NZXT FUNCTION, MINITKL & TENKEYLESS Mechanical Keyboard Review
How Much Does it Cost?
All three of the new NZXT keyboards are hitting the market today. The FUNCTION is $149.99, the slightly smaller TENKEYLESS is $129.99 and finally, the smallest MINITKL is just $99.99. You can check Amazon UK for up to date stock here. All three models are available in either black or white chassis colours, with US and UK English, German or French layouts. All three are available with Gateron Red switches. However, NZXT Bld sells them directly with other switch variants, but these will not be available in many regions, but you can check here. Furthermore, NZXT also offers a choice of PBT keycaps on their site, as well as accent keyboard cables in yellow, purple, blue, red or cyan for an additional $9.99.
Overview
The latest NZXT keyboards are certainly interesting, and while the market is already pretty saturated with some very competitive models, there’s clearly room for three more. I was worried NZXT would completely overshoot the market with a higher price, but I’m glad they didn’t. Each respective model is priced as a premium product but still remain competitive too. The FUNCTION is on par with the Corsair K70 LUX, the TKL is similar to the LUX TKL and Razer Huntsman, and the MINITKL is on par with the Corsair K65 RGB Mini. Sure, there are a few others out there that compete, but again, they’re all broadly the same price.
The build quality is very good, and all three keyboards feel equal in regards to materials and construction. NZXT has stuck to the keyboard classics here, topping them with a lovely piece of lightly textured aluminium that provides strength and style to them all. Which version you choose, the lighter white or the darker black, is really up to you. Beyond that, you get those great Gateron switches and a braided USB-C cable. It’s simple stuff really, but it’s all good stuff too.
Switch performance is excellent. While Cherry dominated the market for many decades, in recent years, that’s no longer the case. Gateron has some great switches to their name, and their reds are silky smooth with exceptional life spans too. I do wonder if NZXT will bring the other switches to retail though, or if they’ll remain solely on their premium BLD service. Either way, it’s nice to see they have options. Plus, the switches are hot-swappable. If you have an issue or want something custom, just rip them out and pop in any MX compatible switch.
The built-in functions on the keyboards are limited to volume and media controls, which is a bit of a shame. The MINITKL does have the F13 and NZXT keys, but it’d be nice to have seen that uniform across all three models in some way. You do get more than meets the eye though, as you can customise the profiles in the CAM software and can cycle them on the fly from the keyboard should you need more lighting, macros and other settings changed often enough.
Overall, I can’t really find a fault though, these are three very similar, but at the same time three rather unique keyboards too. Which one best suits your play style, I cannot say, but I can tell you that all three are well made, stylish, well priced and deliver flawless performance.
