body, and it twists when you hold it by its sides. I’ve seen this on the Epomaker Cypher96, the MCHOSE x Unbox Therapy UT98 ($139) and the Epomaker EK68 ($89).

It’s not the end of the world, but if it’s a dealbreaker for you, the Royal Kludge S98 and the Keychron K10 V2 ($84) are solid alternatives.

Linear stock switches only

One of my biggest gripes with the MCHOSE K99 V2 is the limited stock switch choice. At checkout, you can buy either the Hyacinth or the Icy Creamsicle linears. This could be a little disheartening for fans of tactile, clicky or silent switches. The K99 V2 is hot-swappable and compatible with 3- and 5-pin south-facing switches, but you’ll need to buy them separately.

If you don’t want to purchase them separately and want more variety at checkout, I’d recommend the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K, the Royal Kludge S98 or the Royal Kludge L75 ($79).

Issues with web-based software on macOS

As I mentioned earlier, the MCHOSE K99 V2’s proprietary, downloadable software is extremely user-friendly — but what do you do if you’re a macOS user? You use the M HUB Web web-based software, of course… if it works, that is. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the website to work.

For some reason, the website noted that the K99 V2 had been disabled, and regardless of what I tried, it wouldn’t work. I tried launching M HUB Web in Google Chrome and Safari on my MacBook Air M2. No luck. I then tried it on my personal MacBook Pro M1. Still no luck. I even flashed the K99 V2’s firmware using the proprietary software on the Alienware 16X Aurora but no joy.

However, the website worked just fine on the Alienware 16X Aurora. Personally, I’ve never encountered such an issue before. For instance, Keychron Launcher, VIA, and NuPhy IO seem to work fine across operating systems, so this is quite disappointing.

I’ve reached out to a MCHOSE representative to see if there’s a solution to my problems, and I’ll update the review if/when I hear back. If this is a persistent issue, it’s problematic for macOS users with no access to a Windows machine, as they won’t be able to fully customize the K99 V2. You can make some changes via key combinations, though, as per the keyboard’s manual.

MCHOSE K99 V2 review: Verdict

If you want a mechanical keyboard for typing all day long, the MCHOSE K99 V2 warrants a recommendation. Its stock linear switches are a joy to type on, and they don’t feel fatiguing either. The keyboard packs a 1,000Hz polling rate for casual gaming, too, and its proprietary software makes customization a breeze.

On top of that, the K99 V2 sounds beautiful with a creamy-thocky sound profile, and it sports a lovely, colorful design. But it’s far from perfect. There’s some flex in the body and you’re confined to only two stock switch sets — both of them are linear, sadly. Web-based software sounds good on paper but in practice, I found it to be finicky on macOS.

If none of those flaws sound like dealbreakers, then the K99 V2 could be yours for just under $100. At the end of the day, if you need a keyboard that’s simply delightful to work on, the K99 V2 is a hoot.

Turtle Beach has finally made screens feel useful without being gimmicky, as the large touchscreen on its Command Series KB7 TKL is simply beautiful. Enabling you to customize actuation points and enable features like Rapid Trigger on the fly, the KB7 TKL is one of the best gaming keyboards you can buy today — if you’ve got nearly $200 to spare.

The KB7 TKL is not only great for gaming, but it’s solid for typing and productivity, too, thanks to the multi-functional screen and an optional number pad accessory. But the keyboard isn’t perfect, as it isn’t hot-swappable or wireless, and it costs a pretty penny.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: Specs

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wired gaming keyboard with a 75% layout and Hall Effect switches
• Who is it for? Competitive gamers
• How much does it cost? The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is available for $199 / £159
• What do we like? The sturdy build, large screen for on-the-fly customization, elite gaming features, and the decent typing experience
• What don’t we like? The wired-only, non-hot-swappable design, and expensive price tag

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: The ups

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL nails the sturdy, durable design, and packs a large touchscreen for on-the-fly customization, 8,000Hz polling, Rapid Trigger, and more.

Sturdy build

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL feels like a supremely well-built keyboard, utilizing a combination of an anodized aluminum top plate and a plastic chassis. These give it some heft, as the keyboard weighs 2.47lbs (including wrist rest) but it’s nowhere near as heavy as some of Keychron’s full-metal decks, like the Q6 HE 8K (5lbs, $239) or the Q12 HE (4.85lbs, $249).

That’s because the KB7 TKL is a low-profile keyboard, and these are generally lighter than standard-profile ones. Though the KB7 TKL is heavier than, say, the Hexgears Immersion A3 TKL (1.67lbs, $129) and the NuPhy Air75 V3 (1.65lbs, $139), I haven’t had any issues carrying it to and from work in my backpack.

The KB7 TKL, as its name suggests, is a TKL keyboard, so it doesn’t feature a number pad. It measures 15.71 x 10.08 x 1.22 inches so it shouldn’t take up too much space on your desk. If you wish it had a numpad, you’re in luck. You can grab the optional Turtle Beach Command Series KP7 for $99 / £89 which conveniently slides into place on either side of the keyboard, thanks to dual modular rails, and turns the KB7 TKL into a full-size keyboard. This is a great choice for both left- and right-handed folks. The KP7 functions as a standalone wired Hall Effect gaming keypad, too.

Adding to the KB7 TKL’s durable build are its double-shot PBT keycaps which are more durable and resistant to wear and tear than their ABS counterparts. Turtle Beach happily includes a detachable, light-diffusing silicon wrist rest in the box, too, which helps you feel comfortable during long gaming or typing sessions.

Large touchscreen for on-the-fly customization

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL’s large 4.3-inch touchscreen that takes up a lot of space on the keyboard’s right side. This replaces the navigation keys cluster you’d normally find on other TKL keyboards — but you still get access to these via the touchscreen.

In addition to that, the KB7 TKL’s touchscreen enables you to adjust all the keys’ sensitivity at once, enable ReacTap and Rapid Trigger, record macros on the go, remap keys, adjust the keyboard’s lighting, and more.

To unlock the touchscreen’s full potential, you should download Turtle Beach’s Swarm II companion app on your Windows laptop. Via Swarm II, you can customize the touchscreen by adding widgets to it, or selecting a template preset, such as ‘KB7 CS.’ This is designed specifically for Counter-Strike, and it shows you handy information, such as your equipped weapon, bullets remaining, total kills, etc. You can add third-party apps to the touchscreen, too, like Discord, Steam, and StreamLabs. This is how you make a keyboard’s screen useful and not just a gimmick.

Top-tier gaming features

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is, first and foremost, a gaming keyboard. It’s fitted with in-house Titan low-profile Hall Effect switches, and it has an 8,000Hz polling rate. For 99% of gamers, 1,000Hz polling is more than enough. 8KHz is also a drain on system resources, but thankfully, you can drop the polling rate by launching Swarm II on your machine.

I tested the KB7 TKL by playing Counter-Strike 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, and the keyboard didn’t let me down even once. I tried both 8KHz and 1KHz polling rates and didn’t notice any input lag or unresponsiveness. The Titan switches’ per-key adjustable actuation is the real star here, though. Their sensitivity can be adjusted between 0.1mm and 3.2mm.

I appreciated being able to adjust the sensitivity via the touchscreen itself, so I could quickly drop to a low actuation point of around 0.3mm for ultra-responsive gameplay in Counter-Strike 2. Turning the sensitivity of action and movement keys down meant that I could quickly swap between weapons by lightly tapping a key. Executing a series of complex actions felt like a walk in the park too, as I could sprint, throw a grenade, and crouch into hiding rapidly. This gave me a competitive advantage that often mechanical keyboards can’t offer.

In addition to that, you also get ReacTap, which is Turtle Beach’s term for Last Key Prioritization — a type of Simultaneous Opposite Key Detection (SOCD) resolution, or in other words, telling the keyboard what to do when two opposing commands are entered.

Enabling this essentially prioritizes the last key pressed, and I use it primarily for counter-strafing. You can basically draw to a complete stop from a sideways strafe by pressing the opposing direction key (A and D or vice versa). This gets you kicked out of Valve’s games, like Counter-Strike 2 and DOTA, as it acts as a cheat code — but it’s not banned in Valorant and other non-Valve competitive games. It also works like a charm in single-player games, like Cyberpunk 2077 where I was running circles around NPCs.

