Introduction

EVGA had launched a whole series of new mice and keyboards earlier this year, with the flagship Z20 offering some neat features not found in other keyboards to date. It impressed us too, offering good value for money, especially if you were an EVGA Elite member. I had also mentioned briefly how the Z20 had come alongside the equally newer, more budget friendly Z15 keyboard. It took some time before we got here, but better late than never as we thank EVGA for sending the review sample to TechPowerUp!


As with the EVGA Z20, this Z15 keyboard is a new ID from the company and a departure from the older Z10 RGB in nearly every way. We have a new case design, dedicated media controls, no LCD display, a nice wrist rest, new switches, and even hot-swappable switch sockets. So yes, the Z15 gets a feature the flagship Z20 does not! Let's go through the EVGA Z15 in detail by examining all these features in this review beginning with a look at the specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

My previous experience with retail EVGA products has me expecting more than the usual here, and packaging for the Z15 keyboard follows that trend with a fairly big and heavy box that comes inside a plastic wrap. The front is adorned with a full-sized look at the lit up keyboard, and we also see the company and product name and salient features listed. On the back and sides, more technical and marketing features are listed in multiple languages, along with other renders of the keyboard. There is a seal on either side of the box to keep the contents inside in place during transit.


Removing one of the seals and the flap there reveals the box in two pieces, with outer and inner sleeves over a plain cardboard box. There is a double flap in the middle, which when opened shows the keyboard immediately displayed prominently inside a plastic wrap. The keyboard cable is attached, but in a compartment to the top inside another cardboard layer. There is a quick start guide with more information on the pre-programmed functions and a visual reminder about what the various things on the keyboard do. Other layers hold the other accessories, all separately packed as well.


No extra keycaps here as with the Z20, but we instead get extra switches! The eight switches come inside foam cutouts, with some tools for their use. EVGA provides a plastic ring-style keycap puller for keycap removal, which has the potential to scratch the sides of the keycaps when used, but is of course better than nothing at all. There is also the basic metal switch remover for switch replacement. I would have preferred better versions of both, especially on a keyboard marketing hot-swappable switches as a salient feature. With a slimmer profile and a top that is not plush foam and instead hard plastic with a textured finish, the included wrist rest is a step down from the one on the Z20, but still with lots of grip on the underside courtesy of rubber pads and lining at the top and bottom for friction against the resting surface, which also prevents scratches.


The provided switches no doubt are based on what the rest of the keyboard uses. There are two switch options for the EVGA Z15, and I have the Kailh Speed Bronze clicky switches. We will go over the switches in more detail later, but a quick look confirms a Cherry MX style construction and keycap compatibility, and an RGB switch design with a translucent housing and gaps for LED lighting to shine through. These are 3-pin switches, too, which means the keyboard is usable with any 3-pin switch of this type.