It Gets the Fundamentals Right

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless HyperSpeed is your archetypal mass-production mechanical keyboard. It has components of a reliable quality at a fair price, but cuts a few noticeable corners to get there. Put otherwise, this keyboard is unremarkably good enough, and that might be okay for the right person.

7/10

Brand

Razer

Backlight

Yes (RGB)

Media Controls

Yes

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless Hyperspeed is a wireless, hot-swappable mechanical gaming keyboard designed for customization and performance. It supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches for personalized sound and feel. Dual-layer dampening foam, factory-lubricated stabilizers, and a top-mounted steel plate improve acoustics and typing smoothness.

Pros & Cons

• Tactile switches are punchy
• Hot-swappable switches and keycaps
• Factory settings work without a hitch
• Well-built frame

• Awful battery life
• Lack of on-board profile storage means software is required
• No choice of switches at purchase
• Doesn’t include wrist rest or 4000Hz dongle

Price and Availability

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless HyperSpeed retails for $180 and comes with Razer Orange Tactile Mechanical Switches (Gen-3) installed.

Included in the box are a USB-A to USB-C cable, a USB-A 2.4GHz receiver, a dongle to attach the receiver to the cable, and a keycap and switch puller.

It Gets the Fundamentals Right

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

It’s not exactly a thrilling sentiment to declare the greatest strength of this BlackWidow variant is that it gets the basics of a mechanical keyboard right. At the same time, there’s a relieving simplicity to something that just works as you expect. Someone who wants a plug-and-play keyboard is going to be pretty happy here.

The build is durable and built for function, with a thick aluminum top case and an equally tough plastic body. It looks a bit unassuming for a $180 keyboard, but that may very well be a selling point if a pitch-black color scheme complements your gaming setup. I’d love to have seen a white variant for the sake of options, though then again, this is Razer we’re talking about. There may be no company more die-hard about the color black.

There are three typing angles available thanks to two pairs of feet, helping make this a keyboard that should be comfortable for a wide range of people. Aiding this are exceptional grip pads that do such a good job of keeping the keyboard in place that intentionally pushing it requires a bit of exertion. There’s also a lip in the front for a wrist rest, though you’ll need to fork up an extra $20 or $35 for one as it doesn’t come included.

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

I’m pretty happy with the Razer Orange Tactile Mechanical Switches (Gen-3) that come installed on the keyboard. They’re suitably punchy but don’t cross the line into fatiguing. However, I think Razer oversells how quiet they are as the audio sample on the keyboard’s store page presents a much more dampened sound than I experienced. The harshness of traditional mechanical keyboards is cut out, but if you’re looking for a silent mechanical keyboard, one with a gasket mount might do you better.

I also want to praise the keycaps, which are subtly textured to help keep your fingers in place. A prior Razer BlackWidow model I tested was rough to the point of irritating my skin, so I’m glad to see adjustments made. They’re also shine-through, helping both with legibility and RGB presentation.

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

Lastly, this keyboard sports the horizontal volume dial and circular media buttons that grace most modern Razer keyboards. It’s a bit of a shame that the dial isn’t clickable in this model, relegating an entire media button to muting audio. At the same time, I’ll take that over the AI key in the low-profile version that opens ChatGPT in a Razer Synapse wrapper. In fact, there’s no Copilot key here either. If you want a modern keyboard with no trace of AI, you’ll find that here. Isn’t simplicity bliss?

A Tepid Hooray for Hot-Swapping

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

I noted that I liked the included tactile switches, but that won’t be everyone’s preference, and it’s a shame that Razer doesn’t offer its other switches as options at checkout. Luckily, the switches and keycaps are all hot-swappable, and Razer included a puller tool to assist you.

I’m glad Razer chose to include this feature as it’s a major boon for people who want options or need to make repairs. Every keyboard should offer customers this versatility. That said, the consumer friendliness of hot swapping falls a little flat when you aren’t given choices from the outset.

This only gets sketchier when you realize it costs a whopping $75 for enough of Razer’s other switches if you want to replace them on every key. Plus, the orange switches are out of stock as of the time of writing, and no replacements were included in the box, so if one fails, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get another.

Sure, you could get this keyboard and use third-party switches, but at that point you’re best off just buying a different keyboard. There’s nothing special about this frame that feels worth that investment.

Misleading Connectivity, Bad Battery Life

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

Razer offers the usual three connectivity modes here: 2.4GHz wireless, three Bluetooth profiles, and wired. They all worked without a hitch in my testing, but what may not be entirely clear is that the maximum polling rate using the included receiver is 1000Hz. Razer advertises up to 4000Hz, which is slightly misleading if you don’t realize that it requires a separate $40 dongle. Most people won’t need more than 1000Hz, but if you do, take note of this hidden cost.

Where I really take issue with Razer’s marketing is the touted battery life of up to 980 hours without any context. The only reality I could see that being remotely possible is with low power mode activated, something not conducive to gaming or even responsive typing. In practice, with the RGB lighting on at 50% brightness, I could go a few days of heavy use before it was time to charge. Eventually, I gave up and just used the keyboard wired.

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

Even if you aren’t buying this keyboard thinking you’ll need the battery-draining backlighting, the reality is that the shine-through keycaps are tough to read without it. Plus, the RGB is dim even at 100% brightness, so you’ll likely want it cranked up at least halfway.

The only saving grace is how quickly it charges, but the issue is more in having to constantly plug it in at all. I’d be much hotter on this keyboard if the battery life wasn’t awful.

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

I talked at length about my issues with the Razer Synapse customization software in my review of this keyboard’s low-profile sibling, and that all applies here as well. While Synapse 4 is slickly designed software, it’s also a massive CPU hog that directly impacts game performance.

Furthermore, it’s necessary to have it running at all times if you want to use Razer’s suite of gaming features, including Snap Tap and on-the-fly macro creation. It’s also needed to swap between multiple profiles. The lack of true on-board memory is pretty egregious—especially for the price—and I hope Razer reconsiders this omission in all future keyboards.

This won’t matter if you’re looking for a keyboard that just works out of the box. It’s perfectly usable at its factory settings. However, I wager most people considering a $180 keyboard value that customization, and whether the performance trade-off of Synapse is worthwhile, is up to you.

Should You Buy the Razer BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless HyperSpeed?

Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless HyperSpeed isn’t trying to be anything more than a bog-standard mechanical keyboard with tactile switches, and that’s not a bad thing if you’re in the market for exactly that. Unfortunately, the battery issues and lack of on-board storage make it tough to overtly recommend, especially when there are more compelling options at this price point.

7/10

Brand

Razer

Backlight

Yes (RGB)

Media Controls

Yes

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Tenkeyless Hyperspeed is a wireless, hot-swappable mechanical gaming keyboard designed for customization and performance. It supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches for personalized sound and feel. Dual-layer dampening foam, factory-lubricated stabilizers, and a top-mounted steel plate improve acoustics and typing smoothness.