Finally, there’s Rapid Trigger which ensures that all inputs are recognized by enabling near-instantaneous switch reset when lifting. This allows for quicker directional changes and micro-adjustments when dodging or repositioning, for example. In Cyberpunk 2077, I used it to quickly peek around corners. All of these elite features come together to deliver an exceptional gaming experience.

Decent for typing, too

While I prefer one of the best mechanical keyboards, like my trusty Epomaker Glyph ($139), for typing, the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is a good deck for productivity, too. The first page of its touchscreen features functions like Print, Insert, Page Up and Page Down, which are more productivity-oriented. There are Copy and Paste shortcuts, which negate the need to hold down Cmd/Ctrl + C/V.

The KB7 TKL feels good to type on, too. To put it through its paces, I took a series of typing tests at 10fastfingers.com, with the keyboard set to different sensitives for each test.

As you can see in the table above, the KB7 TKL performs well, but it doesn’t quite match up to other magnetic keyboards I’ve tested. That’s on me, though, as at the time of writing, I’d tested a bunch of mechanical keyboards leading up to the KB7 TKL, and was more accustomed to their tactile feel. I’ve personally enjoyed typing on the KB7 TKL. Its keycaps feel soft and polished to touch, and with the actuation set just right, my fingers felt like they were gliding across the board.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: The downs

Annoyingly, the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL isn’t hot-swappable and can’t be used wirelessly, and it’s expensive, too.

Not hot-swappable

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is that it isn’t hot-swappable. That means its Titan Hall Effect switches are soldered to the PCB, so you can’t just pop them out and replace them with switches of your choice. Having tested nearly 100 keyboards at the time of writing, that’s a fairly significant drawback, especially when Turtle Beach’s competitors have been doing it for a while now.

If you want a hot-swappable keyboard, I’d recommend the Keychron K2 HE ($130) or the Wooting 80HE ($199). At the time of writing, Hall Effect switch choice is fairly limited, but we expect more switches to pop up in the market as these keyboards gain more popularity and become more mainstream.

Wired-only

This is more of a pre-purchase consideration rather than an outright flaw: the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is a wired-only keyboard. You can connect the keyboard to your machine either via USB-C or two USB-A ports (using the included adapter), which is similar to the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Max ($229). You also get USB-A passthrough for connecting other devices straight to the KB7 TKL.

If you want to use a Hall Effect keyboard on the go and would like wireless connectivity, I’d recommend the Epomaker HE65 Mag ($99) or the Epomaker HE75 Mag ($99).

Expensive

Turtle Beach makes some great peripherals but they don’t always come cheap — and the same goes for the KB7 TKL. The keyboard retails for $199 / £159 at Amazon so while it isn’t as expensive as the Keychron Q12 HE ($249) or the Lemokey L5 HE ($220), it isn’t the cheapest either. That price tag hurts more when you take into consideration that the KB7 TKL isn’t hot-swappable and doesn’t offer wireless connectivity.

The KB7 TKL faces fierce competition from other Hall Effect keyboard manufacturers — and you don’t need to spend nearly $200 or more to get a decent one nowadays. The Keychron K2 HE ($130), the Epomaker HE65 Mag ($99) and the NuPhy Air60 HE ($139) are exceptional magnetic keyboards that don’t break the bank.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL review: Verdict

If you want a powerful gaming keyboard, the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL is a standout choice as the keyboard doesn’t give you too much to complain about. It packs 8,000Hz polling, adjustable actuation, and top-tier gaming features like Rapid Trigger and ReacTap. In addition to that, you get a large customizable touchscreen that enables you to adjust settings on the go.

But unfortunately, the KB7 TKL has its flaws. It isn’t hot-swappable, which most of its competitors are, and it isn’t wireless either. It’s also expensive and is simply outdone by the likes of Epomaker and Keychron offering better value for money.

If you aren’t bothered by those drawbacks, then the KB7 TKL could be perfect for you. I, for one, absolutely love how helpful the touchscreen is, and now I wish all keyboards had it.

The Logitech Mobi Fold seems pretty unconventional at first glance. It’s a mouse that folds into a net square so it fits in the palm of your hand, making it easy to take with you anywhere. But is it one of the best mice? Well, it’s certainly one of the most interesting.

The design is surprisingly comfortable, matching the contours of my palm perfectly, and the smart sensors help me avoid any misclicks when moving around. The mouse is also compatible with the Logi Options+ App, so you can make changes to DPI based on your needs.

But the short battery life, jumpy touch-sensitive scrolling and loud clicks might put you off. To find out more about the foldable mouse and its quirks, you can keep reading this full Logitech Mobi Fold review.

Logitech Mobi Fold review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A foldable mouse
• Who is it for? On-the-go workers
• How much does it cost? The Logitech Mobi Fold is available for $79 / £69 on Amazon
• What do we like? It’s easy to transport, comfortable and customizable
• What don’t we like? The short battery life is disappointing, scrolling is jumpy and the clicks are loud

Logitech Mobi Fold review: Specs

Logitech Mobi Fold review: The ups

The Logitech Mobi Fold is one to consider if you regularly work on the go. The foldable design is comfortable to use and convenient, while the customizable buttons and sensors mean you can adjust it to suit your needs.

It does yoga

The Logitech Mobi Fold does exactly what the name suggests and can be contorted much like a flip phone. The mouse can be quickly snapped together, reducing it from 4.8 x 2.3 x 1.3 inches to just 2.6 x 0.8 inches.

Honestly, the mouse is compact anyway, but this neat folding means it can slot easily into the side pocket of my laptop cover so I know exactly where it is. I’ve found it to be an ideal option for when I’m tight on space in my bag but still need a reliable mouse on hand.

I’ve also tested the ESR MagMouse ($35), which is designed for on-the-go use. The difference here is that the ESR is still the usual mouse shape. Its only adaptation is that its base is magnetic, so it can be attached to your laptop when moving around. I think the Logitech Mobi Fold is a lot more useful than this because it becomes so compact and can be stored in a small pocket when moving around, while the ESR is a typically clunky mouse and measures 4.2 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches.

Comfortable to hold

Because of the way the Logitech Mobi Fold is angled, I’ve found it incredibly comfortable to hold. I usually like to use a vertical mouse, like the Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic ($25), as the shape supports my hand in a comfortable position all day long, but this style isn’t portable since it’s very large and awkwardly shaped.

The Logitech Mobi Fold bridges the gap between comfort and a portable design. The fold has enough of an arch that my palm feels cradled and supported. However, this is personal, and anyone with large hands will probably think the size of this mouse is frankly ridiculous.

No misclicks

When picking up the Logitech Mobi Fold to collapse and store it, I was concerned I would accidentally hit a few buttons and do something detrimental to my spreadsheet. But I didn’t need to worry.

The mouse uses sensors to detect when it is lifted or folded, so the buttons become deactivated, meaning zero misclicks.

Loads of Options

The Logitech Mobi Fold is compatible with the Logi Options+ App. I’m familiar with this app from previously testing Logitech’s keyboards and webcams. It’s just as easy to use with the mouse. The mouse has four buttons, and two of these are customizable in the app. Having this app means you can adjust the mouse DPI, making it more or less sensitive depending on your needs. I left the right and left buttons as they were, but decreased the DPI so the mouse was less sensitive to my movements. This gave me a lot more control.

Logitech Mobi Fold review: The downs

As much as I like the Logitech Mobi Fold, it has a few quirks. The scrolling is jumpy, and the clicks are loud. There’s also no USB receiver included, and the battery life is very disappointing.

Scrolling is jumpy

Scrolling on the Logitech Mobi Fold feels jumpy. The scroll is touch-sensitive, and the absence of a scroll wheel makes the mouse look much more streamlined. But at times, this is too sensitive and sometimes even unresponsive.

This makes it pretty unreliable, and I found myself moving to the scroll pad on my laptop when I needed to scroll. I’d find this frustrating if I were using the mouse every day.

