Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard review: made for the pros
Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard: Two-minute review
Alienware has released its Pro line of both gaming keyboards and mice, focusing on making it as appealing as possible to professional gamers. In fact, they were both tested by pro gamers Team Liquid to ensure just that. The Alienware Pro gaming keyboard truly feels like a product made for such a demographic, thanks to its much smaller yet sturdier body and high-quality switches.
Like many of Alienware's other accessories and PCs, the Pro gaming keyboard comes in two colors: Dark Side of the Moon and Lunar Light. While the black keyboard is surprisingly beautiful thanks to the RGB lighting, the standard is the white model that not only stands out aesthetically but is truly enhanced by the LED lighting. The Alienware Command Center software is easily accessible and can be used to customize the color effects and most other keyboard settings.
Unlike other Alienware keyboards, which tend to be lighter, this one is much heavier and sturdier, weighing nearly two pounds. It's shocking, considering it's made with 47% post-consumer recycled plastics. It also has a long silicone strip on the underside of the chassis, which prevents it from moving around. You really have to use significant force to do so, which is ideal for intense gaming sessions.
Due to its status as a professional gaming keyboard, I tested it out in a wide variety of genres, including first and third-person shooters, platformers, action, RPGs, and more. It's incredibly stable, the keys are responsive with a good travel distance, and the switches are easy to activate.
One of the standout features of the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard is that it no longer features Cherry MX mechanical switches. Instead, Dell has developed its own switches specifically for this Alienware keyboard. The switches are hot-swappable 5-pin PCBA and are compatible with most other 3 and 5-pin switches - in case you want to switch them out for other brands.
The actuation force is only 40g, which is quite light and well-suited for hardcore and especially professional gaming, as it puts almost no strain on your fingers to press down on each key. The stem is also made of POM (Polyoxymethylene) material, meaning you avoid the often grating sound of keys rubbing against each other, adding to that extra light and almost floaty feeling when typing. Thanks to the sound-dampening silicone layers, the clean clicking sound of the switches is enhanced even further.
It's shocking how high-quality these switches are - Dell has truly knocked it out of the park. The efficiency of this TKL design is also a pleasant surprise as it manages to fit in media and arrow keys in a compact size.
The keyboard's connectivity is also great, with three ways to connect it: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, and USB Type-C wired. Having these options is incredibly important depending on your needs for the keyboards, with wired the best option for hardcore gaming with no latency, while wireless and Bluetooth are solely for portability.
Battery life is also pretty solid, with about three days of life using the RGB lighting and, according to Dell, up to 798 hours with lighting turned off on 2.4GHz wireless.
Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard: Price & availability
How much does it cost? $199.99 / £190 including VAT / AU$328.90
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia
The Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard is incredibly expensive, costing a whopping $199.99 / £190 including VAT / AU$328.90. Of course, considering that this is a premium keyboard developed for professional gaming, the pricing makes sense. That said, this is not the keyboard to get if you don't need top-of-the-line quality and performance.
Compared to cheaper mechanical keyboards like the MSI GK50 Elite TKL starting at 64.99 (around £55/AU$100), there are other solid options for those who need it. There's also the Razer Huntsman V2 TKL, which will set you back $160 / £160 / AU$260. It's a great and slightly cheaper option as well if you're not in the market for keyboards tailor-made for professionals.
The Alienware Pro Wireless, like most Dell products, has excellent availability in the US, UK, Australia, and several other regions.
Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard: Specs
Should you buy the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
You need a more budget-minded keyboard
Bottomline, this keyboard is extremely expensive. If you need anything cheaper, it's best to wave goodbye and let it pass.
Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard: Also consider
How I tested the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard
I spent about a week testing this keyboard
I tested it for gaming and productivity work
I used it extensively in both a home and office environment
I tested the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard in a home office environment, seeing how well it functioned in gaming and productivity. Its gaming performance is especially important, so I played a wide variety of genres to see how reactive it is. I also carried it around in various bags to test its portability.
The Alienware Pro Wireless is a gaming keyboard meant for extensive use over the years. I made sure to quality-test it to see if it held up to those standards while maintaining maximum comfort levels.
I've tested a wide range of keyboards, including mechanical and membrane ones, and understand how to properly rate and test them out to ensure that they reach a certain level of quality.
We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.
First reviewed May 2024
