Corsair K55 RGB Pro Review

In a world of 60% to 65% keyboards with custom mechanical switches and different hand-crafted keycaps, doing a Corsair K55 RGB gaming keyboard review feels a little bit out of place.

By current gaming standards, the K55 keyboard simply looks unimpressive but then again you need to consider the price of the product. The one thing that is interesting about this full-sized keyboard is its price point and what it offers for your money.

Before we even start the review it must be mentioned that this is an ENTRY LEVEL keyboard for people that are just getting into gaming and want to decorate their table with some RGB. If you own a mechanical keyboard already then this keyboard IS NOT FOR YOU!

Build Quality

corsair k55 rgb pro 2 split resistant

As expected from a product that is 50$, the K55 is built entirely out of plastic therefore do not expect any premium-feeling materials. At the same time, the keyboard is pretty solid considering that it is a 100% keyboard that usually suffers from more case flex.

The cable is not detachable and should be handled with care since this will most likely be the part that will break first.

The keycaps are regular plastic caps with not many redeeming features to them. The keyboard also comes with a plastic wrist-rest that clips onto the board. This is honestly a nice addition considering the price of the keyboard since it allows the keyboard to distinguish itself from its competition.

With everything in mind, we cannot say that the keyboard is built poorly, since it is actually one of the better keyboards under 50$. Just be prepared to receive exactly what you paid for!

Switches

When discussing the switches in the K55, or rather the lack thereof, we can quickly summarize why the price of this keyboard is so low. The Corsair K55 uses membrane switches which are terrible compared to any reputable mechanical switches.

The buttons are mushy, with zero tactile feedback, and resemble linear (red) switches if those were made out of rubber. The typing experience is definitely not great but at the same time, we must remind ourselves that this keyboard is an entry-level keyboard.

The person looking at the K55 is probably someone that has never tried actual mechanical switches anyways, and most likely this is the least of their concerns since for that experience you have to dish 100$ or more.

Features

corsair k55 rgb pro features

If everything before this point was rather expected of a product that is 50$, then from this point on is where the keyboard starts flexing its muscles.

The K55 has 3 RGB zones which can be customized using the FN key in combination with other buttons. You can manually set up each zone with different colors or can set it to basic modes such as breathing or rainbow RGB effects. Unfortunately, this also means that there is no per-key RGB support, but that should be obvious for a product that costs 50$.

The biggest advantage of this keyboard is the fact that you do not need software (iCue) to set up the RGB to your liking since it all can be done with the FN key.

The white membrane switches in the case of the RGB are a big benefit since they help reflect and produce nice vibrant colors on the keyboard. A hidden advantage of the membrane switches is the fact that the keyboard is also water and dust resistant with an IP-42 rating.

The keyboard has dedicated media keys that allow you to skip between tracks and adjust your volume on the go. Moreover, the keyboard has 6 macro keys which you can bind for different uses in games or productivity tasks which is nice to see on such a cheap product!

Conclusions

The K55 sports a solid build, has a decent feature set with the RGB customizability and the media keys + macro keys included, and can do a lot of the things right on the board with the FN key.

The biggest drawback of the K55 gaming keyboard are the membrane switches which make sense for a 50$ keyboard. If you want a solid entry-level gaming keyboard then the K55 can be the best keyboard for you, but if you have tried an actual mechanical keyboard before then you should look elsewhere!

8.0
Review Summary

The Corsair K55 is an entry-level keyboard that is well suited as a starter keyboard for those interested in gaming. It has decent features and build quality for the price point it is being sold at BUT the lack of mechanical switches makes it hard to recommend to anyone that has used them before.

  • Build Quality 7.0
  • Features 7.0
  • Price 9.0

Pros:

  • Full sized keyboard with macro buttons and media buttons to boot
  • Decent build quality for the price

Cons:

  • Membrane switches
  • Non-detachable cable
  • No per-key RGB

About The Author

Chris (vile_is_dead)

Custom Windows ISO enjoyer, FPS optimizer, and aim improvement enthusiast. Will disassemble all of his peripherals (and sometimes PC parts) to mod them even if all of them work perfectly fine. Discord/Twitter: vile_is_dead

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