Razer's line of BlackWidow keyboards have always felt very premium. Pricey, but with raw performance, beautiful RGB, plenty of customization, and so-so wrist rests that I usually just throw back into the box. However, the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro feels like a culmination of years of iterations, and it's clear to see that Razer has almost perfected the art of a great keeb.
I've reviewed plenty of keyboards, from the beloved ASUS ROG Falchion RX, as well as the V4's smaller brother, the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%, but while the BlackWidow V4 Pro does feel like a great keyboard for those wanting a great gaming and office peripheral, there's still a few minor problems to solve.
As always, Razer doesn't mess around when it comes to the design. When opening the box to your brand new Razer keyboard, there's always a feeling of luxury, and that's no different here. The all-black keyboard looks sleek and simple at first glance, but one thing of note is that this keyboard seems remarkably heavier than many Razer offerings.
You may notice that the BlackWidow V4 uses Doubleshot ABS keys, rather than PBT. This is somewhat disappointing, as PBT feels and lasts much longer, but the Razer ABS keys feel high quality enough. I am a bit concerned about the longevity of the keycaps in the long run, but so far, they've been a pleasant experience.
I received the keyboard with Razer's Yellow switches. These are the linear and quiet option, over the Orange's quiet and tactile, or the Green's tactile and clicky natures. The Yellow switches still offer some nice feedback, and quiet is a bit of an overstatement, but they feel great and aren't as loud as the Orange switches.
There's three ports on the back of the BlackWidow V4 Pro - one that powers the keyboard, one that powers the USB passthrough, and another port for said USB cable. I only ever needed to use the port that powers my keyboard, but the option is great for those who need an additional USB on their desk.
Upon powering the keyboard, you're greeted with an RGB lightshow that you've likely come to expect. Razer's lighting has always been exceptional, and the BlackWidow V4 is no different, with each key being individually backlit, beautifully shining through in a range of colors that you want. Additionally, if you opt to use it, the included wrist rest also features RGB, magnetically connecting to the BlackWidow and offering a bright underglow.
In fact, speaking of the wrist rest, I've been fairly surprised. My recent review of the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro slated the wrist rest, as it felt cheap and practically useless despite the premium price of the keyboard, but the option that arrives with the BlackWidow V4 Pro feels sublime, and becoming one of the only keyboards I've ever actively used a wrist rest with.
While I played plenty of games, especially titles like Titanfall 2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2 with the BlackWidow V4 Pro, and it offered great gaming performance as expected, it's a surprisingly great office keeb too. Even when writing this very review, it feels smooth to type out hundreds of words, and it feels extremely responsive. While it's not as easy to type on as a low profile, considering the larger size of the BlackWidow V4, it's still a great experience overall.
There's also eight dedicated macro keys on the keyboard too. Five of those are part of the general keyboard, and can be found on the left hand side, while the remaining three are tucked away on the left edge as small side buttons. The three on the side actually surprised me, and while they're a bit more difficult to reach during in-game moments, they're a nice addition and can be great during in-office use like using it as a window switcher.
The final great point is the fact that the Razer Command Dial adds additional options to customize your keyboard, allowing you to control anything from changing the keyboards brightness or switching applications to scrolling webpages and switching browser tabs. The tactile feeling on the Command Dial is exceptional, and it changes color to showcase what mode its currently on. However, customizing it requires using the Razer Synapse software.
I've been pretty clear that Synapse is some of my least favorite third-party software. It feels clunky, tedious, and painful to use overall, and while it doesn't negate how incredible my experience with the BlackWidow V4 Pro was, it can make it difficult to recommend for those who really finetune their keyboards to match their favorite games, software, etc. Considering the keyboard will set you back $229.99, it's a little disappointing Synapse hasn't been completely rehauled in years.
There's also the fact that the BlackWidow's smaller brother, the BlackWidow V4 75%, is hot-swappable, bringing further mechanical customization to a larger audience. In fact, the BlackWidow V4 non-Pro model is also $60 cheaper, only missing a couple of macro keys, the Command Dial, and the RGB wrist rest, which I'm not sure is worth the major increase in price.
However, that doesn't take away from what is a great gaming keyboard overall. The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro feels like an all-rounder, perfect for general and gaming audiences who don't want to dive into the nuances of complex mechanical keyboards. However, the lack of hot-swappable switches and the price increase over the non-Pro model may turn some users away.
