Corsair K65 RGB Mini keyboard review - Final words and conclusion

Final words and conclusion

I really like the new K65 RGB Mini. It marks a step towards hardware for the more hardcore gaming crowd on the part of Corsair. Tenkeyless keyboards are very popular, but this one goes even further when making things smaller. The reviewed product uses the 60% form factor (i.e., 60% of a standard, full-sized keyboard). This has some advantages, but also some drawbacks. As for the former, it’s easier to fit on a smaller desk. You can also toss it in your backpack whenever you need to, and the detachable cable makes that even easier (luckily, it’s a USB Type-C connector). Moving on to the drawbacks, you need to use the Fn key a lot, even access the F-keys, not to mention the media keys. Well, I guess you can get used to that after a while. The Corsair K65 RGB Mini uses Cherry MX Reds, so it’s a safe choice for mech-keyboard newbies. The reviewed keyboard comes with PBT keycaps (that’s good, they’re more reliable) but no palm rest. Granted, anything that increases the size defeats the purpose of this form factor. Of course, there’s iCUE compatibility as usual (that’s not surprising with a Corsair product). Speaking of this software, the keyboard has dynamic per-key RGB backlighting. The quality is outstanding, so no reasons to complain here. The feet are rubbery, so the K65 RGB Mini stays in place as it’s supposed to.

Aesthetics

The K65 RGB MINI is something new in the range of Corsair keyboards. Thanks to the much smaller, 60% form factor, it looks very subtle and attractive. There are no bold design choices here from the aesthetics point of view, but that makes sense. The LED lighting system does its job very well (vivid and crisp colors). If you want, you can individually adjust each key to your preference. Even anti-RGB guys should be satisfied, as you can make the backlighting, e.g., all-white, or use it only on some of the keys.  

Final words 

The mechanical keyboards market is already crowded, and Corsair clearly wanted to show something that stands out. They succeeded, as the K65 RGB Mini is a highly appealing product. It’s a 60% form-factor keyboard with pleasant Cherry MX Red keys witches, PBT keycaps,  8.000 Hz polling rate, full NKRO, and 100% anti-ghosting. It’s a great choice for gamers looking for something a little bit different. This alone makes it deserve the “Recommended” award. The quality is good, the keyboard is rigid (and very stable, thanks to the rubbery feet), iCUE works well (there’s been a redesign since our last review), and allows synchronization with other Corsair stuff as well as per-key lighting adjustment. MX Red switches work well, but that’s not surprising at all, and they’re also a safe choice (there are also Speed and Silent available). Finally, one other thing that I personally had a hard time getting used to for a bit longer is hitting the Fn key a lot to be able to access the F-keys and media keys (I actually didn’t use the latter at all because of that). Well, obviously, there are fewer keys here, and this problem had to be solved somehow, so I’m not blaming the keyboard itself.  This might be a non-issue for some (maybe many?), but I happen to be quite used to having dedicated keys for that, so you need to decide for yourself if this will be a problem for you before you take the plunge and buy this keyboard. The foldable feet would be also a good thing. For me, it's quite a niche product, but I really appreciate this entry from Corsair.

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