SteelSeries Apex Mini Pro and Mini Pro Wireless Review: Extensive Customization on 60% Boards
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini/Mini Wireless
If you’ve never used a 60% keyboard, now is the time. SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini and Pro Mini Wireless are both excellent examples, delivering brilliant build-quality and extensive customization options alongside some interesting features, including dual-actuation, dual-bindings, and—best of all—customizable actuation.
It’s always difficult switching keyboards. You quickly become accustomed to the layout, the distance between keys, the actuation force, and even the sound of your keystrokes. Anything else feels alien.
Which is what makes the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini and Apex Pro Mini Wireless such a remarkable 60% keyboard. Sure, you’re losing some typing real-estate, and your fingers will hit some extra keys as you adjust, but the overall typing experience on the default board layout is excellent. Note how I said default?
This is where things start getting spicy. The SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini comes with OmniPoint 2.0 adjustable mechanical switches, meaning, if you don’t like how it feels, you could adjustindividual keysto your liking. And, using that same adjustable actuation tech, you can program the Apex Pro Mini to register two inputs if you press the key at a specific depth.
It’s not cheap, but SteelSeries' first foray into small form factor gaming keyboards is well worth your consideration.
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Style
Word to the wise—this review is covering both the Apex Pro Mini Wired and Apex Pro Mini Wireless, and I’ll be referring to them for specific features, largely regarding the Mini Wireless' wireless capabilities.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini style. Coming from my current daily driver, aSteelSeries Apex 7 TKL Ghost, the 60% form factor feels strange. It isn’t, of course, but when you’re used to a larger keyboard, the significant reduction in keys (from a keyboard that’s already reduced in size!) does feel odd.
However, that’s not much to go on. The Apex Pro Mini is 11.5 inches wide, stands 1.6 inches tall, and has a depth of 4 inches. It is compact and weighs in at 610g/1.34lbs, which is actually only half a pound lighter than the aforementioned Apex 7 TKL. The Apex Pro Mini and Mini Wireless have a strong aluminum frame, built using SteelSeries ultra-durable Series 5000 “aircraft-grade aluminum alloy,” and the quality of the board and the keys feels second to none.
The double shot PBT keycaps are also worth a mention. Although they’re not mindblowing, the slight concave and light texturing make the overall typing experience really nice, the Apex Pro Mini’s LED lighting shining through each glyph and shimmering around the edges. It’s a nice touch and one that will endear the board to typists and gamers alike.
Now, if you don’t know, a 60% keyboard does away with as many keys as possible, reducing the overall form factor and footprint of the keyboard into a streamlined affair.
The result is that you do lose the arrow keys, which is definitely one of the biggest losses when switching to a board of this size. SteelSeries has printed the additional keys across the Apex Pro Mini, all of which are accessible through the SteelSeries macro button (carrying the SteelSeries logo). Along with the arrow keys (located on the WASD keys, as you would use for movement in-game), you’ll also find functions to adjust the keyboard LEDs, adjust volume and playback, and regular function keys, including F1-F12, Print, Home, and so forth.
You can also add a huge number of custom macros to the Apex Pro Mini via the SteelSeries GG desktop app, but more on this in a moment.
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini/Pro Mini Wireless Connectivity and Battery Life
The only real difference between the two SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini variants is connectivity. The clue, I guess, is in the name.
The Apex Pro Wireless model is the more versatile of the two, offering what SteelSeries dubs “Quantum 2.0 Wireless,” an ultra-low latency connection using dual-channel 2.4GHz wireless to ensure a buttery-smooth experience, with a poll rate of 1000Hz/1ms. The wireless model also offers a Bluetooth connection, but it comes with a slower poll rate of 125Hz/8ms. Of course, you can also use it in a wired configuration.
On the other hand, the wired version is just that. If you think you will honestly never have use for a wireless 60% keyboard, go for the wired version; it’s much cheaper. But the extra portability the Mini Pro Wireless delivers could well be worth the extra outlay depending on how you plan to use the board.
