This high-performance, low-profile, mechanical gaming keyboard will make gamers drool, but prepare to pay up

Back when we reviewed the Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro, we called it the "best low-profile, high-performance optical gaming keyboard." It seems Razer received more than a few requests for a true mechanical variant, though.

Fast forward a few years, and we now have the Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile HyperSpeed — a rather long name for a rather compact keyboard. It's a BlackWidow because Razer's low-profile DeathStalker family isn't going anywhere, but it will continue to employ optical switches.

I've been using this new BlackWidow keyboard for a while and getting a feel for Razer's brand-new low-profile mechanical switches, and those waiting for Razer to fill this low-profile niche should be happy. The price tag isn't nearly as slim as the keyboard, though, and that'll sting many a wallet.

Two sizes and an eight-button difference between them

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The BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile HyperSpeed comes in full-sized and tenkeyless flavors, both in the same black colorway. As expected, the designs are nearly identical — with around eight differences.

This low-profile keyboard is around 18.5mm in height, constructed mostly of plastic but with a brushed aluminum top-mounted plate. The protruding plastic shelf (most noticeable with the TKL variant) is odd, but I like this design.

It's too bad build quality isn't quite as refined as I'd expect for such a premium product — the seam where the metal top plate meets that aforementioned plastic shelf is uneven, for example.

The keys are a good size and the layout makes sense, though, and all the features you expect of a premium wireless gaming keyboard are here. You get Razer HyperSpeed Wireless (with a hidden garage for dongle storage), three Bluetooth wireless profiles, two-stage kickstands, sticky rubber feet, and an assortment of additional buttons and controls.

If you're like me and prefer your low-profile keyboard to be of the tenkeyless variety, though, you'll have to accept a compromise — eight fewer customizable macros.

Both versions get the control dial, the triple-function macro, an "AI" button set to open Razer's new AI Prompt Master (that you can remap to anything else you want), and a dedicated battery level button that strangely can't be customized. The full-sized version adds five remappable macro keys and three media control keys, all aligned on the top plastic shelf that's oddly empty on the TKL version.

I'm not sure if there's an engineering constraint here or something else, but I wish Razer had made room for at least some of those extra keys on the smaller keyboard.

Slim and prim, but is it good enough for the price?

Macro criticisms aside, is the new Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile HyperSpeed actually worth spending at least $199.99 at Razer just for the tenkeyless version? I get it — making unique low-profile variants of Razer's in-house Green, Yellow, and Orange switches must've been a tall order.

Squeezing two layers of sound-dampening foam, per-key RGB lighting, five onboard profiles, and a large enough battery to support up to 980 hours of use (in power-saving mode) couldn't have been easy, either. That's all on paper, though; I've been actually using this keyboard.

It always feels like there's something preventing the BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile from achieving greatness.

The typing and gaming experience is excellent (with separate modes to improve consistency or responsiveness), but this keyboard is absolutely on the loud side. The RGB lighting looks good, but it's dim and doesn't highlight all the secondary functions. The battery life can be great, but even modest RGB lighting can seriously tank that endurance. Wireless performance is nearly flawless, but you'll be limited to a 1,000Hz polling rate no matter how you choose to connect.

BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You want a low-profile keyboard, but make it mechanical.
• You can't have low-profile switches without ditching the wires.
• You want great gaming performance in a compact package.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You don't mind the extra vertical mass of a normal low-profile keyboard.
• You don't think "low-profile" should mean "higher price tag."

I'm not certain just how much demand there is for a high-performance, low-profile, mechanical gaming keyboard — especially one as premium as this one — but Razer has been expanding into a lot of more niche categories with its latest launches, and this is no exception.

The BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile HyperSpeed is really good, too, and I think people will like Razer's new low-profile mechanical switches a lot. There are enough compromises or weaknesses to deter potential buyers when such a massive price tag looms over this sleek board, though.

That's especially true when brands like Keychron are increasingly pushing into the PC gaming space with more value-driven, enthusiast-focused boards. Still, I really like this keyboard, and you can get it now, too, from $199.99 at Razer.com.