Clicks are loud

While the Logitech Mobi Fold looks discreet, the sound it makes is anything but. The clicks are quite loud, and in an office setting, this would become annoying very fast. Not only is it distracting for coworkers, but I found it distracted me from my own workflow. I would have appreciated some quieter switches.

USB receiver not included

The Logitech Mobi Fold can be connected to your device via Bluetooth or by using a USB receiver. However, the USB receiver isn’t included with the mouse. Instead, you have to purchase the Logitech Bolt USB-C Receiver separately for $14.

Since this USB receiver is universal, it can be used with other Logitech devices, but it’s a shame it’s not included with the mouse. It’s unusual to see a mouse in this price range without a receiver; for example, the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K ($69), NZXT Lift Elite Wireless ($74) and Cherry XTRFY M50 ($69) all include them.

The Logitech Pebble Mouse 2 could also be a viable option if you want a USB receiver and need to save some space, as the design is very slim. It’s also only $24 on Amazon U.S.

Poor battery life

The Logitech Mobi Fold has very disappointing battery life. These numbers depend on your usage, but Logitech says you should get 32 days using Bluetooth and 33 days using the Bolt USB receiver.

In comparison, the ESR MagMouse has 80 days of battery life, and if that’s not enough, the Logitech Signature AI Edition ($49) has a whopping 24 months.

The Mobi Fold is rechargeable via USB-C and only takes around 45 minutes to fully charge. However, it’s worth noting that the mouse is hard to use when it’s charging due to the position of the charging port, so you’ll spend those 45 minutes waiting around.

Logitech Mobi Fold review: Verdict

The Logitech Mobi Fold is one of the most interesting mice I’ve come across. Its foldable style makes it highly portable while still being comfortable to hold as it cradles your palm. The smart sensors helped me to avoid any misclicks when transporting the mouse, and the ability to use the Logi Options+ app means you can make any changes you need to the mouse to suit your work style.

But unfortunately, there are some letdowns. The short 32-day battery life is very low compared to others in this price range. The touch-sensitive scrolling is also jumpy, and the clicks are loud, making the mouse a little distracting.

If you’re someone who regularly works on the go, I think the Logitech Mobi Fold is an ideal solution to save space and remain productive. But for everyday use at your desk, I think it leaves a lot to be desired.

The best laptops are a student’s most important ally, especially now during the back-to-school season. Though you can certainly make do with a laptop out of the box, you can make your notebook even more productive with the right accessories. Best of all, you don’t have to break the bank to get everything you’d need.

I haven’t been inside a classroom in decades, but I review laptops for a living and know the best items to recommend. This includes things like laptop stands, USB hubs, privacy screens, wireless peripherals, and more. Best of all, you can nab everything I’ve listed below for under $50 each, as being a student can already be pretty expensive.

To that end, here are the 12 best laptop accessories I recommend right now. I've also included the two best budget laptops to get right now. Also, check out our Ultimate Back-to-School Guide 2026 for more deals. Okay, let's dive in!

Quick Links

• Mosiso Laptop Sleeve: was $14 now $13 @ Amazon
• Matein Travel Laptop Backpack: was $33 now $18 @ Amazon
• Havit Laptop Cooling Pad: was $34 now $25 @ Amazon
• Lamicall Laptop Stand Riser: was $35 now $29 @ Amazon
• Logitech Signature M650: was $39 now $30 @ Amazon
• SightPro Magnetic Laptop Privacy Screen: $34 @ Amazon
• Acer USB-C Docking Station: was $47 now $36 @ Amazon
• Keychron B35 Wireless Keyboard: $39 @ Amazon
• LapGear Lap Desk: was $49 now $39 @ Amazon
• UGreen 100W USB Multi-Power Charger: was $54 now $42 @ Amazon
• Iniu Laptop Power Bank: was $50 now $42 @ Amazon
• MNN Portable Monitor: was $49 now $44 @ Amazon

The two best budget laptops

If you're looking for an excellent budget laptop, the MacBook Neo and new Dell XPS 13 (2026) are both available starting at $699. So whether you're a macOS or Windows user, you won't be stuck with a subpar machine for school!

12 back-to-school laptop accessories

Depending on your home-office needs, the Dell Pro 7 Webcam could be the best webcam to add to your video conferencing setup. The easy setup means you can have it up and running in seconds, and the auto-adjustments based on AI-powered auto adjustments help you stay looking professional. The microphone quality is good, and the privacy lens is helpful for quickly switching off your camera.

But it’s worth keeping in mind that the mount and the camera are heavier than most others on the market, and the color replication is poor. I also think you can get better for the price tag.

To find out more, you can keep reading this full Dell Pro 7 Webcam review.

Dell Pro 7 Webcam review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 4K webcam with smart modes for auto-adjustment
• Who is it for? At-home office workers who want to upgrade their setup
• What does it cost? The Dell Pro 7 Webcam is available for $199 / £190 from the Dell online store
• What do we like? It’s easy to set up, automatically adjusts exposure and white balance, has good microphone quality and a privacy lens
• What don’t we like? The mount is very heavy and the color replication is poor

Dell Pro 7 Webcam review: Specs

Dell Pro 7 Webcam review: The ups

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam has a lot to like. With its effortless setup and intelligent features, it’s a breeze to integrate into your existing work routine.

Easy to set up

Setting up the Dell Pro 7 Webcam with your computer couldn’t be easier (once you balance it, but more on that later). The camera comes with a 10-foot USB-C cable, plus a USB-A converter for compatibility with older devices. Simply plug this into your computer, and you’re done.

I had to switch from my built-in laptop webcam to the external one, but you won’t need to do this if you’re using a PC. I did the same for the microphone to make sure I was using the Dell camera’s mic.

Intelligent features

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam offers a few intelligent features to make things a little easier. The camera uses Advanced AI-Imaging with Smart Enhancement, but this is just a fancy way of saying that it considers your face, environment, and movements to apply the best exposure settings to the camera.

It automatically adjusts exposure and white balance using Smart Scene Detection, which mostly worked well. However, other webcams, like the Logitech MX BRIO 750 for $199, perform better in low-light conditions.

If you want something a bit more high-tech for presenting, with impressive gimbal tracking and whiteboard focus settings, you should look at the Insta360 Link 2 Pro ($249). It’s a little more expensive, but it opens up a whole new level of possibility when taking work calls and presenting ideas.

Good microphone

The on-board microphone of the Dell Pro 7 Webcam replicated my voice clearly. I sounded slightly crisper than when I use my Apple AirPods 3. It effectively reduced ambient sound around me and didn’t pick up any typing sounds from my keyboard.

Privacy lens

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam has a built-in privacy lens that is controlled by a switch at the top. This quickly shuts off the camera view during meetings, so you don’t need to fiddle with settings on your computer.

Dell Pro 7 Webcam review: The downs

While the Dell Pro 7 Webcam has a lot to love, there are a few things that put me off. The color replication in particular made my saturation-loving self shy away from this camera.

Heavy mount

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam mount is very heavy and is made even heavier by the camera. This meant that I found it difficult to balance, and it was actually pulling down my laptop screen.

The effect of this isn’t as bad if you’re mounting it to a larger monitor, but it still makes it tricky during the initial setup to get the right balance. The whole unit weighs 8.5 ounces. In comparison, the Insta360 Link 2C Pro (with more capabilities) weighs just 4 ounces, while the Opal Tadpole weighs just 1.2 ounces but only works with laptops.

Color replication

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam made me look gaunt. Haunting. Ghostly. Despite being pretty pale, even in the height of summer, this camera somehow made me appear even more washed out.

The image on the left is taken with the Dell Pro 7 Webcam, and the image on the right is taken using the built-in camera on my MacBook Pro M2. The MacBook image has a lot more life and color in my skin, and I think this makes me seem more personable on-screen and means I engage with the person on the other end of the call a lot better.

Dell Pro 7 Webcam review: Verdict

The Dell Pro 7 Webcam is a decent choice for at-home office workers — it has a lot to offer. The effortless setup means you can have it recording in an instant, and the auto-adjustment settings mean I didn’t have to mess around with my camera settings.

The microphone quality is great for ensuring my voice is clear on calls, and the privacy lens added a layer of security and meant I could easily turn my camera off if I needed to.

