A keyboard is one of the most widely used peripherals (probably because they are borderline required). As such, the quality of your keyboard can greatly affect your computing experience throughout the day, whether you are a writer (like me), a gamer, or even a programmer.
While backlights might not be as substantial as ergonomics, they can still bring a smile to your face and honestly isn’t that enough? Well, probably not, but thankfully most of the keyboards on this list offer more than just shiny lights. So, join us as we look at some of the best backlit keyboards that can light up your digital life.
Ultimate RGB Treat
Razer Cynosa Chroma
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: Individual RGB Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
Best Illuminated keyboard
Logitech G213 Prodigy
- Switch: Mech-Dome
- Lighting: 5-Zone RGB Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
Best RGB LED Keyboard
CORSAIR K55 RGB
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 3-Zone RGB lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
very durable keys
SteelSeries Apex 150
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 5-Zone RGB Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
Low-profile Professional LED
Logitech K740
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: White LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
Best Budget
Redragon K552 Kumara RED LED
- Switch: Red Dragon Custom Switches
- Lighting: Red LED Lighting
- Form Factor: Tenkeyless
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
best value
Eagletec KG011
- Switch: Custom Eagletec Switches
- Lighting: Blue LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
Best Wireless Keyboard
Arteck HB030B Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 7-Color LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 60%
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
Cheap Large-Font Illuminated
Azio Large Print Tri-Color Backlit Wired Keyboard
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 3-Color LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
Cheapest LED-Lit Keyboard
Klim Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: Tri-Color LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
Table of Contents
- 1- Razer Cynosa Chroma
- 2- Logitech G213 Prodigy
- 3- CORSAIR K55 RGB
- 4- SteelSeries Apex 150
- 5- Logitech K740
- 6- Redragon K552 Kumara RED LED
- 7- Eagletec KG011
- 8- Arteck HB030B Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard
- 9- Azio Large Print Tri-Color Backlit Wired Keyboard
- 10- Klim Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard
- Buyer’s Guide
- LED Backlighting
- Switch Types
- Multimedia Controls
- Software Functionalities
- Additional Features: Wrist-Rest, USB Passthrough, & Onboard Memory
1- Razer Cynosa Chroma
The Ultimate RGB Treat
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: Individual RGB Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
- Provides individual RGB lighting
- Spill resistant design
- Does not comes with a wrist-rest
Razer is a brand which is best known for its premium gaming peripherals, although their products are somewhat over-priced in general (you definitely pay for the brand’s name, although this is an affordable keyboard) the Razer Cynosa Chroma is the ultimate rubber-dome keyboard which offers spectacular RGB lighting, where every key is individually lit.
The keys are advertised as “soft cushioned” keys and this proved to be quite true. The keys are nowhere near the same quality of high-grade mechanical switches, but they are much better than other membrane keyboards. The keyboard does not feature dedicated media keys or a volume wheel like the high-end BlackWidow models and therefore require function key combinations.
Apart from the keys, the keyboard also provides an RGB lit Razer logo at the lower center with the Synapse 3 software enabling advanced controls. The keyboard itself also offers a textured surface which prevents smudges or fingerprints.
2- Logitech G213 Prodigy
The Best Illuminated keyboard For Everyone
- Switch: Mech-Dome
- Lighting: 5-Zone RGB Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
- The switches offer great feel
- Fast response time
- Non-detachable wrist-rest
Logitech is often lauded by gaming enthusiasts for their premium mice but their keyboards should not be taken lightly either. Logitech G213 Prodigy is the company’s flagship mech-dome keyboard and provides 5-zone RGB lighting along with a visually appealing design.
Speaking of design, this keyboard provides an integrated wrist-rest, which provides a soft feel, however, it is not detachable which is a bit odd in the era of detachable wrist rests. Therefore, this keyboard can only be used in setups providing large space which is another bummer.
The lighting can be customized in the Logitech software, with a lot of modes to choose from and features a total of 16M color spectrum. However, as noted in the specs above, this keyboard has 5 RGB zones instead of individually lit keys.