When it comes to battery life, the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini delivers up to 30 hours of use using the 2.4GHz connection, rising to around 40 hours while using Bluetooth.
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini OmniPoint 2.0 Adjustable Mechanical Switches
Onto the star of the show: the OmniPoint 2.0 adjustable mechanical switches. Although adjustable mechanical switches aren’t entirely new to the mechanical keyboard market, they’re completely new to me, and damn, they’re really awesome. Using the SteelSeries GG app, you could adjust the actuation force of Apex Pro Mini and Apex Pro Mini Wireless switches between 0.2mm-3.8mm in 0.1mm increments, giving you extremely fine control over how your typing or gaming experience feels and responds.
Adjustable switches are perfect for anyone that wants a keyboard that can handle both worlds. Too often it comes down to a choice of whether you want ultra-slick response for gaming, or something slightly more forgiving for typing, and perhaps settling for something in the middle. The Apex Pro Mini’s OmniPoint 2.0 linear switches are an excellent third option and given you may adjust the actuation of individual or groups of (or all!) keys, create specific profiles for different activities, and easily switch between the two, SteelSeries could well have solved one of the most enduring issues facing keyboard users.
Along with adjusting the actuation of your keys, you’re able to also program your keys to register multiple keypresses. Typically, if your keyboard registers multiple inputs when you attempt to type, you might have an issue with ghosting or think your keyboard is outright broken.
With the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini, a double-key press could well be your intended outcome, with the company suggesting the feature will make most sense when gaming. It’s odd to get used to, I’ll give them that. Dual-bindings activate when you release the key (i.e., action one activates on down, and action two activates on up), and dual-actuation allows you to configure specific actions at different levels of actuation (i.e., action one activates immediately, action two activates halfway through your down stroke).
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Customizable Macros
Along with the OmniPoint switches and dual press tech, the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini and Mini Wireless come with outstanding support for macros. Now, most of this support is delivered via the SteelSeries GG app (which it’s possible to read about in the next section), but it really is impressive how far you can customize the commands on these keyboards.
You could feasibly create a whole set of custom commands for any program, switching between profiles, or create specific commands with a single profile for multiple programs. You could set a whole spectrum of macro commands for your favorite MMO, or streamline your productivity. Honestly, the range of customization, between the actuation, dual key presses, and detailed and powerful macro tool, is a little overwhelming at first glance.
But, with time, you’ll find that the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini’s extension customization engine is what makes it such an awesome mechanical keyboard.
SteelSeries GG Desktop App
If you buy the Apex Pro Mini or Apex Pro Mini Wireless, you absolutely must download theSteelSeries GGdesktop app to go with it. All of the awesome features mentioned above are found there, and it’s also where you’ll find the LED customization options.
Connecting to the SteelSeries GG app is as simple as plugging in your USB dongle, making sure your keyboard is connected, then opening the app. It should automatically detect your Apex Pro Mini, where it will appear under theEnginetab. From here, select the Apex Pro Mini or Pro Mini Wireless.
Should You Buy the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini or Apex Pro Mini Wireless?
Now, onto the moment of truth: should you buy the Apex Pro Mini? How about the Apex Pro Mini Wireless?
Here’s where you might come unstuck. The Apex Pro Mini retails for $180, while the Apex Pro Mini Wireless comes in at $240—a little eyewatering, I’ll admit, especially as you don’t even get a wrist rest with either board.
On the flip side, they are brilliant. Your fingers will get up to speed with either keyboard within minutes, and the build quality and overall feel of the Apex Pro Mini and Mini Wireless are fantastic. Some of the tech SteelSeries has crammed into these keyboards is also worth the money alone, though it is admittedly a little niche. But, if you want to boost your productivity or cram as many macro commands as you can into a tiny mechanical keyboard, SteelSeries has created the perfect match for you.
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