Introduction

You know it can't be a CES without something new from CORSAIR! It was 7 years ago that the first RGB mechanical keyboard shipped in the form of the CORSAIR K70 RGB, the same one whose flickering issues with 512 colors quickly made for a K70 LUX RGB version that actually delivered 16.8 M per key RGB. That wasn't enough though, and we saw the K70 MK.2 a few years later in many different versions and color schemes. It was around this time that CORSAIR saw the potential to push past the $200 barrier set by the then-flagship K95 series with the K100 RGB that introduced several updates and new features which would soon trickle down to other keyboards. A new TKL version of the K70 got in first, so it was only a matter of time before the subject of this review happened.


The all-new CORSAIR K70 RGB PRO shares a lot of DNA with both the flagship K100 RGB and K70 RGB TKL CHAMPION, so much so that I was half expecting it to be called the K70 RGB CHAMPION. But no, we are back to "PRO" at the end of CORSAIR product names since someone must have realized the K70 had not used it yet, and it's a shorter name that also clearly shows this is an updated, upgraded version of the original K70 RGB, which is what customers want in 2022. There is of course per-key 16.8 M RGB lighting, now supported by iCUE in its version 4 iteration. Keycap compatibility is also high with a standard bottom row, and we get doubleshot PBT keycaps by default. There's plenty more to see here, and we begin our review with a look at the product specifications in the table below. Thanks go to CORSAIR for providing TechPowerUp a review sample!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

CORSAIR operates a web shop in the USA. However, this sample came from a marketing hub, so we begin with a look at the product packaging. No plastic wrap covering the packaging this time, at least on this sample, which I was happy about, having maintained the impracticality and waste of plastic in the past. The radioactive yellow is still there to bore through my eye sockets, but CORSAIR actually tamed its presence down significantly. On the front is a black base with the company logo, product name, and a large render of the keyboard all lit up. We also see more specific information of the keyboard SKU inside, including language, supported systems, and the switch for the keyboard inside, which continues on the side. Marketing features and technical specifications in multiple languages adorn the other sides and back. Two seals on the side keep the contents in place during transit.


Opening the box, we see the keyboard tucked between cardboard on all sides for protection during transit, with a plastic wrap around the keyboard keeping it clean and free of dust. The accessories are in a separate cardboard layer underneath, and we also see two thick foam pieces support the top on the underside. CORSAIR includes some associated paperwork consisting of a user manual that can be found online, and the generic safety information on usage and disposal that is mandated by law in some regions. Unlike the K70 RGB TKL CHAMPION, we do not get a set of replacement keycaps or a keycap puller, which might be a first for a K70 series keyboard.


Instead, we again have a wrist/palm rest thrown in, which will no doubt appeal to customers more than spare keycaps. This one got a downgrade from previous iterations, which had a plush wrist rest, and the hard, textured plastic surface wrist rest we see here is perhaps a sign of the K70 moving down a tier in the CORSAIR keyboard hierarchy, as the K95 and K100 are getting the plush wrist rests. Two soft tabs with magnets on them point towards a simple magnetic installation of the same. Regardless, in another needed update to the K70 RGB keyboard, CORSAIR is using a detachable keyboard USB Type-C to Type-A cable. Type-C connectivity on the keyboard is almost mandatory at this point, and it is a braided black cable.