Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro Keyboard Review

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is quite large, and the additional column of dedicated macro keys on the left makes it slightly wider than most full-size keyboards. That said, you can reduce the footprint of this keyboard on your desk by removing the wrist rest if you prefer.

The build quality of this keyboard is good. The lower chassis is made of plastic, and the top plate is made of aluminum. The keycaps are made of ABS plastic, but they feel comparatively high-quality compared to most ABS keycaps and have pleasant textured tops. There are internal layers of sound-dampening foam and pre-lubed stabilizers, contributing to a more premium feel overall.

Unfortunately, the Razer Green switches have an inconsistent quality, with some keys lacking audible clicking sounds and requiring noticeably different amounts of force to operate. However, we've tested other models with the linear Razer Yellow Switches and didn't experience the same issues, so we expect this to only be a problem if you buy this keyboard with the Green switches.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro has two plastic feet on the back edge of the keyboard that offer two incline angles. There's also an included plush wrist rest that attaches magnetically and provides additional support while typing.

This keyboard has full RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys. You can adjust the brightness levels and customize the lighting and effects using the customization software. The wrist rest also has RGB lighting zones that activate when the wrist rest is attached to the keyboard.

This keyboard provides outstanding backlight clarity overall. That said, there's a faint red hue visible when set to white backlighting.

This keyboard comes with two braided USB-A to USB-C cables. One cable powers the keyboard, while the second cable is for the USB passthrough.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is a wired-only keyboard.

This keyboard has quite a few extra features, including common features for gaming keyboards at this price point, like LED indicators, Game Mode, and dedicated media keys. There's also a rotary knob on the top left and a roller bar on the top right of the keyboard; you can use both of these controls to adjust media volume, RGB brightness, or other customizable commands. There are a total of eight dedicated macro keys, including five keys in a column on the left side and three keys on the left edge of the keyboard.

This keyboard also supports a maximum polling rate of 8000Hz. Using a higher polling rate means your keyboard communicates more frequently with your computer, ensuring the lowest latency possible. However, it also consumes more system resources from your computer.

• Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro
• 2x USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Wrist Rest
• User documentation

Overall, the typing quality on the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is good. The keys only exhibit minimal wobbling, keys are well-spaced, and while the keycaps are lower quality ABS, they feel superior to most ABS keycaps and have a slightly textured surface for added grip. Razer has also added layers of sound-dampening foam and pre-lubed the stabilizers on modifier keys with this model, so typing feels smoother than it does on previous entries.

Unfortunately, some of the clicky Green switches on the unit we bought and tested don't produce an audible click when actuated. Some switches also require different amounts of force to operate, producing a somewhat inconsistent typing experience. Note that this issue was also present on previous generation models with Green switches we've tested, including on the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro and the Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed.

This keyboard is also available with linear Razer Yellow switches. Based on our testing with other Razer keyboards using Razer's Yellow switches, we don't expect them to have the same inconsistent quality as the Green switches.

The Razer Green switches are satisfyingly loud and clicky, but there's some inconsistency in how individual switches sound, and some keys don't provide clicky feedback, making it difficult to know when you've actuated a key.

This keyboard is also available with Razer Yellow switches, which are linear and much quieter. We also don't expect them to exhibit the same sound inconsistency as the Green switches, based on other similar Razer keyboards we've tested.

Overall, the Razer Green switches are fairly light to press and feel quite responsive due to the short pre-travel distance. They also have satisfying clicky feedback to let you know when you've actuated a key. Unfortunately, there's a noticeable inconsistency in how much force it takes to operate some keys, and some keys don't provide audible clicking feedback.

This keyboard is also available with linear Razer Yellow switches, which provide a smooth linear keypress without any tactile feedback. Based on our tests with other Razer keyboards, we don't expect these Yellow switches to suffer from the same inconsistency issue.

This keyboard has exceptionally low single-key latency. It's also remarkably stable due to its effective update rate of 8000Hz, delivering an extremely responsive and consistent-feeling experience for gaming in any genre for casual or competitive play.

Overall, this keyboard has excellent multi-key latency performance. Key press latency is exceptionally low and remarkably consistent. However, key Release travel is significantly higher. While it's normal for mechanical switches with low pre-travel to have a noticeably higher delay on key release, the result for this keyboard is unexpectedly high.

We're unsure why this keyboard, in particular, performs this way, as the result is very unusual compared to other similar Razer keyboards we've tested and other major flagship gaming keyboards from other major manufacturers. This high key release latency is only a major issue for games that trigger on release, such as some Rythym games. It can also be a bottleneck for performing extremely quick repeated keystrokes.

If you'd like to share your experience using this keyboard, let us know in the forums.

This keyboard has outstanding data transmission performance. It has full n-key rollover and can send multiple keystrokes per USB report. Furthermore, this keyboard has a maximum 8000Hz polling rate and a true 8000hz effective update rate to match, so performance isn't bottlenecked by scan rate or other latency components, providing exceptionally consistent latency performance.

This keyboard has good and fairly consistent chord split performance with relatively low 4-chord and 8-chord split delay, making it well-suited for playing rhythm games that require multiple simultaneous inputs.

The Synapse 3 software is well laid out, easy to use, and offers plenty of adjustable features. You can customize the RGB lighting, set macros to any key, and reassign keys. You can also enable a 'Game Mode' to disable Alt+Tab or Alt+F4 commands and assign a Hypershift button to enable a secondary layer of programmable keys. Note that certain settings, including custom RGB settings, can't be saved to onboard memory and require the software to run in the background.

However, like the software options from other major manufacturers, this software receives criticism for requiring frequent updates and taking up disproportionate system resources. You may find this software frustrating if you prefer more lightweight software options or no software at all.

This keyboard is fully compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. However, the customization software is only available for Windows, and certain OS-specific buttons don't function in macOS, including Scroll Lock and Pause/Break.