However, the camera and mount are very heavy, making it hard to balance on a computer screen. Also, I thought the color replication was poor in comparison to my usual webcam. At $199, I would expect a little more. You can get better for the price, such as the Insta360 Link 2C Pro, but it’s perfect for anyone who needs something reliable for everyday use.

Epomaker has knocked it out of the park once again with the RT100 Pro, a full-size mechanical keyboard that gives you very little to complain about. Offering a beautiful typing experience thanks to its smooth linear switches, and featuring 1,000Hz polling for casual gaming, the RT100 Pro does it all. It comes with a customizable screen, too, which can be removed if you want four extra switches.

I’m also very happy to see Epomaker make competent web-based software that negates the need for downloading proprietary software. And while the screen doesn’t always work as intended, it’s hard to find any other glaring faults — the RT100 Pro is simply that good.

To find out if this is the best mechanical keyboard for you, read my full Epomaker RT100 Pro review.

Epomaker RT100 Pro review: Specs

Epomaker RT100 Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A full-size mechanical keyboard with linear switches and a swappable screen
• Who is it for? Hardcore typists who are also casual gamers
• How much does it cost? The Epomaker RT100 Pro is available for $119 / £129
• What do we like? The stunning typing experience and sound profile, customizable screen, user-friendly web-based software, and more
• What don’t we like? The screen can sometimes be unreliable, and there are no stock tactile switches for sale

Epomaker RT100 Pro review: The ups

From its solid build and great design, to its wonderful switches and user-friendly software, the Epomaker RT100 Pro is a superb mechanical keyboard.

Improvements galore!

The Epomaker RT100 Pro improves on the original RT100 by introducing an aluminum alloy top plate that gives it more stability. While the RT100 featured an all-plastic chassis that made it feel slightly cheap, the RT100 Pro feels more premium and like it could stand the test of time. It still packs gasket PCB mounting that offers a soft typing feel and reduces vibrations while typing (more on that shortly).

Epomaker has switched up the keyboard’s layout, too. The RT100 Pro is a 100% full-size keyboard, compared to the 95% RT100. Alongside better-placed page navigation keys, you get a detachable, customizable screen. The brand has also fixed one of my biggest issues with the RT100: that pesky, toy-like, all-too-plasticky volume knob is gone and has now been replaced by a more premium dial.

Another improvement? The RT100 Pro’s 2.4GHz dongle is now stored in a separate, dedicated slot located on the keyboard’s underside. On the OG RT100, you had to remove the screen to slot its dongle into the onboard compartment. Basically, if you were using the screen, you risked losing the dongle, but not anymore.

Given its 100% layout, the RT100 Pro measures 17.05 x 5.59 x 1.77 inches and weighs 2.86lbs, so it’s best left stationery on your desk. If you want a solid mechanical keyboard to travel with, I’d recommend the low-profile IQUNIX MQ80 ($169), the NuPhy Air75 V3 ($139) or the Epomaker Luma84 ($109).

A dream to type on (and listen to)

I’ve tested a plethora of Epomaker keyboards, and I’m yet to be disappointed by the typing experience they offer. The Epomaker RT100 Pro is no different. As I mentioned earlier, the RT100 Pro features a gasket-mount design that ensures a soft type feel, and it negates any unnecessary metallic pings that would otherwise disrupt your typing experience.

Combined with the double-shot PBT keycaps and several layers of sound dampening foams, the RT100 Pro sounds creamy and thocky. It isn’t too loud that it disturbs your coworkers, and it isn’t too silent that you can’t appreciate the wonderful sound profile.

This, of course, depends on the switches you’re using, and there are two stock sets to choose from: Creamy Jade and Sea Salt V2. Both are linear switches, but the latter are much quieter — I tested the V1 version with the RT100 and they are indeed very quiet.

With the RT100 Pro, I tested the Creamy Jade switches which are lovely to type on. These require 45g of force to actuate, so they’re slightly heavier than, say, Wisteria V2s you find in the Epomaker Glyph ($139). Even so, they aren’t fatiguing in the slightest — I wrote this full review using the RT100 Pro. They also have a short pre-travel distance of 2mm so you don’t have to press them all the way down to activate them.

I took a typing test at 10fastfingers.com as soon as I unboxed the RT100 Pro, and as you can see in the table above, I was able to achieve 96 words per minute with 94.1% accuracy straight out of the box. The Glyph is still the fastest keyboard I’ve typed on, but I’m pleased with the RT100 Pro’s performance, too.

It’ll game, too

Though it’s a productivity-first keyboard, the Epomaker RT100 Pro is a good keyboard for gaming between tasks, too. Over wired and 2.4GHz connections, the RT100 Pro polls at 1,000Hz — this naturally drops to 125Hz over Bluetooth. The 1,000Hz polling rate combined with the linear switches makes the RT100 Pro decent for racing, FPS and RPGs.

I tested the keyboard by playing some Counter-Strike 2 and Forza Horizon 5 on the Alienware 16X Aurora. I found the keyboard to be extremely responsive. Each command was registered instantaneously, and there was no input lag or latency issues, thanks to 1KHz polling. The Creamy Jade switches themselves felt smooth, and because of the short pre-travel distance, I appreciated being able to quickly execute commands without my fingers feeling tired.

The RT100 Pro also features N-key rollover, which enables multiple inputs to be registered at the same time. This came in handy in Counter-Strike 2 where I was able to crouch and open my inventory at the same time, therefore saving me a couple of seconds and giving me a slight competitive advantage. In Forza Horizon 5, my tight hairpin turns didn’t suffer from missed commands as I was able to quickly transition between braking, handbraking and steering my car.

If you’re a serious or competitive gamer, I’d always recommend picking up a Hall Effect keyboard with adjustable actuation, such as the Epomaker HE65 ($99) or the Keychron K4 HE ($134). If you’re someone who cares about headline specs, like 8,000Hz polling (which is usually overkill for most players), you can always grab the Keychron V1 8K ($74) mechanical deck instead.

Customizable, detachable screen

Screens on keyboards are becoming increasingly common. I’ve seen them on the Epomaker Glyph, the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless ($259), the SteelSeries Apex Pro ($199), and now on the Epomaker RT100 Pro. Located above the page navigation keys, the RT100 Pro features a 1.54-inch square TFT screen that, by default, displays the keyboard’s vitals, like battery life, active operating system layout, and more.

Through web-based software (more on that soon), you can upload GIFs, static images or pixel art to the screen. The TFT display itself is bright and colorful, and what’s more, you can actually remove the screen to reveal four additional switch sockets. Included in the RT100 Pro’s box are extra switches which can be popped into the four sockets and then their functions can be customized via Epomaker Hub. That’s handy for anyone who wants extra functions — but I personally kept the screen attached, displaying a GIF of Kathryn Hahn from WandaVision on loop.

User-friendly web-based software

While the Epomaker RT100 was customizable via proprietary, downloadable software, the Epomaker RT100 Pro is compatible with the brand’s new web-based Epomaker Hub — and it’s a hoot to use. It looks similar to Keychron Launcher, but if you aren’t familiar with either, it won’t take you time getting to grips with Epomaker Hub.

The web-based app sports a clean, user-friendly interface, and there are no intrusive ads or pop-ups asking you to sign up every time you switch tabs (looking at you, Asus Armoury Crate). You can use Epomaker Hub to remap the RT100 Pro’s keys, record macros, adjust the per-key RGB lighting or choose a different effect, and upload GIFs or static images to the screen. Everything is easy to understand and do.

Epomaker RT100 Pro review: The downs

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Epomaker RT100 Pro, but it’s important to note that its detachable screen doesn’t always work as intended.

The screen can be finicky

I think it goes without saying that I love the Epomaker RT100 Pro’s customizable and detachable screen — but it isn’t perfect. In my testing, the screen malfunctioned every time I removed and put it back in. Sometimes, it wouldn’t display the correct time (even though it did before being removed). Other times, it would go blank, and all I could see was a dark blue screen.

