SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 review: A gaming keyboard built for speed
At a glance
Expert rating
Benefits
- Excellent finish and high quality materials
- Individually adjustable OmniPoint 3.0 switches
- Quick trigger and dual action for fast response times
- Quiet typing sound thanks to built-in damping and double-shot PBT keycaps
- High quality wrist rest and stable construction
Disadvantages
- Very high price
- No hot swapping for switches
- No macro or dedicated media keys
- “Only” a probing rate of 1,000 Hertz
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 is one of the most technically advanced gaming keyboards on the market, offering best-in-class build quality, typing feel, and customizability.
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SteelSeries has sent its flagship keyboard into its third generation. The company claims the Apex Pro Gen 3 is the world’s fastest gaming keyboard, featuring new magnetic switches, improved comfort, and quieter typing. We took a closer look at what’s behind the hype and whether the high price is justified.
Friedrich Stiemer
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Design and ergonomics
The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 makes an impression from the moment you unbox it. The case consists of a sturdy aluminum top and a solid plastic base. Weighing around 2.42 pounds, it sits firmly on the desk. Nothing moves, nothing slips.
A practical highlight is the magnetic wrist rest, which adheres firmly to the bottom edge and provides a pleasantly soft surface. It provides noticeable relief to the wrists, especially during long gaming sessions. The keyboard is a standard size and includes a number pad, making it ideal for anyone who writes or does office work. However, with dimensions of approximately 436 × 139 × 40 millimeters, it takes up a lot of space on the desk.
Friedrich Stiemer
RGB lighting is remarkably uniform. Thanks to the new double-shot PBT keycaps, light not only shines through the labeling, but also on the sides. These keycaps are known for their durability and abrasion resistance, provide a secure grip and virtually do not fade over time.
A small downside is that PBT keycaps are more expensive to manufacture and can be slightly rougher than ABS keycaps. In dark rooms, it looks dramatic without being distracting. The matte finish looks high quality and hardly attracts fingerprints.
Friedrich Stiemer
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: accessories
In addition to the keyboard itself, the box contains a detachable braided USB-C cable, the magnetic palm rest, and a keycap puller. Replacement caps or other extras are not included. While they are not essential for a premium keyboard of this class, their presence would have been a welcome bonus.
Friedrich Stiemer
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Technology and features
At the heart of the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 are the new OmniPoint 3.0 switches, made by Gateron. These magnetic switches register keystrokes not mechanically, but via a Hall effect sensor. This is a technology that works with magnetic fields to measure key movements (contactless) and with extreme precision.
The switches have a linear feel with an actuation force of around 45 grams, which allows for fast and consistent typing. The standout feature is the one-touch adjustment, allowing the actuation depth to be adjusted from a super-fast 0.1mm to 4.0mm.
Friedrich Stiemer
In practice, this means that if you need fast response times in shooter games, you can set the buttons to an extremely fine trigger. If you prefer a precise strike, increase the depth for more strike control. Customization is done in SteelSeries software and saved directly to the keyboard. This allows users to play with their saved profiles even without the software installed.
Not all dongles come with the more expensive OmniPoint switches. While the main block uses them, the function row and number keys rely on classic SteelSeries Red linear switches. This is barely noticeable in everyday life, but it’s still worth noting. There is no hot swap function to replace switches.
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: performance
The polling rate is 1000 Hz. That’s solid, but not a record. Some high-end keyboards now offer up to 8,000 Hz. This means that the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 records inputs up to 1,000 times per second, helping to keep input latency very low.
The keyboard also supports N-key rollover and anti-ghosting, so that multiple simultaneous keystrokes are reliably recognized. This is especially important for fast-paced games.
Friedrich Stiemer
A highlight is the “Rapid Trigger” function, which allows a key to reset and react as soon as it is slightly lifted. In fast-paced games such as Valorant Or Counter-Strike 2this allows for lightning-fast changes of direction.
In combination with the “Dual Action Keybinds” (i.e. double assignment depending on the depth of pressure), the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 becomes a serious tool in esports. A button can perform two actions: a light press activates walking, for example, while a heavier press in the same keystroke activates sprinting. This is ideal for dynamic movements in games such as Apex Legends Or Call of Duty.
SteelSeries has also improved the acoustics of the keyboard. A layer of damping material now sits between the circuit board and the base. As a result, it is much quieter than other mechanical keyboards. It produces more of a slight “thump” instead of the typical click-clack.
Friedrich Stiemer
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: software and operation
Setup via SteelSeries software is simple. Here you can set the trigger point for each button, adjust the lighting, schedule macros or manage profiles. Preset presets for popular games such as Apex Legends, CS2And Fortnite.
Friedrich Stiemer
A built-in OLED screen in the upper right corner displays system information, volume, profiles, and incoming Discord messages. It can also be personalized with a personal text or a small logo.
With the aluminum rotary dial, the screen also serves as a hub for media control. Here you can adjust the volume, press play or pause, and change the lighting. However, there are no dedicated media buttons, which is a bit of a shame at this price point.
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3: Daily Life and Gaming
On a daily basis, the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 proves to be a true versatile tool. It is pleasantly direct and precise when typing and reacts quickly in gaming situations. Shooters, in particular, benefit from the low latency. While playing Valorant And Call of Dutythe keys responded virtually without delay.
The keyboard also impresses with long texts. The typing remains soft, the typing noise is discreet and the wrist rest ensures comfort. Anyone who has ever experienced the difference between 0.1 and four millimeters of actuation will understand how precisely the typing behavior can be adjusted.
Friedrich Stiemer
The only downside is that with its weight and wired connection, the Apex Pro Gen 3 is clearly designed as an office keyboard. If you are usually on the go, it is better to opt for the TKL or wireless version. This version, however, comes with second-generation OmniPoint switches.
