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Amazon has dropped the price of my favorite Hall effect gaming keyboard back down to a record-low this week. The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 has dominated the battlefield since release late last year, but that lofty MSRP has held firm the entire time. While it might be a smaller saving, Amazon's $22 discount has the best price I've seen on this mighty rig so far.
You'll find the wired TKL model available for $197.99 on the site right now, down from its full $219.99 launch price. This is only the second time the numbers have ticked down below $200 - only last year's Holiday sales have seen discounts like this in the past. Yes, it's a smaller saving - but considering this is the best gaming keyboard I've ever tested in that TKL form factor any price cuts are worth shouting about.
For reference, a $197.99 sales price brings the Gen 3 model down to the regular discounted rate of the Asus ROG Azoth, my go-to gaming keyboard. That older release doesn't feature the same customizable magnetic switches that you'll find here, though there's a lot riding on that wireless connection if you prefer a cable-free setup.
Should you buy the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3
The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 earned 4.5/5 stars from me when I finished up my testing at the end of last year. It's the quality of those switches doing a lot of the heavy lifting. This feels like a premium deck under the fingertips, but if you're concerned about getting to grips with magnetic clickers it's one of the best ways to get started. There's a sense of smooth feedback to these switches that makes it far easier to sense different levels of each keypress (important when setting different triggers to different actuation points). Not only that, but it provides a snappy response in-game, especially with rapid trigger enabled, and still feels soft and smooth to type on for longer amounts of time.
I'll get one thing out of the way right now - not all of these keys are Hall effect. In fact, only the alphanumeric ones are. The rest use Gateron Red switches, which is an odd choice considering the arrow keys miss out on this extra level of customization as a result. Still, you're covered for standard WASD controls and additional keybindings, and considering these are my favorite Hall effect switches of the lot it's worth the sacrifice elsewhere.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 does have some stiff competition in the cheaper seats. The Endgame Gear KB65HE is another option for those after one of the best decks on the market, and it comes in at just $99.99 at Amazon. Both offer a stronger, more controlled typing feel compared to the NZXT Function Elite Mini TKL, with the same 0.1mm to 4.0mm actuation range that beats plenty of others on the market (including the newly released Ducky One X). Where SteelSeries beats the rest of the competition is in its extras - very few decks still pack an OLED display and dedicated media controls into their Hall effect packages, which means this is a model doing it all, and in style.
Of course, magnetic switches aren't for everyone. If you don't need competition-level repeat press speeds and don't need a bunch of flashy actuation features, there are viable alternatives on the market. The Asus ROG Azoth, for example, trades out those additional features for a stunning battery life and much softer typing experience - it's the best wireless gaming keyboard on the market for a reason, after all.
I'm also rounding up all the best Razer keyboards if you're interested in what other brands are getting up to, or check out the best membrane gaming keyboards and best hot-swappable keyboards on the market.
