For a few years now, Corsair has been dominant in the gaming keyboard market thanks to the K70 RGB and its sleek design and Cherry MX switches. Now, Corsair is revamping things with the K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile edition and Low Profile Rapidfire edition, bringing Cherry MX switches to a smaller design.
Cherry's new MX Low Profile switches are the fastest in the lineup, actuating faster than even the Cherry MX Speed. These switches are paired with a new slim design that Corsair hopes will deliver a more comfortable typing experience while maintaining precision and performance. The Cherry MX Low Profile switch sits at just 11.9mm tall, reducing the distance required to actuate and bottom out a key press. Corsair's key caps have been trimmed down a bit too.
Cherry's low profile switches still come in multiple flavours. The K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile will come with Cherry MX Reds, while the Rapidfire version will come with Cherry MX Speed versions. Both are linear switches, so key presses will be quieter to something like a Cherry MX Blue or Brown. If you want to learn more about different mechanical switch types, then you can check out our full guide.
As expected, Corsair has stuck with the brushed aluminium frame and media controls for these new K70 versions. However, the new low profile switches and keycaps have been designed to increase LED diffusion, allowing the RGB lights to shine brighter than before with more vivid colours. All of the RGB lighting continues to be customisable via Corsair's iCUE software, which will also grant access to custom key remapping and macros.
For those interested, here is the full spec-sheet:
- CHERRY MX Low Profile RGB Red (K70 RGB MK.2 LOW PROFILE) or CHERRY MX Low Profile RGB Speed (K70 RGB MK.2 LOW PROFILE RAPIDFIRE)
- Anodized Aluminum Frame
- Multicolor, Per-Key RGB Backlighting
- Detachable Palm Rest Included
- Dedicated Volume and Multimedia Controls
- USB 2.0 Type-A Pass-Through Port
- Textured Replacement WASD and QWERDF Keycaps
- 8MB Onboard Profile Storage
- Windows Lock Button
- 100% Anti-Ghosting with Full Key Rollover
The Cherry MX Low Profile RGB Speed switches are exclusive to Corsair for the time being, similar to how the first round of Cherry RGB switches were exclusive to the original K70 RGB at launch.
Both versions of this new keyboard will begin shipping immediately. The standard K70 Low Profile edition will retail for £149.99. Pricing for the RAPIDFIRE version has not been revealed yet but we'll hopefully have an update on that soon.
KitGuru Says: The original K70 RGB was my favourite keyboard for a long time. I'd be interested to check the low-profile version out, although I would love to see tactile switch options made available at some point. Are any of you on the market for a new keyboard? Do you think you'll be splashing out on Corsair's latest?