There was also an instance where the screen just wouldn’t turn on — I had to remove and insert it a few times to get it working again. All of this is quite disappointing, given that the idea behind the screen is fantastic. I just wish it worked better and was more reliable. Even though the OG RT100’s TV-like screen felt a little gimmicky, it never actually stopped working in my testing.

No stock tactile switches

As I mentioned earlier, the Epomaker RT100 Pro comes with either Creamy Jade or Sea Salt V2 stock switches — both of which are linear. Unfortunately, there aren’t any stock tactile switches available. The keyboard is hot-swappable and compatible with 3- and 5-pin south-facing MX switches, so you can simply pop in your own without de- and re-soldering them to the PCB.

That will be an added expenditure, though, but not a massive one. A 108-piece set of Kailh Box White 45g switches costs $32, or you can get 108 pieces of Gateron G Pro 3.0 Brown 55g switches for $29.

Epomaker RT100 Pro review: Verdict

The Epomaker RT100 Pro introduces small but meaningful improvements to the RT100, making it one of the finest mechanical keyboards you can buy today. Better building materials that make it feel premium, a detachable screen that can be removed for four extra switches, and user-friendly web-based software are most welcome.

If you’re a hardcore typist, like me, the RT100 Pro won’t let you down. Its pre-lubed linear switches are delightful to type on, and they’re lovely to listen to, too. And thanks to 1,000Hz polling, the RT100 Pro is a solid keyboard for casual gamers. While the screen doesn’t always work as intended, it’s a small flaw overshadowed by everything else on offer.

Anyone looking for a competent full-size mechanical keyboard and with $119 to spare should consider the RT100 Pro as their daily driver. It puts the ‘fun’ in ‘functional.’

Remember when devices were trying to get rid of buttons, and now more and more companies are working to add AI-centric ones? Step forward, Aina, a company offering something a little unique.

Its new keypad, Dune, is essentially a small macro pad you can throw in a bag to take on the go with your MacBook. And while I wasn’t sure I needed a context-specific series of buttons attached to my Mac, I couldn’t believe how intuitive it was.

Get work Dune

Dune is a small three-key keypad that plugs into your MacBook’s USB-C port on the left-hand side, with three colored, metal buttons, a solid shell that feels built to last, and a very welcome rubberized base to avoid scratching desks and tables.

Above the buttons is a window showing an LED inside, and my only gripe is that being able to look inside and see some of the circuitry feels like it goes against the rest of the design inspiration here - everything is so clean and fine-tuned that it feels as though the light that goes on when you press a button was a little bit of an afterthought.

Still, that’s genuinely my only nitpick here with the design. I have the Midnight MacBook Air (still rocking an M3 chip), and the paint chips like nobody’s business. As a result, I was worried about having an additional metal chassis potentially locked alongside it, but the Dune sits beautifully, with no wiggle from the USB-C port.

So what does Dune do?

Here’s the fun part: Dune basically does anything you need it to. During the setup process, you can flag some key apps you use day-to-day. For my sins, mine include Teams, and Dune instantly offered some useful shortcuts attached to the hardware buttons, all displayed in the bottom-left corner.

Muting my mic, turning off the camera with a single touch, or simply bringing the meeting to the front of my active windows are all things I have to do regularly, so having the option to hit a clearly defined button for that is ideal.

Hitting a button to bring up a fresh Claude chat and using the other two buttons to instantly “yay” or “nay” its responses speeds things up by a few seconds each day, which soon adds up across a week, a month, or a year.

Dune also cycles its context-specific commands depending on your active window, so pressing the buttons becomes muscle memory.

At present, the in-app marketplace is still being populated, but there are some solid options already. Being able to open your Mac’s clipboard, or instantly send a screenshot to Claude or update a Slack status are very useful, and I’m excited to see how things pan out from the perspective of power users getting their hands on Dune.

Sticking with Claude, however, it’s clear this is where Dune’s real appeal lies. In fact, you can build your own workflows for Dune using Claude, be those scripts, app-specific contextual actions, and more. Will you get the same joy from another AI app? It’s hard to say, but if you already have Claude, this is a genuinely intuitive way to build a better Mac.

A curio, or a must-have?

There are some considerations, of course. For one, if your Mac is docked while you work, then a more traditional macro pad is likely to be more useful. For another, you’ll need a USB-C port free to be able to use Dune.

And yet, I can see myself packing it for every trip where I’m just taking the laptop and don’t need to plug into a variety of other peripherals.

For something that must’ve required plenty of thought, it somehow feels so simple to use. Muting meetings, triggering agentic AI, or just having a place to run a shortcut without trying to remember the keyboard combo I set up years ago is genuinely useful.

Now that I’ve used Dune, I’m very keen to see where it goes from here and how it evolves. As someone who uses a Stream Deck but doesn’t take it on the go, I’m happy to have an alternative that’s much more portable, and that leans nicely into agentic AI.

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• I stopped using ChatGPT for everything — here are 5 prompts I only run in Claude
• I use Gemini Spark daily — here are 7 prompts that show what it can really do

I’ve been podcasting for the better part of 14 years, and the one piece of gear I’ve invested in more than anything else is one of the best microphones. After all, people will forgive so-so or even boring visuals as long as the audio is solid. I ran a Samson C01U Pro for years before switching to my current Elgato Wave 3, and I’m still happy with it. That said, I’ve been testing a pretty strong rival lately — the Razer Seiren V3 Pro.

Razer’s latest Seiren is a studio-leaning dynamic mic aimed squarely at podcasters and creators who want cleaner sound without a ton of extra gear. It has a solid, Shure-inspired look and comes packed with built-in processing tools that actually help you sound better right out of the box. At $249, it’s not cheap, but you’re getting dual USB-C and XLR connectivity, a 30 mm capsule, and some useful onboard features for the money.

So, will I ditch my beloved Wave 3 for the Seiren V3 Pro? Read on for what this mic is all about and how it held up after a week of real use.

Razer Seiren V3 Pro: What is it?

Before I dig into my experience with the Seiren V3 Pro, here’s a quick look at the features so you know what you’re dealing with.

The Seiren V3 Pro is built to deliver the warm, broadcast-style sound many podcasters and streamers are after. Its cardioid pickup pattern means you speak into the top of the mic, which focuses on your voice while rejecting noise from the sides and rear. That’s especially useful if you’re recording in a regular room rather than a treated studio. It also includes a built-in shock absorber and a removable pop filter to minimize noise and plosives before they reach your recording.

One of the standout features is the dual connectivity. You get USB-C for simple plug-and-play use, plus a full XLR connection when you want to run it through a proper audio interface or mixer. That flexibility means the same mic can sit on a basic streaming desk one day and move into a more serious recording setup the next — no need to buy two different mics!

On the software side, Razer includes onboard DSP tools such as a compressor, expander, limiter, and an AI noise remover. There’s also 32-bit float support in the Razer Synapse app, which gives you more headroom and less chance of clipping when you get loud.

Between the processing and the extra dynamic range, much of the cleanup happens before the audio even reaches your computer. A physical gain dial sits right on the mic for quick adjustments, and the Chroma RGB ring serves as both a status indicator (mute, levels, etc.) and a bit of customizable flair.

Overall, the Seiren V3 Pro feels like the best of both worlds: easy enough for more casual users like me to set up and start using, but with enough depth and customization to keep the more serious audio folks happy.

Razer Seiren V3 Pro: My experience

I was impressed the second I pulled the Razer Seiren V3 Pro out of the box. It’s a slick-looking piece of kit. Objectively, it doesn’t look all that different from other cardioid mics, but it’s a design style I’ve always liked and rarely had the chance to use. Inside the box, you get the mic, its stand, and a long USB cable. One end is USB-A, and Razer includes a USB-A-to-USB-C adapter, a thoughtful little touch.

Once you plug it into your PC and open the Razer Synapse app, it guides you through a quick setup. You speak into the mic at a normal volume, record a bit of ambient noise, tell it what you’re using it for (podcasting, in my case), and how far the mic is from you. That’s it. The whole process takes less than five minutes and does much of the heavy lifting for you.