Logitech has used special switches in this keyboard, which are known as Mech-Dome switches. There are four rubber-domes behind each of the key. This makes it feel a lot more tactile and a lot less like normal rubber domes. The keyboard also offers dedicated media keys and a special dual-button volume control, both of which are really helpful in daily use.
3- CORSAIR K55 RGB
The Best RGB LED Keyboard For Gaming
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 3-Zone RGB lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
- Offers dedicated macro buttons
- Included wrist rest is very comfortable
- Humongous in size
The Corsair K55 RGB is Corsair’s lower-end RGB keyboard. This means it doesn’t feature mechanical switches-- unlike the high-end models: K65, K70, and K95-- and instead has high-quality rubber domes (but rubber domes nonetheless).
The keyboard looks quite similar to the Corsair K95 at first, but there are a lot of differences. First of all, this keyboard is not individually-lit like the K95 and only offers 3-zone RGB illumination which can be controlled through the Corsair iCUE software. Also, there is no volume wheel on this keyboard.
The keyboard also provides dedicated media buttons along with dedicated macro buttons, which are really useful in various games. It is one of the only membrane keyboards on our list which provides dedicated macro buttons.
4- SteelSeries Apex 150
The Best RGB lighted Computer Keyboard For Reliability
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 5-Zone RGB Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
- Offers very durable keys
- Splash resistant design
- No dedicated media buttons
SteelSeries keyboards are gaining a lot of popularity with many of their more recent releases; the SteelSeries Apex 150 is helped lay the groundwork for this trend.
This gaming-oriented keyboard offers a full 104-key form factor despite being much more compact than the previous keyboards we have listed. The keyboard features a beautiful theme, with small diagonal white lines on the border of the keyboard. There is 5-zone RGB lighting on the keyboard which can be customized through the SteelSeries Engine (Software).
Apex 150 offers the “Quick Tension” switch, which provides better friction-free key-press and provides much better durability than other membrane keyboards at this price. There are no dedicated media buttons on this keyboard though (it uses the F5-F12 keys for such functionalities).
5- Logitech K740
A Low-profile Professional LED Keyboard For Typing Enthusiasts
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: White LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
- Offers low-profile ultra-thin design
- Looks very professional
- Pricey for the features
Logitech K740 is targeted towards professionals more so than gamers. The keyboard provides a low-profile design, with very thin keys and looks quite premium.
The top row of the keyboard offers small keys which might irritate users who frequently use the function keys. There is a non-detachable wrist-rest along with the keyboard which is made of plastic but feels soft.
The keyboard offers only white LED lighting, which is fine in its own right since it isn’t supposed to be used with gaming setups; however, for the purposes of this roundup, in particular, that might be a bit of a letdown.
This keyboard features scissor switches similar to those usually used in laptops; although, these keys have a longer travel distance than the scissor switches in laptops. If you’re unfamiliar with scissor switches, they are hard to explain. They’re not quite mechanical switches, but they feel quite different than rubber-dome keys.
There are four dedicated media buttons on the top right of the keyboard while the rest of the functionalities can be used through the function keys.
6- Redragon K552 Kumara RED LED
The Best Budget Mechanical LED Keyboard For Competitive Gaming
- Switch: Red Dragon Custom Switches
- Lighting: Red LED Lighting
- Form Factor: Tenkeyless
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
- Mechanical switches feel extremely good
- Tenkeyless design is great for portability
- Custom Switches are annoyingly loud
Finally. A real mechanical keyboard (!), this one coming from Redragon whose products offer a great value. The Redragon K552 Kumara has earned a lot of attention as it is one of the cheapest mechanical keyboards you can buy in 2019 (at least that’s worth buying).
The keyboard offers a tenkeyless form factor, which makes it quite an attractive product for esports gamers. There is a metal plate between the switches and the PCB which acts as a protective layer against the flex in the keyboard and also results in better key-press sounds.
