Review: Corsair K70 Pro TKL

When I test a mechanical keyboard with “Pro” in the name, I expect it to be the best of the best, with no compromises over its non-Pro variant. Razer has this figured out: The BlackWidow V4 Pro is better than the original V4 in every way, and it proves that a gaming keyboard doesn’t need to employ Hall effect switches to be good.

Conversely, Corsair demonstrated that Hall effect switches don’t automatically make a keyboard better, especially when there are trade-offs to get them. The Corsair K70 keyboard has three flavors: Core ($100), Core Wireless ($150), and Pro TKL ($180). The Pro has an advantage over the Core because it has some Hall effect switches but skips wireless connectivity. It sports an 8,000-Hz polling rate, extensive RGB, and a magnetized wrist rest. It also has a few sacrifices that make it lackluster compared to the other K70 models and its peers.

A Tale of Two Switches

Photograph: Henri Robbins

Corsair’s product page for the K70 Pro TKL says the keyboard uses “Corsair MGX V2 switches,” with no mention of standard mechanical switches in the Tech Specs section or elsewhere. In the exploded view of the keyboard, some of the switches have pink stems instead of blue and are listed as “MLX Plasma switches.”

Every key not part of the main cluster, like the function row, Escape key, arrow keys, and other navigation keys, are mechanical switches. Even on the packaging for the keyboard, this is only presented in small print on the top of the box, with the rest only mentioning the MGX Hyperdrive switches. Intentional or not, this is frustrating. When I buy a keyboard, I expect all the keys to have the same type of switches. If that’s not the case, the company should be clearer than this.

Thankfully, the keyboard doesn’t feel bad to type on. The MGX V2 Hyperdrive switches are crisp and responsive without any softness at the bottom of the keypress. There is almost zero scratchiness when typing or even when pressing a switch down slowly, a feat possible thanks to the contact-free design of a magnetic Hall effect switch. (Read more about the tech here.) This is likely further improved by the double-rail design inside the switches, introduced with the Keychron Q1 HE and used in multiple keyboards since.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

The Hyperdrive switches share the same design as Wooting’s Lekker switches, which means the two can be swapped between keyboards. However, both are made using an earlier design of Hall effect switches and are not interchangeable with the newer Hall effect switches used by Keychron (an issue I discussed when reviewing the Q1 HE last year).

The MLX mechanical switches are enjoyable to use, although they feel heavier than the Hall effect switches. They have a deeper, full tone and a slight scratchiness that can be felt even when typing normally. It feels similar to the “good” scratch of something like a Cherry MX Black. The MLX switches feel slightly slower to bounce back after a keypress.

I felt continually thrown off by the mixing of the MGX Hall effect and MLX mechanical switches, since the two felt noticeably different. This is not to say that the MLX switches are bad; I enjoy typing on the standard K70 Core that only has mechanical switches. The issue is how the two blend. It was distracting whenever I had to use both switches back-to-back.

Half High-Speed

Photograph: Henri Robbins

The K70 Pro TKL performs well for gaming. It has incredibly precise and responsive inputs, and more than that, the MGX switches’ weight and rebound speed are tuned for responsiveness without being so light as to cause any accidental mis-inputs.

Since the K70 Pro uses Hall effect switches, the actuation point of these keys can be adjusted down to the 10th of a millimeter. This allows for fine-tuning of keypresses, mapping multiple inputs to a single keypress, and “Rapid Trigger,” which lets a key be repressed the moment it is released instead of waiting for it to return to a predetermined reset point. Rapid trigger is arguably one of the largest advantages Hall effect switches have over traditional switches, and it makes rapid keypresses far more responsive than on a standard mechanical keyboard.

You can’t customize the actuation distance or enable rapid trigger for the mechanical switches on the outside. While this isn’t a huge issue for most games or situations, I found it annoying to have one actuation distance set for the main keys and an entirely different distance for the rest, especially in games where I frequently used the arrow keys. I would take a full set of mechanical switches over a blend of mechanical and Hall effect switches any day of the week, purely because it is more predictable.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

The keycaps use a standard Cherry profile and are well-suited for gaming and typing. They’re simple double-shot keycaps with a bit of texture on top and a thicker plastic that contributes to a satisfying typing sound. The included wrist rest with the Pro TKL sits at just the right height to make typing as comfortable as possible. The keyboard uses a standardized layout with common keycap sizes, meaning you can easily swap the keycaps with most aftermarket sets.

While not the best software I’ve used, Corsair’s iCue app is competent and simple enough to customize the keyboard. Some settings aren’t explained well, but it's easy to figure out.

Solid and Simple

The Pro and Core models of the K70 have a standard design and assembly. They use a tray mount system where the entire keyboard assembly (plate, printed circuit board, and switches) are screwed down onto the case at multiple points. This results in a rigid and flex-free assembly that is simple to disassemble and customize. While a tray-mount system can typically result in some “dead zones” where the keyboard feels stiffer and less responsive, Corsair’s design uses a relatively thick aluminum plate that manages to create a more consistent stiffness.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

The case is made entirely of plastic and has two rubberized feet that flip out and allow the keyboard to change between 3- and 8-degree typing angles. Instead of the typical design where the flip-out feet are rubberized on the bottom and the case has separate feet, Corsair uses a fully rubberized flip-out foot that I like the look and functionality of, especially when combined with the rest of the space-age styling on the underside of the keyboard.

On the top-right corner, there are two buttons and a knob. The pair, a media button and a game mode button, have a short and unresponsive keypress, but the volume knob is crisp and notchy with knurled aluminum that’s dense and cool to the touch. The two buttons are also tall enough to press over the keycaps—something not every keyboard gets right. (The Game Mode button turns on a higher polling rate for increased responsiveness in games, enables Rapid Trigger, and locks the Windows key.)

The build quality overall isn’t bad, but I’m shocked by how simple it is. With Corsair’s acquisition of Drop, I expected the company to transfer some of the brand’s keyboard knowledge into its lineup. Instead, this model is incredibly standard, almost identical to SteelSeries’ Apex Pro TKL, even down to the split between mechanical and Hall effect switches.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

Ultimately, my biggest issue with the K70 Pro is the lack of full Hall effect coverage. This may seem like a small issue, but it stood out as a purely cost-cutting measure with no benefit to the user. I would rather this keyboard cost $20 to $40 more than it does now and have full coverage, instead of being marginally cheaper with a clear disadvantage.

I prefer the Core Wireless model over the K70 Pro TKL. Even though the Pro’s Hall effect switches perform better, the Core Wireless is more enjoyable to type and game on, sounds better, and has the convenience of a wireless connection. Considering the $20 price difference, the K70 Core Wireless is the better choice for most people. But even at $150, it’s hard for the K70 Wireless to compete with keyboards from brands like Chilkey, Mchose, or Keychron that offer comparable (or better) performance and build quality at similar prices.