Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      ANZPL Split 1 2023 Trophy

      ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals: Champions Crowned

      May 30, 2023

      This is it. The ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals. Who would win the Lower Final and make it to the Grand Final to face the Skorpions?

      Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

      Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

      May 30, 2023

      TODAY’S release of the Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, FiveStarGames…

      Assassin’s Creed: Mirage details emerge

      Assassin’s Creed: Mirage details emerge

      May 25, 2023

      AT the PlayStation Showcase this morning there was a few moments of excitement for me, one of them being the…

      PlayStation ’23 Showcase report

      PlayStation ’23 Showcase report

      May 25, 2023

      PlayStation went ahead with its PlayStation Showcase earlier this morning and kicked off the old E3-style season presentation of a…

      AEW: Fight Forever gets a release date

      AEW: Fight Forever gets a release date

      May 23, 2023

      OVERNIGHT, THQ Nordic announced many details and a release date for its upcoming AEW: Fight Forever. A brand new wrestling…

      View All
    • Reviews
      Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

      Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

      May 31, 2023

      Diablo 4 is the long-awaited continuation of the iconic action role-playing game series developed by Blizzard Entertainment. I had the…

      Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

      Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

      May 25, 2023

      When I reviewed the Alienware AW720M Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse at the start of the year, I came away intrigued…

      Fabledom review –  A Charming Blend of Town-Building and Fantasy

      Fabledom review – A Charming Blend of Town-Building and Fantasy

      May 25, 2023

      Embarking on a whimsical journey through a fantasy medieval countryside, Fabledom invites players to immerse themselves in a world reminiscent…

      Planet of Lana Review – A Captivating Journey of Beauty and Emotion

      Planet of Lana Review – A Captivating Journey of Beauty and Emotion

      May 24, 2023

      In a gaming landscape filled with blockbuster action titles and adrenaline-fueled adventures, Planet of Lana emerges as a breath of…

      After Us Review – What Have We Done?

      After Us Review – What Have We Done?

      May 23, 2023

      IT’S the end of the world as we know it. Humanity has continued down its path of ignoring the signs…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      Nuts & Bolts Ep 83 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 83: Let’s Get Down To Business

      May 20, 2023

      There’s lots to cover this week. Join Mercury and Jim as the World Of Thanks ANZPL heads towards their LAN…

      The Weekly Show Ep 279 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 279: Tech Issues: The Show

      May 19, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 82 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 82: We Missed You!

      May 13, 2023

      It’s been a couple of weeks so Jim and Mercury catch up to talk all things Dreamhack Melbourne. Plus Snoop…

      The Weekly Show Ep 278 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 278: Look Who Just Drops In

      May 12, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 81 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 81: The Tech Issues Invade

      April 15, 2023

      Jim has a hard time with tech this week as he and Natty look at round 2 of the World…

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Platformer
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard
    GAMING HARDWARE

    SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard

    The SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard is pricey and not for the large-handed user, but it's outstanding for gamers seeking a top-notch small form factor keyboard.
    Royce WilsonBy Royce WilsonJuly 25, 2022
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    THERE is such a great and diverse range of peripherals on the market now that no matter what your preference or gaming need, there’s something out there that will suit it very nicely.

    This creates the sort of situation I’ve experienced when reviewing the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless Keyboard – it’s an excellent product, but not suitable for what I personally need.

    My first thought on seeing the Apex Pro Mini Wireless Keyboard was “What is this, a keyboard for ants?”

    Measuring 293mm wide by 103mm deep and 40mm high, it is, as you can imagine, a lot smaller than the keyboards I usually use.

    SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard
    The SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard is a *lot* smaller than a traditional gaming keyboard.

    Besides the smaller size, it’s also missing the ten-keys. They’re one of those things you either love or have no use for; I’m very much in the former category since I do a lot of Business Stuff™, but outside of a few complex simulation games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, I can’t think of the last time I actually used them for anything gaming related.

    It is in that spirit that the keyboard has been compressed (60% of the size of a regular keyboard) and does a very good job of keeping most of the full-size features, generally by giving keys and alternate function that can be activated with a double-tap (for example, the number keys at the top will perform as the F1-F10 keys when double-tapped).

    For general use it did take a bit of getting used to, but didn’t impact the gaming experience when I was testing it with titles including God of War and Doom Eternal – the WASD keys etc were accessible and despite my large hands, I could use them without issues.

    The build quality on the keyboard is very good – the keys were responsive and not too “clicky”, and I found they had just the right level of spring too.