The keyboard offers Cherry-MX Green equivalent switches, which are equally good for typing and gaming. The double-shot injection molded ABS keycaps offer great durability and crystal clear backlight. As it features tenkeyless form factor, the media keys are integrated into the function keys that are operated by the “Fn” key.
It is worth noting this only supports a red backlight, so if that clashes with your setup, then you might want to look elsewhere.
We believe that this light up keyboard is a great product for people who want to get the “mechanical feel” without spending a lot of money, however, these mechanical switches are quite loud and might not suit you if you work in an open or professional environment.
7- Eagletec KG011
The Cheapest Mechanical-Switch LED Light Up Keyboard
- Switch: Custom Eagletec Switches
- Lighting: Blue LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
- Offers the best value among the bunch
- Can be used for both typing and gaming
- Switches are not as durable as Cherry-MX
Eagletec KG011 is a mechanical keyboard just like the Redragon K552, however, it features a 104-key form factor and its color-theme is quite different from the color-theme of K552. The keyboard offers solid build quality with an aluminum frame and plate-mounted switches. The blue LED lighting looks really cool along with the white colored ABS keycaps.
This keyboards’ switches are similar to the Redragon K552, which are quite loud but offer pleasant tactile feedback; however, the exact switches remain unknown. This LED keyboard also offers a spill-resistant design along with many useful features such as interchangeable WASD and arrow keys, adjustable rear feet, and a gold-plated USB connector.
8- Arteck HB030B Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard
The Best Wireless Backlit Keyboard For Laptops
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 7-Color LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 60%
- Multimedia Controls: Through Function Keys
- Extremely compact design
- Six-months battery life
- Illumination reduces the battery life greatly
Arteck HB030B Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard is a compact keyboard made for those who prioritize portability. The keyboard has a thin profile and low weight but does not cheap out on the build quality. The keyboard offers seven colors for its backlight and the illumination feels bright enough for usage during the day.
This wireless backlit keyboard is compatible with many operating systems and can easily be coupled with iOS, Android, and Windows-based products. It offers a Li-Polymer battery, which provides 6-months battery timing. However, this not only assumes only 2 hours of daily use but also doesn’t seem to take into account the fact that you’ll likely be using the backlight. As such, expect for the battery life to be closer to a month.
The button-layout of this keyboard is slightly different from the standard keyboards, which might require some time for you to get accustomed to, though.
9- Azio Large Print Tri-Color Backlit Wired Keyboard
A Cheap Large-Font Illuminated Keyboard For Typists
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: 3-Color LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Multimedia Controls: Through Dedicated Keys
- The large font enhances the typing experience
- Comes with a long cord
- The font wears away after a few months
The Azio Large Print Tri-Color Backlit Wired Keyboard (let’s never say its full name again, okay?) is a unique keyboard that offers a dazzling font (whether that’s a good thing is up to you) along with bright illumination.
The keyboard provides a small wrist-rest which is a part of the keyboard, although it could have been slightly bigger for ease of use. The keyboard features only three colors which can be changed via a button on the top right side. The backlighting can also be turned off by holding that button for five seconds.
The keys of this keyboard are thinner than other membrane keyboards. There is a whole row of dedicated media keys on the top of the keyboard, providing a lot of functionalities. One major flaw with it, however, is that the letters on the keyboard get chipped up after a few months.
Overall, this is a great lighted keyboard for the price as long as you are not very keen about the longevity of the keyboard.
10- Klim Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard
The Cheapest LED-Lit Keyboard For The Visuals
- Switch: Rubber-Dome
- Lighting: Tri-Color LED Lighting
- Form Factor: 104-key
- Comes with a huge 5-year warranty
- Low response time
- No multimedia functionalities
The Klim Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard is a beautiful-looking keyboard for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money on a keyboard. This keyboard is priced way lower than the premium membrane keyboards we’ve looked at from the likes of Razer and Corsair.
