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The best wireless gaming keyboard is as much a match for the best wired gaming keyboards in response and feel, though more than that it will restore all that wasted space on you gaming desk that’s taken up by wires. It’s simply the neater-looking option. It will also allow you to game from your bedroom or sofa without any hassle, and use your gaming keyboard as a sort-of oversized TV remote for Netflix.
Wireless keyboards have improved so drastically over the years, you can hardly tell the difference between a wired gaming keyboard and a wireless keyboard these days. Gone are the days of poor battery life and pining for uninterrupted connections—modern wireless keyboards are serious pieces of kit.
Deciding on a switch type, size, and any extra features you might want are all just as important when choosing a wireless keyboard as they are a wired one. Connectivity type is important, whether that’s Bluetooth, USB dongle, or both. USB dongles are easier to set up, but they take up a USB port, while Bluetooth works really well so long as your PC has Bluetooth capabilities.
We’ve tested a bunch of wireless gaming keyboards, checking their speed, reliability, connectivity, build quality, and much more to give you an list of the best ones out there. Ideally, you’d also pair the best wireless gaming keyboard with the best wireless gaming headset and a wireless mouse, in order to break completely free of cables.
Best wireless gaming keyboards
Wireless keyboards have often translated to the antithesis of what a gaming keyboard should be: slow, unresponsive, and clunky. That’s no longer the case, and the most recent wireless technology from Logitech, built into the G915, has successfully done away with that notion.
The low-profile design of the G915 features all the trappings of the best mechanical gaming keyboards available: a selection of mechanical switches, dedicated macro keys, media controls, and full per-key RGB lighting.
The G915 is slim but remarkably dense, weighing a bit more than you’d think from the looks. The aluminium-on-plastic frame is incredibly sturdy and looks like a piece of modern art (in a good way). However, the real test is in battery life—thankfully, the G915 passes with flying colours, boasting a 30+ hour lifespan with full RGB brightness on a single charge. Turning off the RGB lighting extends that life dramatically, allowing it to function for up to 100 hours without recharging, but who’s going to do that, eh?
The sole drawback to the G915 is its astronomical price tag. At an MSRP of $250, it’s drastically more expensive than our favourite wired mechanical keyboard, the Corsair K95 Platinum. The G915 does, however, have an identical wired cousin, the G815, which is ‘only’ $150.
The Logitech G915 feels like a logical evolution of what a wireless mechanical keyboard should be—featuring excellent connectivity, impressive battery life, and an uncompromising array of features… to those who can afford it.
Read our full Logitech G915 TKL review (that’s the smaller version).
The Keychron K2 redefines affordability for wireless gaming keyboards. It starts out at just $69, and for that you get a decent-sized gaming keyboard with great wireless functionality and Gateron mechanical switches.
Its build quality is decent overall, and the triple device connectivity definitely makes short work of switching devices or locations through the working day. With that said though, sometimes it can feel like a cheap keyboard—the switches aren’t the best around, but they’re pretty impressive nonetheless at this price.
All in all though, if you’re looking for an entry level mechanical keyboard, this is a good choice, especially if you’re working from home and using multiple devices. That’s not even considering its wireless capability, which really feels like the icing on the cake of the already impressive Keychron K2.
Read our full Keychron K2 review.
The technology behind wireless peripherals has come a long way, and Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless connectivity is a prime example. The G613 never once dropped a connection despite the plethora of wireless devices on our desks. It also matches wired peripherals in terms of stability and responsiveness.
It’s seriously efficient, too—a pair of AA batteries can push up to 18 months of continuous use.
Though it’s designed for practicality first, it’s anything but bland. A second glance reveals a row of dedicated macros, media controls, and a volume rocker. The grippy wrist rest is spacious, too, although it’s worth noting that it isn’t removable and lacks in height to make it really worthwhile. Understandably, backlights were cut to conserve battery.
This proprietary Romer-G switch features a travel distance of just 3mm and a subtle tactile bump. Its mild, quiet nature makes it suitable for both gaming and typing.
Read our full Logitech G613 keyboard review.
The G915 TKL takes that best wireless gaming keyboard quality of the larger unit but shrinks it down to TKL size. It sports the same excellent Lightspeed wireless connection and high-quality build and design as its larger sibling. That means you get separate media controls and an aluminium-on-plastic chassis which makes it seriously robust.
You also get the fancy new Logitech switches, more closely aping the Cherry MX design than the original Romer-G switches. The low-profile Logitech GL, a variant of the Kailh Choc switch, is one of the best short-stack mech switches and is as responsive as it is diddy.
But you have to make some sacrifices for the tenkeyless design’s compact nature, which means no macro keys. Well, no physical ones anyway. The macros are now a secondary function of the F keys, and you can jump into the Logitech G software to prioritize them.
This all means the G915 TKL is practically as good as the full-size board, packing almost all the functionality… and a similarly sky-high price too. Damn. That’s why this keyboard doesn’t rank quite so high: it’s not as cheap as we’d like a TKL alternative to be versus the full-size G915.
Read the full Logitech G915 TKL review.
