Best keyboard for typing in 2019

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Posted by: admin 4 years, 8 months ago

Looking for the best keyboards? Well, the days of buying a pot plant to prettify your desk are long gone. The new generation of keyboards are crying out to be centre of attention with their good looks and feature packed designs.

And, as we 2018 dawns, now is great time to pick up a new keyboard. The New Year sales are now on and, in a bid to beat of their rivals, the purveyors of the best keyboards on the market today are dropping and, if you know where to look, slashing their prices. Shop smart and right now during the winter holiday season you can land the perfect keyboard for you for an absolute steal.

But if you’re thinking of buying a new keyboard you might be feeling a little overwhelmed – it’s a big marketplace and it can be tricky to decide which one is best for you.

Maybe you need an upgrade for your home office, something more refined for surfing the web and watching funny cat videos on YouTube or for the occasional bit of gaming (although we do have an in-depth guide on the best gaming keyboards if you want to properly upgrade your gaming setup).

Whatever your needs, though, we’ve got you covered. We’ve sorted through all the top current keyboards on the market to bring you our ten best-of-the-best recommended models.

Our regularly updated buying guide includes newly released, high-end models through to very modestly priced but still responsive and attractive options. When you’ve found the new keyboard for you, you’ll be able to click right through to the latest deals and save time. Enjoy!

You won’t find a faster, more responsive keyboard than the Huntsman Elite. Razor have plugged years of research and innovation into this premium keyboards that redefines precision and speed, thanks to Razor’s new Opto-Mechanical Switch technology. These switches have an optical light sensor inside, so when you press a key a receiver is activated by the light signal actuating your command instantly. Designed primarily as a gaming keyboard and excelling as such, it also delivers an equally incredible typing experience – the keys are super light and balanced but you still get that reassuring clicky feedback. The icing on the cake is the Huntsman Elite’s durability – as the optical actuation provides less physical contact, so you can expect durability of up to 100 million keystrokes – about double that of other premium offerings.

When it comes to using a Mac, it makes a lot of sense to stick with Apple accessories - so it’s a good thing the Apple Magic Keyboard is such a great choice. For a start, it automatically pairs with your Mac right out of the box, so there’s no faffing about with setup. That wireless design comes with a battery that can provide up to a months use on one charge, and when you add in that impeccable Apple build, you’re getting one of the best non-mechanical keyboards money can buy. Just make sure your Mac or iOS device supports Bluetooth. Now available in space grey as well as silver (pictured).

Coming in red, brown and silent variants of the ever-popular Cherry MX switch, the Strafe from Corsair remains one of the firm's most impressive offerings. Once a rather expensive outlay, the original Strafe is now a far more affordable £80, offering a robust steel core that reduces flexing and retains a distinctly premium feel.

While it doesn't boast the top-level features of its K series big brother (you won't get any RGB lighting or media keys here), but for anyone looking for a cracking all-round keyboard with USB path-through and a price tag that won't make you spit your coffee all over the screen, the Corsair Strafe is a great choice.

While the Logitech K480 doesn’t work with Windows Phone devices, it effectively works with almost everything else. You can use it with your PC, Mac, Android and iOS devices so it’s bound to suit some of the devices in your life. You can also switch between them really easily, so you flit from your PC to your Android tablet with minimal fuss. It’s nice and comfortable to use, although it isn’t quite small enough to be used as a portable device. It’s also really affordable, and with a strong Bluetooth signal you’re rarely going to get a dropout. It’s lacking a few keys you’d find on a full-size keyboard but it’s an easy tradeoff considering what you get in return.

Cherry's very own flagship mechanical keyboard aims to combine the features of a gaming device with the lower clearance of a normal peripheral. The end result is a great hybrid keyboard that ticks both boxes without too much compromise on features.

The keys are positioned closer than most mechanical keyboards, making it ideal for typing, and its own Gold Crosspoint precision module makes it perfect for gaming at a variety of levels. The 6.0 is also great for reducing ghosting and ensuring every keystroke is recognised instantaneously.

The added boon of a strong aluminium top case makes this keyboard feel like it could withstand a nuclear holocaust, while offering a look that's both modern and satisfyingly retro all in one package.

Roccat's first attempt at a mechanical keyboard for the gaming crowd is an impressive feat, combining the customisation options of a gaming peripheral with the comfort of a typing device. Each key is individually backlit (for added ambiance), with the inclusion of N-key for anti-ghosting.

With two 32-bit ARM Cortex processors built in, the MK Pro has more than enough individual processing power to support a lot of customisation options. Those eight macro keys are spread out across the whole keyboard too, so there's plenty of choice with this keyboard.

The MK Pro even comes with a soft wrist-rest - however, this can't be removed making it slightly awkward to use for prolonged gaming sessions (at least until you're used to it). Still, this remains a great premium mechanical keyboard.

Tech Giant Mircosoft have gone all out with the Modern Keyboard. While not a cheap outlay, we say the price is justified as this keyboard is a quality bit of kit – well made in aluminium with flat square keys, it doesn’t look dissimilar to Apple’s Magic Keyboard. However, Microsoft’s Modern Keyboard has a finger print scanner, which has been subtly included into the design (it looks like any other key and sits next to the right Alt key) and unlocks with a single press of the fingerprint key – faster and more secure than typing in a password.

With so many of its own smart devices on the market, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft designed its own multi-purpose travel keyboard. With its folding design, you can easily fit it in your bag for use on a commute or when you’re working away from the office. Using Bluetooth 4.0 it offers an extremely reliable wireless signal, while Microsoft claims its battery can go for three months on a single charge (although this will drop if you’re using it consistently). It’s so easy to use you just open it to start it up, and close it to shut it down.

Razer has been in the gaming peripheral business for a long time, so we've come to expect an esteemed level of quality from the green-tinged American manufacturer. Thankfully, the BlackWidow X Chroma keeps that tradition alive with a mechanical metal construction that's so sturdy it's practically military.

Alongside some sumptuous RGB lighting (with 16.8 million customisable colour options, naturally), the BlackWidow X Chroma offers serious durability with a whopping 80 million keystrokes of use promised by the good folks at Razer.

Built with Razer's own mechanical switches, the Blackwidow X Chroma delivers an accurate response with an additional 10 key rollover for high anti-ghosting. You also get your standard programmable macro and multimedia buttons - it's just a shame it's so light on the features elsewhere.

In 2019, the line between regular keyboards designed for everyday home/office use and those specifically constructed with gaming in mind is more blurred than ever. The Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo is a perfect example of this, offering a versatile design that's just at home in your PC gaming setup as it as an everyday peripheral. Its bespoke Titan switches are great for word processing, but are also clacky enough for intense MOBA battles or Battle Royale matches.

It's durable, so it can take a kicking without losing performance, and its anti-ghosting software ensures every keystroke is registered, regardless of the task at hand. It's backlit, naturally, so you can enjoy its AiMO RGB illumination while you're composing an email or dominating other players online. It is a little expensive, but Roccat has a strong reputation for quality so it's a worthy outlay.

Lead image credit: Getty