SteelSeries Apex 7 Mechanical Blue Switch Review

Performance

The main focus of this keyboard, aside from all its other amazing features, has to be the switches. I don’t actually see many blue switch or similar clicky models from other brands in the office. Many gamers prefer the faster and lighter response of a red switch, something linear. However, these are the full-fat clicky switch, the ones that will really annoy the person sitting next to you.

SteelSeries make amazing switches, there’s no skipping that fact. Their Red and their Brown switches are as good or better than Cherry, and actually feel a little faster thanks to their lighter operating force. Their Blue are the same, requiring 45g vs the 50g of a Cherry switch to depress. They also have a 2.0mm vs the cherry 2.2mm actuation point, making them faster still. However, they still have a very audible and tactile click too.

Next up, we have the brilliant RGB. SteelSeries has already proven time and time again that they’ve got the RGB stuff well taken care of. Their colours are rich and vibrant, and because of the matte finish to the aluminium, the light diffuses really nicely between and around the keys, giving everything a deep glowing look.

Per the default settings, it’s just set to a rainbow wave, which is great. However, if you download the software you can tinker with the effect of every single key, every transition, brightness level, etc. Or just do what I do, set it to purple or red and then leave it alone. Ah the joys of RGB and all those choices!

The key caps look great though, and I really do like the large clear font, as it catches the RGB really well.

The keyboard is great for work and gaming, but again it’s those switches that give it a really premium typing experience. However, there is one thing I can’t escape, and that is the noise. Blue switches are pretty noisy in general and this one is no exception. There’s no dampening to the switch like you might find in a red or brown. Because of the “click” is makes the switch bottom out a little harder and that makes it louder. However, that’s the point, because it feels VERY snappy, very responsive, the return rate is sharp, the tactile and audible feel is like the crack of a whip. For typing and gaming accuracy, it can’t be beaten.

However, as a side note, if you live in a quiet house with your keyboard in a room next to a light sleeper, your next deathmatch may cause enough racket to wake them… and the dead.

The keyboard feels amazing though, and I like how it feels to type on when I’m wearing my headphones too. Plus, the addition of the wrist rest ensures you can work all day and game all night and feel significantly less fatigue in your wrists.