HyperX, HP’s gaming subsidiary, is back with new peripherals, and today we’re looking at its newest 1800-sized keyboard — the Eve 1800. The Eve is a $50 membrane-style keyboard that features RGB backlighting, dedicated volume keys... and that’s about it. In 2026, there are definitely keyboards you can get for less than $50, such as the Keychron C2 Full Size, or the Redragon K582. And if you can afford to spend a little more than $50, there are a lot of budget mechanical keyboards worth checking out. With all the options available, is there even any room for a $50 membrane-style keyboard?

Specs

Design

The HyperX Eve 1800 is a non-mechanical keyboard, utilizing membrane switches, 10 zones of RGB lighting, 12-key rollover with dedicated volume keys, and a price tag of just $50. While $50 might seem “cheap” for a keyboard, there are many options on the market that offer more customization than does the Eve 1800.

The 1800-size keyboard name isn’t thrown around too often, because it’s usually referred to as a 96-percent. Similar to how the 80-percent keyboard is usually referred to as "tenkeyless," 1800 is just a different name for the 96-percent size. This means it's not quite full-size — it has fewer keys, and it also moves the numberpad over next to the alphanumeric keys to save on space. And it does save on space, measuring 16.11 inches (409.2mm) wide, 5.60 inches (144.6mm) deep, and 1.4 inches (35.1mm) at its thickest point without keycaps.

While the HyperX Eve 1800 sounds pretty decent on paper, it isn’t a great keyboard — and it feels almost obsolete in 2026. The biggest issue with the Eve is the location of the volume keys. The volume keys are on the left side of the keyboard, which means it shifts all of the other keys to the right.

One of the only good features about this board is the 10-key numberpad, which is practical for day-to-day use and is useful for MMORPGs (or any game that calls for a boat load of keybinds). In addition, I love the dedicated media keys; I feel like dedicated media keys have become forgotten in today’s keyboard market. Unfortunately, the HyperX Eve 1800 only features volume adjustment and has nothing dedicated to skipping songs. In addition, the buttons feel really mushy and cheap.Have you ever had a button on an Xbox or PlayStation controller become sticky? That’s what it feels like to use the volume keys on this keyboard. Sure, they work — but they aren't pleasant to use — and the board suffers from an awkward layout because of it.

The rest of the board is pretty basic, design-wise. The entire board is made of brittle plastic and it's very light, but not in a good way. The back features two sets of flip-up feet for angle adjustment, and the board has a non-detachable rubber cable that feels like it will kink up in a couple of years (or less).

Typing and Gaming Experience on the HyperX Eve 1800

My friends and I have been tinkering with modded Minecraft servers, so that was the game I was playing during my time with the HyperX Eve 1800. Because Minecraft is a simple game to operate, I didn't feel too hindered by the keyboard’s design — other than the times when I had to use text chat. The Eve doesn’t even sport any “gaming” features except for the tactility of the membrane switches, and 12-key rollover, which are present in almost every keyboard nowadays.

I struggled to type with the HyperX Eve 1800 due to the location of the volume keys. For example, when I would type the letter “A,” I would accidentally hit the caps lock key instead, which was very frustrating. I did get used to the Eve 1800 fairly quickly, but I continued to make more typos than I normally do throughout my testing.I want to add that this isn’t a common occurrence for 1800 or 96-percent keyboards. When I reviewed the Epomaker TH96, which has an even more cramped layout, I never experienced any typing mishaps.

Nothing really stood out when typing or gaming with the HyperX Eve 1800. Since the switches are membrane, the typing experience isn’t any different from the standard Dell keyboard the IT department provides you with at your nine-to-five. But if you haven’t used a membrane keyboard in a long time (or, for some reason, haven’t used one at all), the bottom-out feels mushy and it's nowhere near as satisfying as a mechanical switch. That said, I actually do normally enjoy the sound and feel of membrane switches, so it was a shame this board handicapped my ability to type as much as it did.

I understand that some keyboards take time to get used to — especially ergonomic ones, such as the ErgoDox — but at least with ergonomic keyboards you'll (hopefully) benefit from using them, in the long run. The HyperX Eve 1800, however, is not an ergonomic keyboard, and it doesn't have any features that make it worth the adjustment period.

Software

The HyperX Eve 1800 utilizes the company’s NGENUITY software, which is the same program that powers the Origins 2 65 we recently reviewed. While you can remap any key, you cannot adjust the lighting on a per-key basis. Instead, you’re bound to adjusting zones of the board or the following light modes: alternating, solid, swipe, breathing, calming waves, twinkle, confetti, sunrise and surging waves.

All in all, NGENUITY is a decent piece of software, but I don’t think it will find much use if you decide to buy the HyperX Eve 1800, since your ability to customize the board is pretty limited.

Bottom Line

I hate to say it, but I genuinely do not know what HyperX (or HP) was thinking when it designed the Eve 1800. Especially when you can get a decent mechanical keyboard for the same price, or maybe $20 - $30 more — there are plenty on our list of best budget mechanical keyboards. When using the Eve 1800, I found myself wondering — did HyperX even test this board’s design? The Eve 1800 does come with RGB lighting, and, because it's an 1800-sized board (96-percent — with almost the same amount of keys as a full-size board, but more compact), it does allow for more desk space...but there are many better options on the market.

The thing that bothers me the most with the HyperX Eve 1800 is that you’re not really benefiting from using it over any other keyboard. I understand there’s a learning curve for some keyboards, like the ErgoDox, but that board is designed to prevent RSI (repetitive stress injuries) and offers a lot of customization. The Eve 1800 is just like any membrane keyboard — but with the added issue of having to get used to a slightly-off layout.