Corsair K65 Plus Wireless gaming keyboard review

There are a lot of contenders when it comes to the best gaming keyboard, most of which are wired for the lowest possible latency, plus extra features like USB pass-through. But there’s something to be said for the versatility of a wireless keyboard, particularly one that sports a compact design. Enter the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless.

The Corsair K65 Plus Wireless is appropriately priced for its platform versatility. At around the same $250 price point, you can find contenders like the Roccat Vulcan II Mini, SteelSeries Apex 5 and Asus ROG Falchion RX Wireless. Despite the similar prices, none of those competitors are the same size: the Roccat and Asus are smaller 65% keyboards, while the SteelSeries is a full-sized wired keyboard with a wrist rest. For other similarly priced 75% gaming keyboards, consider the Glorious GMMK or Logitech MX Mechanical Mini Wireless.

Given its 75% size, the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless is first and foremost built for gaming. Unlike smaller form factors, you get all of the essential gaming buttons, including a full f-row and cursors. In terms of setup, it’s a plug-and-play keyboard. Keep the toggle switch on the power icon for wired mode (via detachable USB-C cable), flick it left for Bluetooth or right for low-latency 2.4GHz mode.

I love that the compact 2.4GHz dongle has a dedicated slot on the right top strip of the K65, just next to the Win or Mac toggle. That latter inclusion means Mac users can expect beyond-bare-bolts compatibility. Bluetooth compatibility also extends to mobile devices, plus you can connect the K65 to last-gen and new-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles for supported functionality.

While the weight and compact size of the K65 make it more than just a desk real-estate saver, it can also comfortably travel with you or live on your lap. After dozens of hours of testing, the K65 has yet to skip a beat. I’ve been using it in 2.4GHz wireless mode as my main keyboard for the past couple of weeks, and the K65 is a faithful fragging companion. Every practical gaming key is easy to reach, and the cursors are arguably easier to reach because they’re tucked in tighter on the right of the ’board.

You may be considering the K65 for a desk-saving game peripheral, but there aren’t any compromises on the gaming front, particularly if you’re after a keyboard that can shift around your home as happily as it can go on the road with you. For the most reliable 1,000Hz responsiveness, use the K65 in USB mode.

Even though I tested the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless for dozens of hours before writing this review, I was a fan from the initial keystrokes. I write for a living, and I’ve gotten very particular with my gear to maximise efficiency. Speedy PCs and monitors matter the most, but having a reliable keyboard and mouse combo is essential for minimising writerly frustrations and maximising word output.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is my beloved full-sized everyday/gaming keyboard, but the K65 has been a joy to type thousands of words on each week. I mainly miss the soft wrist rest of the BlackWidow V4 Pro but, outside of that, everything else is manageable on the K65. I thought I’d loathe not having a numpad and dedicated pause/rewind/skip media keys, but the K65’s alternative key functions are thoughtfully laid out and easy to learn.

Even using the function and closed square bracket keys as an ‘End’ shortcut became second nature, and media controls are placed within easy one-hand reach on the F7, F8 and F9 keys, respectively. There is a dedicated contextual dial that also acts as a single-function button. The wants-it-all reviewer in me would love if this had left- and right-movement functionality, too, but it’s an otherwise great addition to the compact ’board. Keystrokes in the default configuration are both quiet and responsive, and there’s an included key replacement tool for yet-to-be-released switches if you want different sounding/feeling keys.

Corsair’s companion software has improved a lot since I first played around with the original CUE version years ago. These days, CUE and CUE 2 have evolved into Corsair iCUE, which has an incredibly intuitive layout. For starters, it reminded me that I had more than just the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless in my system, prompting me for firmware updates for other Corsair products.

For the K65 specifically, I appreciated the optional wizard that logically guided me through how to get more out of certain settings. There are profiles in the top corner, or a handful of options for tinkering. The key assignments page walks you through how to create macros. RGB lovers can then tweak the lighting on the next tab, but the corresponding light show will diminish overall battery life. It’s also worth flagging that the lighting is exclusively behind the keys, rather than also shining through the individual keycaps.

The performance tab is a handy way to control which keys and shortcuts are disabled when you activate the Fn-L win-lock. Meanwhile, the control dial page is set to volume by default but can also be changed to brightness—which I accidentally activated for a time—vertical scrolling, horizontal controlling or zoom. Device settings is the final tab, where you can manually check for firmware updates, toggle on sleep mode and other settings, and it’s also where the battery status is tracked. Kind of.

It’s one of those systems that shuns a percentage for terms like “High” and “Medium”, which isn’t overly helpful. When the K65 runs low on power, the RGB lighting is automatically disabled. It’s been like that for the last few days of testing—granted, I don’t switch it off overnight—and I’m impressed with the battery life, even if I’d prefer an overall percentage and/or estimated hours remaining.

My heart belongs to full-sized keyboards with wrist rests, given how many hours of keyboard use I have most days. But the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless has tempted me closer to the 75% side of the Force. I’m a big fan of its compact size, weight, versatility and how performative it is as a wireless keyboard. If you’re in the market for a space-saving desktop that’s still practical for everyday use, the K65 is a great choice.