Keyboards come in all shapes and sizes, and pegging the “best” is always a challenge. With gaming keyboards, productivity keyboards and various shapes, sizes and features, it can be hard to narrow down the best keyboard 2024.
This year, we decided to switch things up! We will be looking at our keyboards in different categories. Best Mini Keyboard 2024 will consist of our favourite TKL, 60%, 65% and 75% keyboards—basically anything that isn’t full-sized. With plenty of options from ROCCAT, SteelSeries, ASUS and Drop, Best Mini Keyboard 2024 has some great winners this year. Here are the winners for Best Mini Keyboard 2024.
Best Mini Keyboard 2024
ROCCAT VULCAN II MINI AIR KEYBOARD
Writer: Ridge Harripersad
Freedom of space and choice is what this keyboard is all about. No need for cables! Well, except for charging. The Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air comes with a detachable USB-C to USB-A cable that measures approximately 1.8 m and is designed for easy storage. It houses a Stellar wireless dongle, which fits so neatly and sleekly into the mainframe – definitely a pleasing look for me. The dongle was fascinating for its 2.4GHz connectivity, or the ability to connect to three different devices using up to Bluetooth 5.2.
The Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air keyboard is a good choice for keyboard enthusiasts and gamers. It can also be a good refresher. It is perfect for store-and-go moments – whether you travel a lot or need to work in a small office space. It has all the great lighting and button customization you need. I also found the fact that everything text-based on the keyboard is backlit (including the two branded parts of the keyboard) to be a really clever touch. Having all the functions condensed and on board is always a plus for a 65% form factor.
The Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air keyboard delivers on its promise of providing high energy efficiency and stylish customizability at a reasonable cost.
- 65% mini form factor with arrow keys
- Titan II Optical Switches with ultra-fast linear actuation
STEELSERIES APEX 9 MINI OPTICAL GAMING KEYBOARD
Writer: Khari Taylor
Danish peripheral manufacturer SteelSeries has released what it claims to be “The Fastest Optical Keyboard Ever,” the SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini keyboard, and if you’re at all familiar with this company’s track record of solid gaming products, then you’ll know SteelSeries doesn’t make idle statements, even if its products tend to look somewhat understated when compared to that of their flashier competitors like Razer or ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers). That notwithstanding, while reviewing SteelSeries’s latest compact keyboard I couldn’t help but feel like I’ve been here before.
If you’re a competitive KB+M gamer that values speed and accuracy above all else but are also specifically in the market for a compact keyboard for one or even a variety of reasons, such as portability, ease of travel, a small work/play space or just more room for mouse swiping, the SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini keyboard is a great choice, provided you’re willing to put in the time to customize your key and meta bindings to your exact preferences.
The Apex 9 Mini is the ideal compact keyboard for gamers that value speed, accuracy, and portability above all else, and who are willing to put in the extra time to configure it to work around its chief shortcoming, namely its lack of physical secondary keys.
- Play at the Speed of Light – Outpace leading optical keyboards with 33% faster actuation using custom OptiPoint switches with zero debounce and a lightning-fast 0.2ms response time.
- 2-point Actuation – Adapt to any game by changing the registration depth from a speedy, light 1mm press to a deliberate 1.5mm keystroke.
ASUS ROG AZOTH GAMING KEYBOARD
Writer: Brendan Frye
ASUS is no stranger to mechanical keyboards, with the ASUS ROG Strix Flare II Animate being one of our top keyboards of 2022, but this is the brand’s first foray into the world of enthusiast keyboards. With the ASUS ROG Azoth, the company is taking the keyboard crowd by storm, delivering an offering that has everything you could ever want in a customizable keyboard, including the tools and accessories to make it your own.
ASUS has packed everything you could possibly want in an enthusiast keyboard into the ROG Azoth, and that premium quality comes at a price. At launch, the keyboard will set you back a staggering $300 USD, making it one of the most expensive keyboards we have ever tested at CGMagazine. Granted, it is also one of the best keyboards we have ever tested, but in these times of economic turmoil, that is a hefty price to pay for any peripheral, let alone a keyboard.
The ASUS ROG Azoth is one of the best and most well-featured keyboards we have ever tested at CGMagazine, but that premium feel comes with a hefty price tag that may be out of many gamers’ reach.
DROP SIGNATURE SERIES KEYBOARD
Writer: Dayna Eileen
I don’t know when I became a keyboard enthusiast, but here we are, and I’m telling you to RUN to buy the DROP Signature Series Keyboard. If you know me, you know I dread using a tenkeyless keyboard. I knew that going into the review and was prepared to overlook it because it’s simply a preference—how do people live without a num-pad?! But after a few weeks with the DROP Signature Series keyboard, well, let’s put it this way, it’s sitting at my other desk right now, and I’m genuinely missing it.
With the DROP Signature Series keyboard, its $349 price tag doesn’t bring wireless connectivity, but it brings incredible quality, uniqueness, and care. I can bet most other big brands can’t offer you a fully customized keyboard, hand-built from the ground up. There are definitely cheaper options on the market with simpler software, but the DROP Signature Series keyboard is well worth its price tag—and the Ultrasonic just looks badass.
The DROP Signature Series keyboard carries a premium price tag with some pro-level programming, but anyone who spends a minute with this keyboard will see why this keyboard is worth every penny.
- CLASSIC AESTHETICS, STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: Like a tailored suit or a luxury car, a high-end keyboard feels great the moment you use it. Built on a jet-black aluminum CTRL High-Profile case, this tenkeyless, hot-swappable board is equipped with Holy Panda switches for a fan-favorite tactile feel.
- OUR SIGNATURE: QUALITY YOU CAN FEEL: To truly understand the benefits of a Signature Series mechanical keyboard, you have to feel it. Weighing nearly 4 lbs, the first thing you’ll notice about the Classic Midnight Keyboard is its sturdiness. As opposed to plastic alternatives that rattle as you type, this hand-assembled board features a rock-solid aluminum case for maximum stability.
