DESIGN
Razer Huntsman Elite
The Razer Huntsman Elite is a big full-sized keyboard that takes up even more room if the supplied wrist rest is used. The Razer Huntsman Elite is really well-made. It is made of plastic with an aluminum plate on top. It also feels well-made and flexes only a little. The key caps are constructed of ABS plastic and feel well-built. However, they’re slippery, which is exacerbated by oil buildup. The incline feet are a little flimsy, and the rubber pads beneath them don’t provide enough traction; nonetheless, the keyboard’s weight prevents it from sliding around.
The Razer Huntsman Elite is comfortable to use. It has two inclination settings and a soft leatherette wrist rest. When combined with the low actuation force of the Linear Optical switches, lengthy duration of typing do not seem exhausting. The Razer Huntsman Elite features full RGB back lighting and individually illuminated keys. There are numerous preset lighting effects to pick from, and the modification program allows you to create bespoke lighting profiles.
LED lighting is also used around the edges of the keyboard and wrist rest to create an under glow effect. Because these LEDs require additional power, the second USB connector must be plugged in for them to function. The wrist rest must be linked to the keyboard through the pogo pins for the under glow LEDs on the wrist rest to work. The legends on the media keys are not illuminated, making them difficult to read.
Razer Huntsman Mini
Because it lacks a Numpad, function keys, and dedicated arrow keys, the Razer Huntsman Mini is a small keyboard. This is ideal for a minimalist setup as well as for individuals who play with a low mouse CPI and require extra mouse movement space. The overall build quality of the Razer Huntsman Mini is impressive. It has a sturdy plastic frame with an aluminum plate on top. The board flexes somewhat, but it’s nothing to worry about. It boasts double-shot PBT key caps that are comfortable to type on; nevertheless, the stabilizers should be improved as there is some shaking and rattling. Unfortunately, the incline feet feel cheap, and the rubber pads beneath them don’t provide enough grip, causing the keyboard to move about a lot.
The ergonomics of the Razer Huntsman Mini are adequate. It lacks a wrist rest, and the keyboard’s tiny form factor may seem cramped to some, creating tiredness when typing for a lengthy amount of time. The rubber pads beneath the feet are insufficiently grippy, causing the keyboard to slip around.
The Razer Huntsman Mini features full RGB back lighting and individually illuminated keys. There are several preset lighting effects that you can access right from the keyboard, but if you want to create a custom lighting profile, you’ll need the Razer Synapse 3 program. The brightness of the keyboard can be adjusted.
PERFORMANCE
Razer Huntsman Elite
The Razer Huntsman Elite comes with a slew of extras. All the keys are macro-programmable, and you can program them on the fly with the macro recording hotkey rather than using the software. You may lock the Windows key to avoid inadvertent game minimizing, and there’s a ‘Sleep’ hotkey that promptly puts your computer to sleep. It contains specialized media controls, including a multi-function volume dial that can be reprogrammed to perform other tasks. The media keys do not have the same premium feel as the rest of the keyboard and have a very short travel distance.
Our Razer Huntsman Elite is outfitted with Linear Optical switches (Red). They offer little tactile feedback and need very little force to operate. The pre-travel distance is shallow, resulting in a very responsive keyboard. You can have the keyboard with Clicky Optical switches (Purple) if you like. Purple switches, like Cherry MX Blue switches, are promised to offer a little longer pre-travel distance, actuation force, and tactile feedback.
The Linear Optical switches on our Razer Huntsman Elite produce little typing noise; however, the Clicky Optical switches are substantially noisier. The latency of the Razer Huntsman Elite is extremely low.
The Razer Huntsman Elite is suitable for use in the office. It’s pleasant to type on all day thanks to its adjustable inclination and plush wrist rest. Our unit’s Linear Optical switches give a light typing experience, but their low actuation point can result in more errors than usual. Furthermore, the ABS keycaps are slick and can get even slicker with oil buildup. The Red switches produce little typing noise; however, the Purple switches are significantly noisier.
Razer Huntsman Mini
The Razer Huntsman Mini comes with a few extras. Because it lacks a row of function keys, navigation keys, or specialized media controls, most keys are allocated a secondary role. These extra functions are printed on the keys’ sides and can be accessed by holding down the ‘Fn’ key. All keys are macro-programmable, and you may do it directly on the keyboard or using Razer’s Synapse 3 software. There’s a key ca’Sleep’ hotkey to put your computer to sleep if you need to take a break from your desk, and a ‘Game’ mode key, essentially a Windows Lock key, to keep you from accidentally minimizing your game.
Our Razer Huntsman Mini has Razer’s Clicky Optical switches, but you can also get it with Linear Optical switches if you like. Because of its short pre-travel distance, the Purple switches are highly responsive and provide a distinct tactile sensation. It takes less force to press the keys, which makes typing feel lighter, but it can also lead to more typos. Our unit’s Clicky Optical switches produce a lot of typing noise, making them unsuitable for an office environment. Linear Optical switches are a better choice if you prefer less typing noise.
