Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% review: reaching customization Nirvana

Ahead
of
RazerCon
2024,
I
was
able
to
try
out
several
upcoming
products
from
the
manufacturer.
While
all
of
them
were
quite
impressive,
I’m
most
excited
about
its
brand
new
gaming
keyboard
model,
the

Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%.

I
was
able
to
briefly
test
out
the
standard
keyboard
model,
hear
from
popular
tech
industry
professionals
about
their
own
experiences
with
modding
it,
and
try
out
those
modded
versions
for
myself.
Judging
from
what
I
have
seen
so
far,
this
will
easily
be
one
of
the best
gaming
keyboards and the
best
keyboards
in
general.

Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%:
Price
&
availability

The
Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%
is
$299.99
/
£299.99
/
AU$499.95
and
has
excellent
availability
as
it’s
available
in
the
US,
UK,
and
Australia
as
well
as
several
other
regions.

It’s
pretty
expensive
compared
to
its
competition,
even
one
as
high
quality
as
this
one.
This
is
clearly
a
hobbyist’s
keyboard
since
the
average
user
would
balk
at
paying
such
a
high
entry
price.
In
return,
however,
you
get
a
fully
moddable
and
hot-swappable
keyboard
with
some
of
the
latest
tech
built
into
it.

Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%:
Design

The
Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%
is
a
sleek,
heavy-set
keyboard
made
of
aluminum
alloy.
It
sports
Razer’s
trademark
black
color
and
extensive
RGB
lighting.
The
75%
size
is
a
new
addition
to
the
lineup
and
was,
according
to
the
manufacturer,
in
high
demand
from
its
user
base.

One
of
the
most
striking
features
of
the
V4
Pro
75%
is
its

OLED
display
on
the
top
right
corner
paired
with
the
command
dial
to
its
side.
The
screen
and
command
dial
allow
for
quick
setting
configuration
without
needing
to
access
the
Razer
Synapse
software
and
for
creating
or
downloading
animations.
It’s
a
nifty
feature
that
can
be
quite
useful.

The
other
main
draw
to
this
keyboard
is
its
high
level
of
customizability
due
to
the
ease
of
disassembly
(it
only
requires
you
to
remove
eight
screws
on
the
underside)
and
the
several
layers
that
it’s
composed
of.
These
layers
include
the
keycaps
and
switches,
the
aluminum
alloy
top
case,
a
gasket-mounted
white
FR4
plate,
plate
foam,
tape-enhanced
PCB
with
hot-swap
sockets,
and
bottom
foam.

I
was
able
to
personally
see
the
results
of
that,
with
several
tech
YouTubers
displaying
their
creations
during
my
time
with
the
keyboard.
When
I
asked
about
the
customization,
it
was
confirmed
to
me
that
due
to
how
easily
and
quickly
the
keyboard
can
be
taken
apart
and
thanks
to
all
the
layers
that
make
it
up,
it’s
much
simpler
to
do
so
but
has
a
real
depth
to
it
that
allows
for
some
truly
unique
works.
Some
of
the
keyboards,
as
pictured
in
the
gallery
above,
are
completely
unrecognizable
from
the
original
model.

Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%:
Performance

I
only
had
a
limited
amount
of
time
to
play
around
with
the
Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%,
but
my
short
stint
with
it
has
certainly
piqued
my
interest.
Like
the
Alienware
line
of
gaming
keyboards,
the
V4
Pro
75%
uses
Razer’s
in-house
switches.
From
what
I
felt,
the
accusation
point
balances
that
trademark
resistance
mechanical
switches
are
known
for,
while
also
not
requiring
too
much
force
to
push
down
keys.

One
of
the
other
most
noticeable
qualities
of
the
switches
during
my
test
run
was
how
clear
and
sharp
the
sound
was.
This
is
due
to
several
factors,
including
the
PCB
with
tape
that
helps
absorb
higher
frequencies
while
boosting
mid
and
low
frequencies,
the
plate
foam
that
helps
remove
unwanted
resonance,
and
the
bottom
case
foam
that
helps
reduce
hollowness.
Clearly
much
thought
and
care
had
been
put
into
this
design,
and
it
shows
in
every
aspect.

According
to
Razer,
this
keyboard’s
battery
life
can
last
up
to
2100
hours
in
power-saving
mode,
which
is
a
staggeringly
high
number
considering
it
accounts
for
the
RGB
lighting
and
OLED
mini-screen.

Razer
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%:
Early
verdict

The
BlackWidow
V4
Pro
75%
looks
to
be
one
of
the
best
gaming
keyboards
that
Razer
has
ever
produced.
Not
only
is
the
construction
of
the
keyboard
itself
made
of
a
high-quality
metal
chassis,
but
it
comes
with
an
OLED
screen
that
bypasses
the
software
for
simple
specs
configuration.
Further,
the
customization
options
balance
depth
with
accessibility
in
a
way
few
gaming
keyboards
achieve.

What
has
me
truly
excited
is
seeing
just
how
far
you
can
push
said
customization.
Seeing
what
capable
tech
pros
could
accomplish
in
a
short
period
blew
my
expectations
out
of
the
water.
It
makes
me
giddy
to
get
my
hands
on
one
myself
and
really
see
what
I
can
do
with
it. 

Simply,
it’s
the
most
I’ve
been
excited
for
a
Razer
keyboard
in
years.