The compact Corsair K63 Wireless comes packed with features. Cherry MX Red switches? Check. Media controls and wrist rest? Check. Blue backlights? Erm, check?
The reason for my hesitance on the last point is that the battery life of the K63 Wireless is already pretty abysmal without it. Its integrated rechargeable battery lasts a measly 15 hours with the lights set to medium and 25 hours at the lowest brightness. Corsair quotes the battery life to be 75 hours with the backlights off, at which point the inclusion of the backlight seems like a redundant decision. Corsair recommends plugging it in for uninterrupted gameplay, but doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a wireless keyboard?
Battery issue aside, the K63 Wireless is a solid board. The keys are responsive, and all its handy features make getting through your day a little easier. You can also seat the K63 wireless in the Corsair Lapboard for gaming in the living room. Neat.
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If you want to solve several cord-related issues with a single blow, the Razer Turret has you covered. It’s an excellent, sturdy mechanical keyboard (modeled after Razer’s BlackWidow and packing clicky, tactile Green switches) with a built-in, retractable mouse pad paired with a top-shelf wireless mouse. The turret works seamlessly with both PCs and Microsoft’s latest family of consoles, the Xbox One.
Retailing at $250, the Turret is right around the price you’d pay for a decent wireless gaming mouse and keyboard independently, and you’re getting quality products for your money.
The Mamba-equivalent of the Turret performs as its separate counterpart, with a 16,000 DPI sensor and a robust IPS rating. The keyboard is indistinguishable in terms of performance from Razer’s BlackWidow.
All in, it’s a great way to clip two cords at once, especially if you’re gaming from the sofa.
Best wireless keyboards FAQ
How do you test a wireless keyboard?
The determining factor of wireless keyboards starts at the stability of the connection. Regardless of the wireless tech used, the board must sustain a stable, responsive connection at all times. That’s the paramount characteristic we pay attention to throughout testing.
We apply the same testing suite used for our best gaming keyboards to gauge the board’s performance. Each board is run through several Starcraft matches, Call of Duty: Warzone, and a few combat sequences in the Witcher 3. We take keen notes on the performance of its switches. Are they responsive? Were there any essential skips or ghosting?
Due to the inherent limitations of wireless connectivity, some features aren’t possible for wireless keyboards. USB pass-throughs are out of the question. On the other hand, Audio passthrough is doable, but they’re often omitted due to the subpar sound reproduction since audio signals are much more susceptible to noise. Backlights are a double-edged sword: they enhance the aesthetics but are also taxing on the battery.
This brings us to the battery life. If the keyboard continually needs to be charged or eats a deck of AA batteries a week, its wireless nature becomes a liability rather than a selling point. The type of battery also matters: integrated batteries saves you money but can wear out over time. Removable batteries can be swapped out and instantly charged, but they tack onto the cost of the keyboard.
What size of keyboard do I need?
Keyboard size is absolutely a defining factor. Full-sized keyboards tend to offer the most features and a Numpad, but if you don’t have space, then all of those extras you paid for will be useless. Tenkeyless boards (the ones with no number pad) and compact keyboards can be a great option, too, if you don’t care about all the extra bells and whistles or you don’t have any use for alt codes (how barbaric!).
What is the most important thing to look for in a mechanical gaming keyboard?
The switch type is arguably the most important choice to make when picking your new gaming keyboard. Cherry mechanical switches are the most common and most recognizable, but there are a host of alternatives on offer, as well a bunch of upmarket, specialist switches to choose from.
Are dedicated media controls a deal-breaker?
Only you can make that call, but we would suggest that at least having the option to toggle the top row between function and media controls would be our choice. Having a discrete volume wheel can be super useful, however.
Jargon buster – keyboard terminology
Actuation Point
The height to which a key needs to be pressed before it actuates and sends an input signal to a device.
Clicky
A switch that delivers an audible click every time it’s pressed, generally right around the point of actuation.
Debounce
A technique to ensure that only one input registers every time a key is pressed.
Housing
The shell that surrounds the internal components of a switch.
Hysteresis
The result of the actuation point and reset point in a switch being misaligned. This generally means a key needs to be lifted off further than normal before it can be actuated again.
Linear
A switch that moves directly up and down, generally delivering smooth keystrokes without noise or tactile feedback.
Mechanical Keyboard
A keyboard built around individual switches for each key rather than a membrane sheath mounted on a PCB.
Membrane Keyboard
A keyboard on which all the keycaps are mounted on a membrane sheath; when a key is pressed, a rubber dome depresses and pushes against the sheath and PCB beneath, actuating the key.
Stem
The component of a switch on which the keycaps are mounted on a mechanical keyboard.
Switch
The physical component of a mechanical keyboard beneath the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard. The switch determines how a key is actuated, whether or not it provides audible or tactile feedback with each press, and more.
Optical switch
This is a type of mechanical switch which instead of a physical metal contact switch uses light to measure when actuation takes place. These can be more configurable too, allowing for not just off and on states, but more analog designs, and even dual actions for a single key depending on how far the switch is pressed down.
Tactile
A switch that provides a ‘bump’ of feedback every time it’s pushed.
Tenkeyless (TKL)
A keyboard that lacks the right-hand number pad.
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