Razer Pro Type Ergo keyboard

pros and cons

Pros

• High-quality build
• Plush and comfortable
• Good amount of tilt
• Customizable hotkeys and dials

Cons

• Bulky
• Expensive
• Wrist rest is connected
• Learning curve with split design

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I have to admit: I have a soft spot for hybrid devices. I love a high-performance gaming laptop that can dress up for the office, and I appreciate a keyboard that can handle multiple use cases. 

Razer's new Pro Type Ergo keyboard is such a device: it's designed for productivity (a first for the brand) but with a handful of features that point to its gaming heritage -- even if it's better designed for working overtime than a marathon session of your favorite RTS title. 

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The Pro Type Ergo is a rather large keyboard with a split, ergonomic layout, attached wrist rest, and multiple height and angle adjustments. Compatible with both Windows and Mac, this thing takes up a lot of space on the desk and has a substantial build that can be raised to a seven-degree slope or elevated on all fours. 

It's one of the most comfortable keyboards I've used, though there's a learning curve as you train your muscle memory to work with the split design and its idiosyncrasies. 

Physical build: Business, but make it shiny

Measuring 18.3 inches long and 9.6 inches wide, the Pro Type Ergo has a wave design that slopes upward in the middle to facilitate natural hand placement. The vegan leather wrist rest is plush and large, and attached to the keyboard without a way to disconnect it -- a commitment to its ergonomic design, but something to note if you're not a fan. 

The keys are concave and low-profile, and feel comparable to other mainstream productivity keyboards, if more premium. They have a scissor-style key switch with a lot less travel than a mechanical board, but appropriate for a productivity device. Lastly, of course, they support a full range of RGB lighting with 19 effects zones in Razer's Chroma RGB app. 

Razer made a few unique layout choices here, namely duplicating both the space bar and the B key. Yes, the keyboard has two Bs, one on each side of the split, as it's one of those keys you tend to hit with both fingers.

My biggest operational issue with the split keyboard, however, is that the Y key is placed on the right side of the split. I learned to press Y with my left index finger -- not my right -- so for the first week of using the keyboard (and still occasionally to this day) my left index finger would awkwardly slam onto the (keyless) space of the board and require a deliberate re-focus.

Also: I tested a split keyboard made for gamers, but I'd use it in the office just as much

I would have preferred it if the Y were duplicated like the B key, especially since it could have been possible with the amount of space on the device. After rewiring my brain, however, this became much less common. 

The keyboard also has two chrome dials at the top right and left corners, as well as three macro buttons on the right. The command dial can be assigned up to eight pre-loaded functions per app, with up to 100 custom functions in Razer Synapse. It's a satisfying tactile element that adds value to the device as a productivity tool. 

Also: This mechanical keyboard is just as good for work as it is for gaming

The M1-M5 keys on the far left side come pre-bound to common actions in each app. In Google Chrome, for example, the M1 key moves one tab to the right, M2 to the left, M3 opens a new tab, M4 closes the current tab, and M5 reopens the last closed tab. 

All of these are so practical, I just left them as-is and continue to use them for quick navigation. It also comes loaded with keybinds for popular creative and office apps like Microsoft Teams, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe's suite of products, as well as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.  

Some creative touches 

I know I called this a hybrid keyboard, but I should clarify that Razer might not agree. It's more accurate to call it an ergonomic office keyboard that's built with Razer's design language. That said, yes, you could absolutely game on this thing. In fact, the ergonomic tilt made the WASD keys particularly comfy. 

But Razer makes gaming keyboards, and this product doesn't have the same kind of dedicated physical features aimed at that demographic. Split gaming keyboards are a thing -- I tested ROG's Falcata last year -- but where that was serious precision and premium hardware, this is a much comfier package. 

It's versatile, too: the multi-point connectivity means the Pro Type Ergo can connect to up to three devices at once, and the three Bluetooth buttons on the top right let you easily switch between them. When it comes to charging, you can keep it wired or on the rechargeable battery, which Razer says will last up to three months on a single charge (assuming you turn the RGBs off). 

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On that note, Razer's proprietary software for controlling lighting effects and hardware settings isn't exactly the most intuitive. Once you land in the right place, tweaking the keyboard's lighting or settings is mostly straightforward, but navigating the different apps and their multiple windows requires a bit of trial and error. 

ZDNET's buying advice

With a bold design and the customizable RGB lighting effects Razer is known for, the Pro Type Ergo is no corporate ergonomic office keyboard. The plush wrist rest and large range of adjustment options make it great for users who prefer a raised or angled keyboard, but ultimately, it speaks the same language as Razer's more explicit gaming devices. 

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At $189, it's certainly more expensive than a typical office-minded keyboard like the Logitech Slim Solar+. But for the user who wants ergonomics without being stuck with a beige, corporate device, it's comfortable enough to be well worth it. 

Razer isn't going to say that this is a gaming keyboard -- the key travel is too shallow and the ergonomic design is optimized for typing. But for dad gamers, casuals, and weekend warriors, it works very well as an ergonomic solution with rich customization and visual flair.