Razer has entered the low profile mechanical keyboard arena with a bang with the Deathstalker V2 Pro and we have one for review. Low-profile is a small, but ever-growing segment of the mechanical keyboard market, and one that already has some solid products. Logitech has its own low-profile entry and could be credited with bringing attention to the sub-genre. Landed about two years ago, the Logitech G915 has been praised for quality (though hammered for price). Since then, several competitors have released low profile mechanical keyboards, both wired and wireless.
Corsair and Cooler Master, along with smaller companies like Nuphy and Keychron, have all thrown hats into the low-profile arena. Undeniably, in 2022, there are quite a few high-end low profile mechanical keyboards to choose from. So, how does the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro compare?
Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro specs and build quality
Here’s a quick rundown of the specs for the Razer V2 Pro:
| Feature | Description | ||
| Chassis | Aluminum and plastic, matte black finish | ||
| form factor | Full size and TKL | ||
| key switches | Razer™ Low Profile Optical Switches (Linear) | ||
| Backlight | Individually illuminated and programmable per key | ||
| LED color | RGB 16.8 million colors | ||
| Tests | ABS keycaps with anti-wear coating | ||
| Other keys | no | ||
| Connectivity | 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, Type-C wired | ||
| Matrix | N-key rollover | ||
| Profiles on board | Up to five | ||
| Media keys | Yes – single multifunction | ||
| Profile key | Yes | ||
| Brightness key | Yes | ||
| Windows lock function | Yes | ||
| Software Support | Yes – Synapse | ||
| Cable | 6.5ft / 2m | ||
| Dimensions | 71.2 x 5.5 x 1in / 437 x 139 x 21mm | ||
| Weight | 1.7lbs / 775g | ||
You immediately notice the exceptional build quality of the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro. It is a combination of aluminum and plastic that puts together very well. There is no flex and almost no rattle from the keys, even when the board is shaken vigorously. On the right is a volume wheel (more like a log, really) which is used by default to control the sound levels. The quality of the steering wheel is up there with the most premium audio devices we’ve come across. Made of aluminum, it is ribbed and feels great. It’s stepped and feels smooth and controlled after every notch. Without overdoing things, it is a joy to use. Next to the volume wheel is the multifunction button. It is also made of metal and has a very satisfying click.
The keycaps also feel fantastic. The coating feels smooth and smooth and is not slippery. It’s hard to know how this coating will hold up over time, and it’s worth pointing out that the board has ABS keys that are typically more prone to wear than PBT. As for the feel of the keys and stabilizers, there’s very little chatter or wobble. The stabilizers on this are also top notch. The space bar moves as one solid piece when pressed, which is exactly what we’d like it to be. After our month of testing, the board held up well with no signs of wear or cosmetic damage.
Two additional things Razer doesn’t note in the specs are that you can increase the height of the board, and the polling rate response interval for keystrokes is the default 1,000Hz (1ms).
This USB stick shows how thin the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro is.
key switches
The main switches on the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro that we received for review were the Razer Linear Optical Switches. In today’s market, optical switches are high technology that uses a laser to register keystrokes with minimal debounce. This means faster and more accurate keystroke recognition. Pair this with a linear switch, which is already a faster, more responsive switch, and you’re ready to ruin someone’s day.
One concern we’ve had with linear switches in the past is accidental key presses. With many linear switches, Cherry MX Reds in particular, heavier-handed gamers have been known to make accidental keystrokes. This only happened on a few occasions with the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro, which usually boiled down to user error more than anything else.
Razer’s linear switches are surprisingly nice to use, not only for gaming, but also for writing. The handling is very smooth, almost soft, but still precise and responsive. There was no fatigue whatsoever after long gaming and writing sessions.
(Image credit: Razer).
Functionality
One of the main selling points of the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro is its low-latency wireless capability. It gets a little tricky here. When it worked, it worked flawlessly. You’d never know it was wireless for how fast it was, which we think should be expected in 2022. However, we ran into some issues where the keyboard would sporadically disconnect during testing.
This didn’t seem to correlate with a port it was plugged into, or with the driver version. However, it stopped and never did after I reconnected the keyboard a few times. It’s hard to say what caused this or what stopped it as no firmware or software updates were applied during this time. We were tempted not to include this and write it off as a random occurrence, but it lasted long enough and was annoying enough to be worth mentioning.
For multimedia functionality there is of course the volume wheel, but also a single multi-function media button. This can be used to pause and play media on your PC. Pressing once plays or pauses, pressing twice goes to the next track and pressing three times goes back to the last track. The “next” and “last” functions also work for video playlists. We found this worked great and was easy to get used to. Anyone with a pair of wireless earbuds should be familiar with the concept.
In wireless mode, the battery life was more than adequate. Estimated at 40 hours of continuous use, we were never concerned about running out of juice during an Apex Legends match. However, due to the 15 minute limit before the board goes to sleep, we found that it needed to be recharged every three days. Compared to a direct competitor like the Logitech G915 that can take weeks to as much as a month between charges, it’s noticeable. Granted, this won’t affect you during a gaming session, at full charge, but it’s something to keep track of if you don’t like to play with the cable plugged in.
Razer Synapse
The biggest weakness of the Razer Deathstalker Pro V2 is the Razer Synapse software support. Many journalists and users have complained about Razer’s software. And it hasn’t gotten any better. It is clunky to use, contains errors and a (subjectively) ugly user interface. As for the settings for the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro, it has a full RGB lighting controller with individually lit keys, custom macros, sleep time settings (the amount of time the keyboard remains idle before going to sleep), as well as setting different profiles that are local to your keyboard can be saved.
Some of these functions work fine, others less so. RGB control works on par with the top competitors. Multiple different lighting profiles and effects, per-key lighting control and Razer Chroma integration mean you can make the board glow however you want.
For some reason, Razer has made the minimum time increment setting before your keyboard goes to sleep a full 15 minutes, which is quite a long time. In comparison, the Logitech G915 only lasts one minute. This is a nonsensical decision, especially when you consider that the Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro already has a shorter battery life than competing keyboards due to its optical sensors. Tempering this with a more aggressive sleep timer would have been nice.
In addition, the time it takes from the first keystroke to the moment the keyboard wakes up and registers your keystrokes is noticeable. The Logitech G915 has an almost instant wake-up time by comparison. It would be nice if Razer took these factors into consideration for future software updates and successive keyboards.
Final Thoughts
The Razer Deathstalker V2 is a fantastic entry into the low-profile mechanical gaming keyboard market. Although it is held back by some software glitches, the overall experience is hard to beat. However, the biggest problem most people will have with the keyboard isn’t the build quality, the switches, or even the software. It’s the price. Priced at $249.99 USD for the full model and $219.99 USD for the TKL model, it’s a high asking price for the average PC gamer. However, we think it’s worth the price if you have the money and are looking for a new low-profile mechanical gaming keyboard.
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