I’m generally happy with the recording quality. My voice comes through full, and there’s almost no background noise. The only real issue is specific to my setup: the mic sits about two feet away from me, and because I live in a pretty bare studio apartment, it can pick up a bit of that empty-room sound. I don’t have that problem with my Elgato Wave 3 since it’s on an arm and I can pull it right up to my mouth. I can’t do that as easily with the Razer, but even at a less-than-ideal distance, the audio still sounds solid.

I’m not an audiophile, and I don’t like fussing with settings, so the preset options in Synapse work perfectly fine for me. You can dig in and tweak everything if you want, and I’m sure I could squeeze out even better results with some fine-tuning. For most people, though, the out-of-the-box presets are more than good enough.

The one real annoyance I encountered is how easy it is to accidentally mute yourself while adjusting the mic. The mute “button” is a large, sensitive target area, and it’s almost impossible not to graze it when repositioning the mic. A proper physical button that requires a bit of force to press would have solved this easily.

Razer Seiren V3 Pro: Bottom line

This is my first time using a Razer microphone, and I have to say that I’m pretty impressed. Between the clean design and the solid set of features, the Seiren V3 Pro feels like a real step up for anyone looking to take their podcasting or content creation more seriously. Yeah, $249 is a chunk of money, and there are cheaper options out there. But if you decide to spend it, I don’t think you’ll walk away disappointed.

So, back to the question I asked at the start: will I switch from my Elgato Wave 3 to the Razer Seiren V3 Pro? Right now, no. I’d get a lot more out of this mic if I had it on a proper arm so I could keep it closer to my mouth. That said, it’s compact enough that I’ll definitely be tossing it in my bag for podcasting on the road. It’s a fantastic microphone that can make you sound like a pro, and at the end of the day, that’s exactly what I’m after.

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• Shure SM4 review: This musician’s microphone is perfect for beginners

When packing for a trip — or even worse, a family trip — there are quite a few things you need to remember to bring, especially if you’re going somewhere more remote. Fortunately for the rest of my family, I always remember to bring a charger — several, in fact.

From towels to pool noodles and everything in between, our car was absolutely packed when we finally pulled out of my driveway. While everyone else made sure to have their beach gear and plenty of extra clothes, I was in charge of electronics per usual.

Now, we don’t let our four-year-old use a tablet at home, but with a six-hour drive ahead of us, I had no problem making an exception to that rule. So I charged and loaded the TCL NXTPAPER 14 with all of his favorite movies. Even though I consider it one of the best tablets, it doesn’t have a headphone jack, which meant this would be his first time using Bluetooth headphones instead of wired ones.

With my son squared away, it was time to pack my own tech bag. After packing my Nintendo Switch 2 and a pair of the best smart glasses so I could get the big-screen experience on the go, charging was next. While I always bring a plug-in GaN charger to quickly top off all my devices, this time around, I decided to do things a bit differently.

You see, as I had Satechi’s new ChargeView 140W Desktop Charger waiting on my desk, I threw it in my bag at the last minute — and I’m glad I did. While it’s designed for your desk, it ended up being the perfect charger for our trip. Here’s why.

From the wall to your desk

At 3 x 3 x 1.5 inches, Satechi’s new ChargeView Desktop Charger is quite compact. Still, it packs a punch with a total power output of 140W. In the box, you get the charger itself, a power cord, and a stand. Even though it’s meant to be stationary, it’s small enough that you can easily slip it — along with the power cable and stand — into your bag.

One of my favorite things about this particular charger is that it uses a standard, figure-8-style power cord. This means it’s easy to replace, and I guarantee you have more than a few of these lying around your house. In fact, the PS5, Xbox Series X, and even the Mac mini M4 all use this same cord.

In addition to giving the charger plenty of room to breathe, the included stand has a neat trick up its sleeve. While you can use it with the charger lying flat on its side like I did, you can also set it up vertically. So whether you have horizontal or vertical space to spare on your desk, you’ll be able to find a place for the Satechi ChargeView. Likewise, you won’t struggle to plug it in, since it uses a standard wall plug as opposed to a bulky power adapter that takes up multiple outlets.

Now back to our family trip, where it proved to be as useful for me as it was for everyone else at our rental property.

Enough watts for the whole family

Now, this wasn’t my first time staying at this particular Airbnb, as we had actually stayed in the upstairs unit last year. As such, I knew the layout like the back of my hand before we even set off. The living room is right next to the front door as you walk in, and I remembered there were two fairly large end tables on either side of the couch. I figured this would be the perfect place to set up the Satechi ChargeView, since I knew we’d be running back and forth from the beach pretty frequently.

I plugged the Satechi ChargeView in behind the couch and set it up horizontally toward the back of the end table. Then I grabbed a handful of USB-C to USB-C cables of varying lengths and plugged those in, too. Although I like to plug in my phone and wait until it’s fully charged before picking it up again, I know my wife’s cousin is the type to use his while it’s charging. He is a Zoomer, after all. This is why I plugged a longer cable into the port closest to the couch.

On the front of the device, there’s a bright display that gives you plenty of charging info at a glance. On the main screen, you can see the total output power and which ports are currently in use. However, pressing the button on top of the Satechi ChargeView lets you drill down for more details. You can see how many watts each connected device is currently pulling and whether the charger is running cool or if its active cooling is currently engaged.

Now, I’m sure the Satechi ChargeView will be even more useful at my desk back home, but with four people charging everything from phones to tablets to AirPods, it was interesting to see which devices had fast charging and which ones topped off at a trickle. The stand and overall design worked great here, too, since I never had to worry about it coming unplugged. At the same time, this is a charger nobody can borrow and forget to put back — which I know happens quite often on big trips with a lot of people.

Your charger, their outlet

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my plug-in GaN chargers, and even with the Satechi ChargeView set up in the living room on our trip, I still had one tucked away in my bag. The problem with these types of chargers isn’t the devices themselves. Instead, it’s where you plug them in, since no two power outlets are the same.

For instance, the Ugreen Nexode 65W on the right in the photo above has a retractable plug. This is great as it makes the whole device more compact, but I’ve definitely been in situations where I just couldn’t get it to stay put in an outlet. Alternatively, the Ugreen Uno 100W on the left is a beefier plug-in GaN charger with more wattage and ports. As such, it’s on the heftier side, which has led to a similar situation where I just couldn’t keep it securely plugged into older outlets that have loosened over time.

Now with the Satechi ChargeView on my recent family trip, I didn’t have to worry about this kind of thing at all. Its long power cord made reaching the nearest outlet a breeze, and its desktop-style design meant I didn’t need to bring extra-long charging cables with me. The display on the front made the whole charging experience a bit more fun, too, since we could all see how fast our devices actually charged.

After a successful family trip, I’m now tempted to bring the Satechi ChargeView on my next work trip, too — and for good reason. I can unplug it from my desk and grab a spare power cord to quickly throw it in my suitcase. Then once I’ve checked into my hotel, I won’t have to worry about where the outlets are or whether or not they’ll be a good fit for my plug-in GaN chargers. I never meant to bring this desktop-style charger with me, but now that I have, it just might be my new go-to travel charger.

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With back to school season underway, there are plenty of affordable mesh routers you can buy. However, when it comes to value — we're big fans of the Amazon eero 6+.

For a limited time, you can get the Amazon eero6+ Three-Pack for just $194 at Best Buy. That's the cheapest it's ever been and one of my favorite Best Buy Black Friday in July sales this week.

This Wi-Fi 6-powered mesh system can cover up to 4,500 square feet and supports 75+ connected devices. We like that the eero 6+ units are compact and easy to hide around your home. They're also a breeze to set up thanks to the easy-to-use eero app. Since eero is owned by Amazon, this mesh kit works great with your Alexa devices and you can even use an Echo Dot as a mesh extender if you need extra coverage for your home network.

It's not uncommon to find this 3-pack on sale, but right now it's selling at full retail price at Amazon, which makes Best Buy's deal that much better. This is also the cheapest it's ever been, so you know you're getting a solid bargain.

There comes a time when doing things easier and faster becomes your sole motivation and the driving force behind learning new things on your computer.

Whether that’s doing complex Photoshop edits in fewer clicks or mastering even the most obscure keyboard shortcuts, once you fall down that rabbit hole, it seems like you’ll never reach the bottom.

