When it comes to mechanical keyboards, you can spend a lot of money without getting a whole lot in return. Today, we’re looking at an impressive, and impressively affordable, option with the Rosewill NEON K75. Coming in at only $44.99 at the time of this writing and $99.99 normally, it’s one of the most budget friendly keyboards on their offering this kind of flare. Is there a catch? Read on as we find out in our full review!
Specifications
- MSRP: $99.99 (Current sale: $44.99)
- Keyboard Interface: USB
- Materials: Aluminum top, plastic
- Key Switch Type: Kailh Brown
- Key Lifespan: 50 million actuations
- Keyboard Color: Metallic Gray
- Illumination: Per-key RGB, Customizable RGB rim, 19 built-in modes
- NKRO: Yes, full anti-ghosting
- Cable: Braided
- Accessories included: Palm rest, ring-style keycap puller
- Dimensions: 1.00" x 15.00" x 4.80"
- Warranty: Parts and Labor, 1-year
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I admit: I’m kind of an RGB nut, so when I saw the K75 it immediately caught my eye. This is a keyboard designed to catch eyes. It features fully customizable per-key RGB illumination and a beautiful diffuser bar that wraps around the entire rim. Considering that RGB under the keys alone is usually a $30+ premium, the $99 MSRP seems is a great price point for this keyboard. The $44.99 sale price? That’s an absolute steal.
We’ll get back to the RGB in a minute, but looking at the keyboard as a whole, Rosewill has included many features usually reserved for a higher price point. The K75 features a full aluminum top with a braided cable. Secondary layer media and app keys and a whopping 19 built-in lighting modes if you don’t want to create your own inside the optional software.
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The keycaps are also doubleshot ABS. That means that the legends are actually made from a separate piece of plastic so they’ll never fade away. Interestingly, two of the walls are thick (around 1.3mm) and the other two are thin like standard gaming keycaps. The two thicker walls and double-shot construction do seem to make up for the thin ones and lead to an improved “key-feel” over most gaming keyboards out there. They’ve also made sure to place the secondary functions in the number row on the top so the illumination is even across the board. It’s a nice touch that shows a level of consideration even the heavy hitters in the industry still miss.
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Under the hood, the NEON uses Kailh switches in your choice of blue or brown. It’s interesting that they didn’t include a linear red option, but I’ve found the silent tactility of brown switches to be a great middle ground between linear and clicky switches. While Cherry is still the “creme de la creme” of mechanical switches, the reality is that the days of their being a big difference are long gone. The Kailh’s in the NEON feel as good as any Cherry’s I’ve used and keep the cost down, so it’s a fair trade off.
Inside the software, every key can be reprogrammed, remapped, or used to execute macros. You can also create your own custom lighting schemes. At this price point, you’re lucky to find any software at all so this level of customization is truly impressive. You won’t find iCUE levels of polish here but what’s on offer gets done what you would need it to and makes the NEON a fully functional gaming keyboard.
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In actual use, everything comes together to make a board that feels very nice to use. The Kailh brown switches are fast and responsive with a nice tactility to them. I find this great for writing but they’re light enough to use in even fast-paced games. The thicker walls on the double-shot keycaps also gives your typing sounds a satisfying thickness to them usually reserved for more enthusiast boards.
It’s not perfect, mind you. I’m not a big fan of the very gamer-y typeface using on the key legends and there is a bit of hotspotting on the bottom rim of the diffuser. I also would have liked to have seen some kind of USB pass-through. At this price, these are nitpicks at best.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be real here: the mechanical keyboard market is saturated. It seems like every day there’s a new board hitting the market and, frankly, a lot of them look the same. It takes something special to stand-out and Rosewill has done that in two ways here. The dynamic RGB lighting rim is unique and gorgeous. It doesn’t look like everything else out there. Along with that, they’ve managed to deliver an excellent set of features that outdoes even some of the major players at this price point.
If you’re in the market for a new keyboard, the Rosewill NEON K75 should definitely be on your radar.
Pros
- Excellent price point
- Dynamic light rim is unique and eye-catching
- Double-shot keycaps with two thicker walls
- Fully customizable in functions and lighting
Cons
- Software isn’t as polished as some competitor options
- Limited switch options
The product discussed in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of review.