The keyboard features tri-color LED lighting which does not offer any customization but looks very bright and provides a nice neon-like effect.
It features silent operation with soft key-presses, which is great for people who work in a saturated environment. A drawback of this keyboard is that it does not provide any multimedia functionality but this LED keyboard will do wonders in gaming, as it provides very good response times.
Buyer’s Guide
There are dozens of keyboard manufacturers on the market each with tons of products. As such, it’s completely understandable that you might get dazzled with the intense number of products (and then the number of features each keyboard has) and that is why we’ve included a guide for buying the best keyboards.
LED Backlighting
Since this article is all about backlit keyboards, let’s discuss various types of backlighting and what you should look out for below:
Some of the high-end keyboards provide individually adjustable RGB lighting, like the Razer Cynosa Chroma, while some keyboards provide RGB lighting with only a few zones, which may or may not be customizable, such as Corsair K55 RGB. Meanwhile some lower-end keyboards only provide backlighting with fixed colors, mostly red, blue or white which isn’t as exciting.
Obviously, these are pretty big differences that greatly affect what the keyboard looks like.
On the brighter side (no pun intended), some individually lit RGB keyboards exhibit various lighting features, including specified functions for games, such as blinking light for reloads, low HP, energy (in-game), etc.
Aside from the lights there are also effects, like flashing. The most common of these are: the Breathing effect, Ripple effect, and Gaming-mode with WASD keys lit.
Switch Types
Arguably one of the most important parts of a keyboard are the switches found underneath the keys. These not only dictate the feel of the keys but also how well they perform (and sound).
There are a couple of different types of switches used for the keys on a keyboard. The two most common are rubber domes and mechanical switches.
- Rubber domes are the most common switches and are a lot cheaper than the mechanical switches. However, they don’t feel as nice and aren’t as responsive. They are generally more spill proof though! These are fine for average users.
- Mechanical switches offer fast response times and their rebound feel is much better than the rubber-dome switches. Most of the keyboards with mechanical switches also allow the user to customize the keycaps, as they also play a great role in the characteristics of the key-press. Cherry-MX switches are the most famous mechanical switches and are only beaten by more expensive switches, like Topre. Mechanical switch keyboards are great and a must buy if you are a professional typist or a competitive gamer.
There are also some other types of switches we referenced in this roundup, like scissor switches or Logitech’s Mechdome switches. Such switches usually feel better than the simple rubber-dome switches, although they are nowhere close to the feel of a mechanical switch.
Multimedia Controls
Media control keys on most of the keyboards include a volume-up key, volume-down key, mute key, a play/pause key, a next track key, and a previous track key. Basically these keys work as shortcuts for different functions.
These controls are handy, especially when you are in the middle of something and want to change the soundtrack you’ve been jamming to, or lower the volume quickly without messing up your important work.
Some keyboards offer dedicated keys for such controls while some keyboards use function-key combinations which can be useful to many users.
Software Functionalities
The software of the keyboards such as Razer Synapse or Corsair iCue enable the user to customize the RGB lighting such as setting various colors, adjusting brightness and selecting the lighting styles; map the programmable keys of the keyboard and create profiles which could later be used for respective workloads. A lot of keyboards provide dedicated macro buttons being programmable through the software, which is quite a useful feature for gamers. Programmed keys can perform a function of many keys at once in just a single key press which is quite useful for MOBA gamers.
Additional Features: Wrist-Rest, USB Passthrough, & Onboard Memory
There are a lot of varied features you can find on keyboards, too many to talk about in depth here. That being said, there are several other features worth mentioning.
- Wrist-rest. This is pretty self explanatory. It is a rest for your wrist. The best rests are removable and sometimes even cleanable!
- USB passthrough. This is a USB port on the keyboard that allows you to plug in other devices (mice) as if you’d plugged them into the computer itself to reduce cable clutter.
- Onboard Memory. This is memory on the keyboard that can be used to store your unique profiles (custom key setups) and make them accessible on other computers.