Like with most people, this started small for me. A keyboard shortcut here and a keyboard shortcut there, until I was outright remapping them to buttons on my mouse. Then I took things a step further and did so with a tiny controller from 8BitDo and even a foot pedal connected to my PC. However, there was an easier way: macropads.

Designed to work alongside your keyboard and mouse, macropads are fully customizable accessories where you can map whatever you want to each key. From simple things like copy and paste to full-on commands, the possibilities are truly endless. However, what if you only had a single, comically large key to work with?

Well, that’s exactly the position I found myself in when I decided to add Keychron’s Q0 Mini 8K Action Key to my desk setup. While a traditional macropad certainly would have been more useful, reaching over to slam this one down throughout my workday has been a whole lot more fun.

Not your typical Keychron keyboard

From a super budget-friendly wired board to a split ergonomic one, I’ve tried out a lot of Keychron’s keyboards over the past few years. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the company makes some of the best mechanical keyboards you can get today without breaking the bank. Keychron’s Q0 Mini 8K Action Key may only have a single key switch, but unboxing it still gave me the familiar experience I’ve come to expect from the brand.

In the box, you get the Q0 Mini 8K Action Key itself along with a braided USB-C cable, and just in case you don’t have any free USB-C ports, you also get a USB-A adapter. For a device that could have easily been an April Fools' joke, everything feels a whole lot more premium than it has any right to be.

The first thing that stuck out to me about the Q0 — besides the fact that it’s massive at 3.65 x 3.25 x 3.25 inches — is its heft. This thing isn’t going anywhere on your desk thanks to its machined aluminum base. Even with its oversized keycap, the Q0 weighs nearly a pound on its own.

On the backside, there’s a single, recessed USB-C port and that’s all you get. While I would have loved for it to have Bluetooth or wireless 2.4 GHz connectivity, Keychron went overboard with its wired connection. A single key like this doesn’t need to be that fast, but the company went ahead and gave it a polling rate of 8,000 Hz anyway, which I consider overkill in the best possible way.

I have to admit, I didn’t read the instructions as I was just too excited to try out this single-key macropad for giants. But before I took it over to my desk and plugged it in, there was one more thing I wanted to try, and boy am I glad I did.

One key to rule them all

Unlike those cheap membrane keyboards you find in offices or libraries, one of my favorite things about mechanical keyboards is that they’re just as easy to clean as they are to customize. And that all comes down to the fact that with a bit of back and forth, their keycaps pop right off.

Now if the Q0’s keycap had been permanently attached to the switch underneath it, I wouldn’t have knocked Keychron for it in the slightest. Much to my surprise though, when I gave its double-shot PBT keycap — with a rocket ship emblazoned on top — a bit of a wiggle, it popped right off. Oh, and if you don’t like rockets, Keychron has the switch and keycap spec drawing on its site so you can make your own with one of the best 3D printers.

Not only did this let me see the inner workings of this extra-large 3 x 2.5-inch keycap, but I also got a closer look at the mechanical key switch underneath it. By working closely with Outemu, Keychron created a scaled-up version of a traditional key switch that’s actually 64 times larger. It has your standard MX-style cross stem and a south-facing LED for the RGB goodness often associated with mechanical keyboards.

I’ve been using a mechanical keyboard for over a decade now, but I wish there was something like this when I first got into the hobby. It’s one thing to see a diagram of how all the various types of mechanical key switches work and it’s another thing to hold an oversized one in your hands.

With my curiosity piqued, it was time to plug the Q0 in and see if a massive macropad was as fun to use as it was to hold in my hands. Spoiler alert: it definitely is.

Bottoming out never felt this good

Next to the mechanical keyboard on my desk, the Q0 looks almost absurd. It’s about the size of a coaster, and unlike the rest of the peripherals in my current desk setup, it’s the only wired one.

Still, being able to reach over and slam it down to pull off pretty much anything I can think of is absolutely worth it. And for the keen-eyed among you, yes, the keyboard I’m currently using — the Keychron Q11 Ultra — already has five programmable macro keys.

With the Q0 plugged into the Geekom A9 Max mini PC under my monitor, I pressed it and ... nothing happened. Yeah, I was a little surprised at first, too. I figured the Q0’s massive key would be mapped to Esc or Enter out of the box, but that wasn’t the case. This is a device for tinkerers and mechanical keyboard enthusiasts after all, which is why Keychron likely decided to ship it unmapped.

Just like with the rest of Keychron’s more recent keyboards and mice, complete customization is just a browser tab away. So I loaded up the Keychron Launcher in Chrome and the Q0 was instantly recognized. Normally in this browser-based launcher, you’re treated to a whole keyboard’s worth of keys you can tweak and customize to your liking. Here though, as you’d expect, there’s only one key to work with.

Sure, you could program it to Esc, Enter, or even the Windows key, but where’s the fun in that? Likewise, since it’s compatible with Mac (and Linux), you could have it work as a giant Command key too. However, I immediately went to the Special Keys option in the Keychron Launcher and saw what was available for each platform.

If I wanted to lose my work every time my 4-year-old came to my desk, I could have easily programmed the Q0 to shut down my computer, but I’m not a glutton for punishment. Alternatively, it would also work quite well as a massive mute/unmute button for video calls.

Remember what I said before about fewer clicks? Well, opening File Explorer on Windows is something I do quite often, and who wants to mouse down to their taskbar or open the Start Menu? After trying out a few different customizations with the Q0, I settled on having it open a new File Explorer window.

At the same time, you can take things even further by recording your own macros — think complex multi-key commands — and programming them to the Q0. I wanted to keep things simple though, so I’ve mainly stuck to File Explorer for now. Still, it’s great knowing that when I do think of a unique new use case or come up with a clever macro, reprogramming the Q0 is dead simple.

Besides remapping the Q0’s single key, you can also customize its RGB lighting in the Keychron Launcher. There are several colors and lighting effects to pick from, but I ended up going with something as close to turquoise as I could find to match my keyboard’s Esc and Enter accent keys.

During the time I’ve had the Q0 on my desk, slamming down its extra-large key has helped break up the monotonous parts of my day.

For instance, when I’m moving photos off my camera and need an extra File Explorer window to drag the keepers to, I just press it down and one appears instantly. Likewise, if one of my coworkers needs a file like a deal badge or even a Photoshop template I previously downloaded, the Q0 has made quickly pulling those up a lot more fun.

From micro to a macro macropad

Even though I had known about macropads for years, I actually built my first one. You see, back then, I had a lot more time on my hands and had previously built my own custom mechanical keyboard. This was back before hot-swappable switches were a thing, so I had to solder each switch individually. While that took a bit of work, I learned a lot going through the process.

When I saw a two-key macropad kit with a hot-swappable PCB pop up online, I figured it was worth trying out, even if I didn’t have a dedicated use case for it in mind at the time.

At first, I thought about taking the easy way out and mapping one key to copy and the other to paste. However, since I work with large blocks of text while writing and editing every day, I already had Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V mapped to my trusty trackball mouse. There was one thing my PC — or should I say my monitor’s built-in speakers — didn’t have at the time: a volume knob. So that’s what I used my tiny, two-key macropad for.

Besides their excellent build quality and value, one of my favorite things about Keychron’s keyboards is that many come with a built-in volume knob as standard. I’ve been using a keyboard with one such knob for the past few years, so my old macropad has gone to the box of decommissioned gadgets in my closet.

Going from two keys to one might seem like a downgrade at first. However, thanks to Keychron’s excellent launcher and everything I’ve learned in the years since, it’s been surprisingly useful having it on my desk.

Is it unnecessary though? Sure, but that defeats the purpose. A fun little — or should I say big — gadget like the Q0 was just what my desk setup was missing. Instead of being utilitarian like the rest of my accessories, it adds a touch of personal flair, while slamming it down brings a bit of fun my workspace was sorely lacking.

Now, I don’t know yet if the Q0 will remain a permanent fixture on my desk, but for now, I’ll gladly slam it down every time I’m looking for a local file.