The Razer Huntsman Mini boasts incredibly low latency, making it suitable for even the most competitive players. The Razer Huntsman Mini is an excellent business keyboard. Our unit’s Clicky Optical switches provide a fantastic typing experience with plenty of tactile feedback, but its loud typing noise isn’t appropriate for a quiet office situation. Having said that, the keyboard is also available with Linear Optical switches.
It isn’t the most pleasant to type on because of its relatively high profile, lack of a wrist rest, and compact layout, which can be a little too cramped for those with large hands. The Razer Huntsman Mini is a horrible HTPC choice. Because it is wired only, you must connect directly to the TV and sit close. It also lacks a trackpad; thus, navigating the on-screen menu will require the use of a mouse. Fortunately, it offers full RGB lighting as well as media hotkeys.
TYING EXPERIENCE
Razer Huntsman Elite
The Linear Optical switches provide an adequate typing experience. It seems responsive and light, and the provided wrist rest is extremely comfy, so there should be no fatigue over time. It can be challenging to tell if a keystroke is registered due to the lack of haptic feedback. While the incredibly short pre-travel distance and light actuation force are ideal for games, they are too sensitive for typing. Also, the ABS key caps are slick, especially if there is oil buildup.
The typing experience with the Clicky Optical switches is quite different since they provide tactile feedback and promise a longer pre-travel distance and actuation force.
Razer Huntsman Mini
The Razer Clicky Optical Switches provide a fantastic typing experience. The PBT key caps are comfortable to type on, but the keys aren’t very sturdy, so they wobble a little. The clicky switches are incredibly responsive and provide lots of tactile feedback, ensuring that a keystroke is registered. However, the combination of a modest operating force and a slightly constrained layout may result in a few other errors. Furthermore, the keyboard has a somewhat high profile and lacks a wrist rest, which can contribute to tiredness after a while.
GAMING
Razer Huntsman Elite
The Razer Huntsman Elite gaming keyboard is excellent. Because of their low actuation point and lack of force, the Linear Optical switches on our equipment feel exceptionally sensitive. There’s complete RGB back lighting, you may reassign or assign a macro to any key, and its dedicated media controls feature a volume dial that can be customized. Unfortunately, no specific macro keys exist for MMOs.
Razer Huntsman Mini
The Razer Huntsman Mini gaming keyboard is excellent. It boasts a high build quality, full RGB illumination, and individually-lit keys, and all keys are macro-programmable. Because of their short pre-travel distance and low effort need, the Clicky Optical switches on our equipment feel snappy. If you like, you can order the keyboard with Linear Optical switches. Unfortunately, it is not the most comfortable keyboard, and no specific macro keys for MMO games are provided.
CABLE AND WIRELESS VERSATILITY
Razer Huntsman Elite
The cable is braided and of excellent quality, although it is extremely stiff and easily maintains kinks. Most folks should be able to reach their desktop with it. The Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard is only available in wired mode.
Razer Huntsman Mini
The braided USB-C-to-USB-A cable with the keyboard is long enough for most individuals to reach their computers. The line incorporates a clasp for a more secure connection, but most USB-C cables should fit. The Razer Huntsman Mini is a wired keyboard only.
SOFTWARE
Razer Huntsman Elite
The Razer Huntsman Elite is well-supported by software. You may reassign keys (including the volume dial), program macros, and configure the RGB back lighting of each key individually with Razer’s Synapse 3 software. You can also save as many profiles as you wish, and cloud sync is available. However, it takes account to utilize. This keyboard features onboard memory for up to five custom profiles, but it did not work during our testing. We’re unsure if this is a hardware or software issue, and other customers have reported similar problems.
The Razer Huntsman Elite has decent compatibility. It’s fully compatible with Windows, and there are no issues. For macOS, Screen Lock, Pause/Break, and Context menu doesn’t work, and the Insert key becomes the ‘Help’ key. On Linux, all keys work as intended, but like macOS, there’s no software support, so customization is limited.
Razer Huntsman Mini
The Synapse 3 software, which is exclusively available for Windows, is compatible with the Razer Huntsman Mini. It allows you to independently tweak the back lighting of each key, reprogram keys, and set macros. Except for the Fn key, you can remap all of the keys. Onboard the memory allows you to save up to five custom profiles; however, it can only save your programmed keys and macros, not your custom back lighting settings. This implies that if you switch computers, you’ll have to reinstall Synapse 3 in order to access your back lighting profiles via the cloud sync option, which requires an account.
The Razer Huntsman Mini is reasonably compatible. On Windows, everything works as expected, and there are no problems. All keys work perfectly under Linux, although customization options are limited due to the lack of software support. The Context Menu, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break, and Windows lock keys do not operate on macOS, and the Insert key serves as the ‘Help’ key. There is also no software support for macOS.
CONCLUSION
The Razer Huntsman Elite and Razer Huntsman Mini are two similar keyboards that come in two sizes. The Mini is a 60% keyboard with a wrist rest and specialised media keys, whilst the Elite is a full-sized keyboard with a wrist resting and dedicated media keys. In terms of performance, there isn’t much of a difference between them.
