Razer's first Hall effect keyboard fixes my greatest annoyance with the previous generation

After a couple of years riding the optical analog train, Razer has hopped to the Hall effect platform, providing magnet fans with the Razer Huntsman V3 HE. The more widely popular adjustable-switch option is still less reliable, the brand is quick to point out, but keen to get their name among the Hall effect champions, Sneki has yielded its classic approach for this release.

Available in 65% and TKL form factors, the Razer Huntsman V3 HE starts life at a modest (for the best Hall effect keyboards) $119.99, jumping up to $139.99 for those navigation buttons. That puts it in a particularly competitive situation when looking across the rest of the mainstream gaming market. It's undercutting the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 range by a whole $100 in its smallest form factor, also dropping below the Logitech G512X ($179.99) and at a fraction of Asus's flagship costs.

The wider market has a few contenders under $100 that will save you a few bucks, but at the moment the Corsair Clipper Pro Mini 60 ($99) is the only mainstream Hall effect gaming keyboard I've tested that's cheaper than the Huntsman V3 HE. Whether it can hold its own against the best gaming keyboards on the market is another question.

Design

You wouldn't know this is Razer's first foray into a particular switch tech from looking at the Huntsman V3 HE. From the outside, this is the same all-black slab of brushed metal as any other Razer keyboard available. It's as solidly built as you'd expect from this brand as well, with an unyielding top plate, dense casing, and textured doubleshot PBT keycaps up top.

Underneath that top plate, we've got a pretty standard tray-mounted internal setup. That's a little cheaper than the gasket-mounted design you'll find in more premium decks, though I was relieved to find absolutely no ping, echo, or rattle across the chassis. That was my only gripe with the previous generation Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini; it felt great and had a few of its own tricks up its sleeve, but sounded pretty awful. The V3 HE model uses an additional sound-dampening layer to keep those unwanted echoes down.

While the Huntsman V3 HE suffers in uniformity and loses a little textured depth to its keypresses, it's still operating with a satisfying clack.

Two flip feet extend from the rear to provide a more comfortable elevation during longer typing sessions, and while they can pop out when moving or storing while unfolded, they hold everything in place well on the desk.

Features

Approaching the Huntsman V3 HE from the perspective of one searching specifically for a Hall effect keyboard, there are two main features we need to examine; the switches and the software.

Under each roughly textured keycap you'll find a creatively-named Razer Hall Effect Magnetic Switch. These clackers offer adjustment from 0.1mm to 4mm, the typical standard across the market, with a 40G operating force. That keeps them similar to standard linear red mechanical options in general operation, though with a little extra resistance as is usual for a magnetic switch.

Razer's got the full Hall effect menu here as well. Rapid Trigger mode resets each keypress dynamically, automatically preparing for the next input as soon as any upward motion is sensed rather than waiting for a full return on the key. Essentially, it makes for faster repeat presses in particularly competitive scenarios.

We've also got Snap Flex on this roster, an additional functional layer that can program certain moves and actions to the release of each key. That's accompanied by Dynamic Keystroke, a four-command action roster that can be triggered simply by pressing a single key. That doubles your inputs per-key compared to the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96, which only allows for two commands, but it's worth noting this is a particularly niche use-case. After years of testing the latest Hall effect decks, I typically only assign one or two keys to multi-input macros during more competitive endeavors.

Razer's magnetic switches aren't doing anything you won't find elsewhere by themselves, then, though they are doing it at a slightly lower price compared to most of the mainstream competition. Its Synapse software, however, has a nifty trick.

Razer's still not too happy with Hall effect technology, that much is clear from the brand's insistence on its own optical analog switches. Those concerns have made their way into its customization software as well.

Alongside all the usual keybinding, actuation settings, and RGB configurations, Synapse also houses a recalibration tool for the Huntsman V3 HE. Magnetic fields from other devices on your desk can (though I've personally never witnessed it happening) interfere with the actuation of a Hall effect keyboard. Should that happen to you, Synapse will allow you to reset the accuracy of the magnets in your deck.

Say you're not approaching the Huntsman V3 HE from a Hall effect standpoint, though. To make way for those magnetic clackers, the simple design does drop some key features you'll find elsewhere on the market. There's no dedicated media controls here, less common on the TKL model compared to the 60%-er. This is also a fully wired deck, opting not to pump the additional weight (and cost) of the size of battery required to keep those magnetic clackers running. Still, the whole thing polls at 8,000Hz which ticks a box for the ultra-competitive among us, though most of us have little need for this fancy extra.

Performance

The Razer Huntsman V3 HE's biggest success comes in the improvement of its typing feel and, crucially, sound. With no more pings and rattles across the casing, these smooth, light, and bouncy keys hit the ear with a crisp, robust clack. While there's a little inconsistency in this tonality across the deck, Enter and Space keys producing a notably deeper sound, actual keypresses remain steady in actuation and overall feel.

There is, however, a temperamental side to the new line. The first Huntsman V3 HE I had on my desk, a 60% model, exhibited a notable amount of chatter, particularly around certain keys such as Shift. A fresh board removed the problem entirely, so I'm confident it was a manufacturing error - but it's worth highlighting some batches may perform better than others. With everything up and running, the Huntsman V3 HE keeps its cool in both a casual setting and faster arenas.

Typing remains equally comfortable on the Huntsman V3 HE, with the smoothness of those switches coming into their own compared to cheaper Hall effect decks. Many fall down here, with a resistance level set too high to feel truly nippy under the fingertips. Both that robust sound profile and the light feel of these clackers come together to produce an effortless experience through longer typing sessions.

Should you buy the Razer Huntsman V3 HE?

The Razer Huntsman V3 HE is priced competitively when looking across the market at Corsair, SteelSeries, Logitech, and Asus. While it's not quite as cheap as smaller brands in this space, it does well to offer such a wide range of switch adjustment options in a sturdy chassis.

Both the 65% and TKL layouts will sit larger on your desk than the slightly cheaper Corsair Clipper Pro Mini 60, but this is an easy recommendation if you're looking to maintain those separate arrow buttons, while Razer easily wins over SteelSeries thanks to its dramatically reduced cost.

Ultimately, the Huntsman V3 HE comes with the same caveat shared by most magnetic keyboards. By default, they're more expensive than their mechanical counterparts, often with fewer quality of life features. On top of that, it's generally going to be particularly competitive players getting the best bang for their buck here.

If you know you want a compact magnetic keyboard with arrow buttons intact, I'd recommend Razer's over alternatives. If you're just after a new gaming keyboard and aren't scaling ranked leaderboards, you'll either save cash or find more wireless options with mechanical models.

How I tested the Razer Huntsman V3 HE

I spent one month swapping between the Razer Huntsman V3 HE 65% and Razer Huntsman V3 HE TKL models, with an additional week spent on the larger form factor due to a faulty 65% unit. During that time, this keyboard became my daily driver for all work and play, taking center stage in Doom: The Dark Ages, CS2, High on Life 2, and Planet Coaster 2. For more information on how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

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