'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Are you keyboard customization-curious? Razer has just the thing for you
While Razer has become a prominent name in the gaming industry for its keyboards, it hasn't made too much noise when it comes to the world of keyboard customization – until now.
Judging by just the name, it might seem like the BlackWidow V4 75% keyboard, released Thursday, is just a smaller version of the V4 Pro. But it's actually a whole lot more.
Also: The great Flipper Zero shortage of 2023 has finally come to end
For the first time ever, Razer is offering a mechanical keyboard that allows for full customization while still keeping a focus on gaming performance. It allows for hot-swap PCB, meaning users can switch out the tactile switches for another set without soldering, and most mechanical switches are supported, either 3-pin or 5-pin configuration.
Users who want to swap out the standard plate-mounted stabilizers for third-party ones are in luck, Razer says, as the V4's PCB has the screw holes to support those. And like the rest of Razer's BlackWidow keyboards, the V4 supports per-key lighting with underglow.
If you're not familiar with the world of keyboard customization, it's become popular in recent years with computer enthusiasts and gamers looking for something a little different.
Instead of settling for the standard keyboard, customization lets users not only set their own layout, but even change the keys to have a different feel, look, and sound. Custom keyboards are generally regarded as being more durable too, plus they offer improved gaming and typing performance.
Also: I found the best keyboard for students, and its ChatGPT shortcut proves it
Unfortunately, Razer's newest keyboard stops just short of being 100% customizable, as the warranty is voided if the case is opened up. But given that Razer hasn't really approached this market before, it seems like a nice middle ground for people who want to dabble in making their keyboard their own or who are just looking for a more premium keyboard than Razer usually offers.
Fair warning: Keyboard customization can quickly become an expensive hobby.
Two colors of the BlackWidow V4 75% are available. There's the base model in black, which is available now from Amazon, MicroCenter, and Razer's site, and the $200 "White Edition" that will be available in September.