Compact keyboards are the fastest-growing segment of the mechanical keyboard space, a reversal of the traditional wisdom that gamers want full-size boards with tons of macro keys, media controls and other exciting doodads. Instead, these 60 percent boards focus on a clean aesthetic that’s super-portable and takes up minimal desk space. In this round-up, we’ll share our recommendations for the very best compact keyboards on the market based on our extensive testing.
Indie keyboard makers have been making 60 percent keyboards for the enthusiast crowd for years, but now the bigger brands are starting to get involved – the Razers, Corsairs and Logitechs of the world. If you wanted to see what the fuss is about with these smaller boards without losing creature comforts like synchronised RGB lighting and well-developed software packages, this is a great time to jump aboard the mini keyboard bandwagon. Of course, smaller vendors have their advantages too, and we’ll try to cover both ends of the spectrum – while still focusing on boards that are readily available.
Oh, and the by the way – if you’re interested in seeing our picks for full-size keyboards too, do check out our round-ups of the best gaming keyboards and best mechanical keyboards, both of which have some unique options worth knowing about!
- Corsair K65 Mini
- Mountain Everest 60
- HyperX Alloy Origins 60
- Royal Kludge RK61
- Redragon K530 Draconic
1. Corsair K65 Mini
The confusingly-titled £110/$140 Corsair K65 Mini is our favourite 60 percent size keyboard. It nails the 60 percent aesthetic, with clean lines and large legends inscribed in the PBT keycaps that let in a lot of (RGB) light; there’s even a replacement space bar if you don’t like the geometric motifs on the default option.
I’m a fan of the way that Corsair have opted for side-printed legends for secondary functions, which eliminates the messy-looking keys you’ll see on many 60 percent boards while still making it easy to find the functions you’re looking for. Another nice touch is the choice of exactly where these secondary functions are; a virtual mouse is available on WASD while the arrow keys are sensibly clustered around J. Lighting controls, media and volume controls are also present and accounted for.
Corsair’s iCUE software is heavy but powerful, allowing you to rebind keys, program macros and even set up intricate lighting patterns to provide just the right look. Of course, all of that is worthless without a good typing experience, and the Cherry MX Red or Speed Silver switches do feel nice to use – although a bit noisy, with an audible ‘ping’ as each key rebounds. The K65 Mini is also one of a few keyboards to support an 8000Hz update rate, which marginally decreases input lag according to impartial tests from the likes of Battle(non)sense.
All things considered, there’s a lot to like here: all of the standard