More from Tom’s Guide

• I tested the Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K and this full-metal body mechanical keyboard is a game changer for my workflow
• I finally tried a vertical mouse and it was the ergonomic upgrade my desk setup was missing
• I tried this mechanical keyboard with a built-in pointing stick and it almost convinced me to ditch my mouse

The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is one of the best gaming mice you can buy. Lightweight yet sturdy, the Sabre V2 Pro is built well and is comfortable for long gaming sessions. It’s biggest selling point is its 8,000Hz polling rate over wired and wireless connections, and 33,000 DPI — more than plenty to give you a competitive advantage.

Alongside all this, you also get web-based companion software that makes customization a walk in the park. The best part is that the Sabre V2 Pro does all this without breaking the bank, making it a great alternative to expensive flagships from the likes of Razer. But the mouse isn’t perfect, as battery life isn’t the strongest, and there’s no dedicated DPI button.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Corsair Sabre V2 Pro review.

Corsair Sabre V2 Pro review: Specs

Corsair Sabre V2 Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An ultralight gaming mouse with 33,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling
• Who is it for? Competitive gamers and FPS players
• How much does it cost? The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is available for $99 / £89
• What do we like? The ultralight yet sturdy design, excellent gaming performance, web-based software, and competitive price
• What don’t we like? The poor battery life and absence of a dedicated DPI switch

Corsair Sabre V2 Pro review: The ups

The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is ultralight and comfortable, and it boasts powerful gaming performance across a range of genres.

Ultralight yet sturdy

Ultralight mice are all the rage today. They require less physical force to move and stop, which increases agility and results in faster cursor speeds, and even proves less fatiguing during long gaming sessions. As a competitive gaming mouse, the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is extremely light — one of the lightest mice I’ve tested, in fact. It weighs just 1.26oz, so it’s lighter than the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K ($69, 1.94oz), the Keychron M3 Mini 4K Metal ($99, 2.25oz) and the phenomenal Razer Viper V4 Pro ($159, 1.72oz).

What I love about the Sabre V2 Pro is that even though it’s as light as a feather, it’s still extremely sturdy, and it feels substantial under my palm. It’s made of high-quality plastic that looks and feels premium, and its skates effortlessly glide across most surfaces. Corsair happily includes spare skates in the box just in case the originals wear down. Also included in the box are pieces of anti-slip grip tape, which can be stuck to the mouse for additional grip.

Speaking of, the Sabre V2 Pro on its own feels very grippy. I didn’t feel like my fingers were slipping at any point during testing. The mouse measures 4.69 x 2.46 x 1.5 inches and I found it suitable for my medium-sized hands — although if you’ve got big hands, you may find the mouse a tad small (unless you’re a claw gripper). A chunkier mouse like the Fnatic x Lamzu Maya X 8K ($119) or the Keychron M6 8K ($69) may be more suitable, if that’s the case.

Excellent gaming performance

The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is a gaming mouse, and a good one at that. Packing a maximum of 33,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling over wired and 2.4GHz wireless connections, the Sabre V2 Pro is an excellent choice for esports and FPS gamers. The polling rate can be dropped down to 1,000Hz using the mouse’s companion software (more on that shortly) if battery life is a concern (more on that later, too).

As I always do when testing gaming mice, I played a variety of games including Counter-Strike 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 on our testing lab’s gaming rig — and on the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W laptop too, which I was testing alongside the mouse. I kicked things off with Counter-Strike 2. Thanks to 8,000Hz polling, I didn’t notice any latency issues or input lag, and all my actions were instantaneously registered.

The 33,000 DPI is the real star here. Being able to swap between a low DPI of around 400 when aiming my sniper rifle at a target in the distance, and a high DPI of 8,000 or more when engaging in close-quarters combat gave me a competitive advantage. With the DPI set to 400, I was able to slow down my movements which helped me accurately aim at my target and execute headshots, especially when stealthily infiltrating enemy camps in Cyberpunk 2077.

Alongside rapid polling and DPI, you also get angle snapping which can be enabled via Corsair Web Hub. In a nutshell, angle snapping smooths out mouse movements to ensure a straight line, thereby eliminating any jitters caused by hand shake. This helps you keep your cursor at head-level at all times which is useful in competitive games like Counter-Strike 2. I managed to take out a row of players as my cursor movements were stabilized and my crosshairs moved in a straighter line than they would if I didn’t have angle snapping toggled.

Web-based companion software

I love it when gadgets are accompanied by web-based software for customization as it negates the need for downloading proprietary apps or bloatware. The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is compatible with Corsair Web Hub which enables you to remap buttons, assign different DPI values to the five stages, adjust polling rate and lift height, and enable angle snapping.

Corsair Web Hub sports a clean interface and user-friendly design, with no unnecessary or intrusive ads or pop-ups. All you need to do is plug in your mouse using the included USB-C cable and launch Corsair Web Hub in Google Chrome, Edge, or other browser, and you’re good to go.

Competitively priced

You don’t need to spend hundreds on a competent, competitive mouse, and the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro proves it. The mouse has a retail price of $99 / £89 at Amazon, and I’ve seen it drop to $62 / £59 in the past, so it’s worth keeping an eye out during sales events. Even at its retail price, the Sabre V2 Pro is cheaper than other esports mice, like the Razer Viper V4 Pro ($159) and the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike ($179).

If you think the Sabre V2 Pro is out of your budget, both the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K and the Keychron M6 8K cost $69 each. But Corsair’s offering is worth the extra spend if you want 33,000 DPI packed into an ultralight body.

Corsair Sabre V2 Pro review: The downs

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro but it’s worth noting that when polling at 8,000Hz, battery life doesn’t last as long, and there’s no dedicated DPI button.

Short battery life

The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro isn’t winning any awards when it comes to battery life, which can best be described as mediocre. Over 1,000Hz polling, you can get up to 70 hours between charges, which doesn’t sound too bad. But switch to 8,000Hz polling, and battery life drops to a measly 16 hours. After eight or so hours of playing, the battery had dropped to 45%, on course to die after the stated time.

This isn’t unexpected as 8KHz polling is a drain on both your system and the device, and you’ll find this with the best gaming keyboards, too. If you want longer runtime, I’d recommend the Keychron M6 8K (35 hours) or the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K (40 hours). The Razer Viper V4 Pro can also last up to 40 hours between charges but of course, it costs a lot more.

No onboard DPI switch

My biggest gripe with the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is its lack of an onboard DPI switch. I’ve tested my fair share of mice — I always appreciate having a button on the mouse itself to quickly swap between different DPI values as in-game situations change. Unfortunately, doing so on the fly on the Sabre V2 Pro isn’t possible. To change the DPI, you’ll need to either launch the web-based companion software every time, or long-press the right-click and back button (located on the mouse’s left edge) for three seconds.

While the latter is simple enough to do, it’s time consuming and unnecessary, in my opinion, and it could have been made easier by simply pressing a dedicated DPI button. If you’re competing in an esports tournament, or playing competitively otherwise, you wouldn’t want to lose precious seconds, would you? This, on its own, stops me from outright recommending the Sabre V2 Pro.

If you want a gaming mouse that makes it easier to swap between DPI stages, I’d recommend the Keychron M6 8K, the Keychron M3 Mini V2 8K or the Fnatic x Lamzu Maya X 8K. The Razer Viper V4 Pro would be my personal top choice, but it costs nearly $60 more than the Sabre V2 Pro.

Corsair Sabre V2 Pro review: Verdict

If you’ve got a budget of $100 and want a powerful mouse, the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is the answer. The mouse is ridiculously light and comfortable, and it glides effortlessly across surfaces. It’s built very well, and it’s accompanied by user-friendly web-based companion software. With 33,000 DPI and 8,000Hz polling at your disposal, the Sabre V2 Pro gives you a competitive edge in FPS and esports.

Few things in life are perfect, though, and the Sabre V2 Pro isn’t one of them. Its battery life isn’t the strongest, lasting just 16 hours when polling at 8,000Hz, and there’s no dedicated DPI button, so you have to fiddle with click combinations to change it on the fly.

If neither of those feel like dealbreakers, then the Sabre V2 Pro could be perfect for you. It’s sleek, comfortable and powerful, and it makes even the worst Counter-Strike 2 player (like myself) look half competent.