    I really liked the adjustable activation points for keys; which allowed me to set up when the keystroke would register. Even better, it didn’t require any software or anything – it can be done entirely off the keyboard.

    SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard
    The keyboard is extremely well made, responsive, and customisable.

    As someone who is so very tired of having to install software for peripherals which don’t really need it, I really appreciated this feature. Full disclosure: I do actually have the SteelSeries GG software installed anyway because I review and use quite a bit of their stuff – and in this case, it can be used to customise the key activation level on a per-key basis, which is surprisingly useful.

    You can also extensively customise the RGB, macros, and other keyboard functions in the software too, further adding to its effectiveness and usefulness.

    Connection is via Bluetooth or 2.4Ghz wireless, with a switch on the back to change between the two. As with the SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless mouse, the USB-C dongle included in the box can be connected to the (also included) USB-A to USB-C charging cable via an included adaptor, allowing the wireless option to work regardless of your available USB port situation.

    I had no issues at all with lag or input delays, regardless of whether I was connected via Bluetooth or Wireless. Setup was extremely simple, and the battery life in the keyboard was within the advertised lengths (about 40 hours for Bluetooth, 30 hours for wireless). And, if you’re like me and simply don’t trust wireless device batteries not to go flat when you need them most, you can plug the keyboard in via the USB-C cable and turn it into a wired peripheral.

    SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard

    It is worth noting that while the keyboard works with PC, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation, it does not work with iOS devices such as the iPad or iPhone – which is a shame, because it would be perfect as a peripheral for them; it only weighs 543gm, making it very portable.

    Despite all the really good things about the Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard, for me personally it suffered a significant and critical issue: it was simply too small for my hands.

    I have large hands and while I could use the keyboard for gaming and typing basic stuff into Google or Twitter, it simply wasn’t feasible for me to use as a work/typing keyboard with any degree of accuracy because my typing accuracy completely tanked; I’d hit too many keys or not the one I wanted to, and it was hard to position my hands comfortably for extended writing. I also really missed the dedicated arrow keys – it turns out I use them a lot for non-gaming stuff.

    You know who had the opposite problem to me regarding the size, though? My kids. For them, the Apex Pro Mini Wireless was a perfect size and since they’re not doing boring grown-up stuff with it, were not worried at all by the absent tenkeys.

    SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard
    The SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless makes up for its reduced size and keycount by having secondary functions assigned to many of the keys,

     

    Another thing to keep in mind is the keyboard is really expensive – the RRP is USD$279.99, which works out to roughly AUD$400 (before shipping etc).

    Eye-watering cost aside, the issues I had with the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless Keyboard were almost entirely personal preference matters rather than actual faults with the keyboard – if this was a full-size keyboard I’d be very pleased with it.

    The SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard has the build quality and design of a proper gaming keyboard, has most of the features of a full-size keyboard in some form or another, and it does everything it sets out to do extremely well.

    If you’re looking for a small form-factor wireless keyboard for your PC, and have a healthy budget to work with, I don’t think you can go past this one.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleA Good Idea Executed Poorly: XEL Review
    Next Article Wylde Flowers blooming on PC and Switch in September

    Related Posts

    Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory
    ACTION May 31, 2023

    Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

    Diablo 4 is the long-awaited continuation of the iconic action role-playing game series developed by Blizzard Entertainment. I had the…

    Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
    GAMING HARDWARE May 25, 2023

    Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

    When I reviewed the Alienware AW720M Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse at the start of the year, I came away intrigued…

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads

    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • APPLE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • DLC
    • ESPORTS
    • Events
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • GAMING HARDWARE
    • GAMING NEWS
    • GAMING REVIEWS
    • GIFT GUIDE
    • GOA
    • GOA PODCAST
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE GAMING
    • Industry
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • Press Release
    • PREVIEW
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SUBSCRIPTION GAMES SERVICE UPDATES
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory
    ACTION

    Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

    May 31, 2023ArlentricBy Arlentric

    Diablo 4 is the long-awaited continuation of the iconic action role-playing game series developed by Blizzard Entertainment. I had the opportunity to immerse myself…

    ANZPL Split 1 2023 Trophy
    ESPORTS

    ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals: Champions Crowned

    May 30, 2023Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    This is it. The ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals. Who would win the Lower Final and make it to the Grand Final to face the Skorpions?

    Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away
    GAMING NEWS

    Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

    May 30, 2023Mikeey BarrowBy Mikeey Barrow

    TODAY’S release of the Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, FiveStarGames is celebrating with a…

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2023. Privacy Policy. Website by Digital Hitmen

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.