Redragon K673 Pro review: Quality without breaking the bank
The Redragon K673 Pro keyboard offers a handful of enthusiast-level specs in a 75% form factor, all while maintaining a budget-friendly price. But is it worth picking up?
Since the beginning of 2023, gaming keyboards have largely focused on offering enthusiast-level mods straight out of the box. The Razer BlackWidow V4 75%, Asus ROG Azoth, and the yet-to-be-released HyperX Alloy Rise are largely leading the pack, but they all have their quirks to features that set them apart.
Redragon has joined the fold as well with the K673 Pro 75% keyboard. It comes with a handful of sought-after features that elevate the typing experience across the board, all while keeping budget-friendly consumers in mind at just $65. How does it stack up against its more expensive brethren?
Key Specs
- Switch type: Otemu Red Linear
- Keycaps: PBT
- Connectivity: USB-C wired, 2.4Ghz wireless, Bluetooth 5.0
- Form factor: 75%/81-key
- Lighting: Per key RGB
- Features: Gasket-mounted PCB, silencing foam and silicone, hot-swappable switches
- Price: $64.99
Design
Redragon’s keyboard lineup is largely made up of basic, black-on-black options with everyday features that are incredibly popular over on Amazon. But, they’ve also shown many times in the past that they’re not afraid to experiment.
The Redragon K673 Pro 75% is proof of that with multi-color keycaps, a glossy finish, and a form factor that hasn’t been widely adopted by many major brands. Our review unit is the Abyssal Blue colorway, which features a dark blue top plate that appears black from many angles. The bottom of the keyboard is white, which helps tie in quite nicely with the multi-colored keycaps.
Both the top and bottom parts of the case are glossy, which left me quite worried about fingerprints when I initially unboxed it. After weeks of use, I can see a few fingerprints across the sides and front of the keyboard, but only if I take the time to look for them specifically. The glossy plastic looks good and makes the Redragon K673 Pro stand out from the rest of the budget-oriented pack.
There’s a metal media knob sitting on the top right of the keyboard, but other than that, the overall design mimics your typical 75% keyboard. That is, until you get to the left side of the keyboard.
Instead of opting for a front-mounted USB-C port, Redragon has decided to place it on the left side of the keyboard alongside the switch to change it between wired and wireless connectivity. They do include a 90-degree USB-C cable, but this placement is still looking pretty unsightly.
If you don’t use the packaged cable, attaching your own cable makes it stick out two inches or more from the side, and takes up significantly more space than it should. I would have loved to see Redragon use a front-mounted port, or even include a 90-degree adapter inside the box.
Software & Features
The Redragon K673 Pro comes with Otemu Red Linear switches, which are about the most basic linear switches you can get, which makes sense when you consider the price. There’s no lube used anywhere on the keyboard, but the typing experience is suitable regardless.
It uses a TPR Gasket to mount the PCB, and they’ve opted for a layer of silencing foam as well as a silicone pad to elevate the sound of the keyboard. The K673 Pro features PBT shine-through keycaps that aren’t really anything to brag about, but definitely are better than ABS, as they won’t get shiny and wear down nearly as quickly.
The software used to control the K673 Pro isn’t as intuitive as other popular apps, but it gets the job done. There are various menus on the left side of the app with the usual lighting, macro, and settings control and they’re easy to get the hang of.
For some reason, Redragon has left out the ability to reprogram the media knob as you would normally expect. Luckily, it comes default with controls for volume and backlight brightness straight out of the box so many won’t be affected by this decision.
Gaming performance
I tested the Redragon K673 Pro straight out of the box in Palworld and it was more than suitable for casual play. Each key offered a quick response and had no issues when being held down for long stints while crafting a handful of Pal Spheres.
In Counter-Strike 2, I experienced much of the same. It doesn’t perform at the same level as hall effect keyboards like the Arbiter Studio Polar 65 or Akko MOD007 PC, but it’s more than suitable for the large majority of gamers.
Battery life is superb
Redragon doesn’t offer estimated battery life on their website, but I put the K673 Pro through the test on both 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth. I used it for roughly 45 hours over a week, with it constantly being used for writing articles.
The 3,000mAh battery seems small at first, but even with the default RGB lighting on, I was able to go a solid four days of constant use without having to plug it in. With Bluetooth 5.0, that time is even longer as I was able to use it for five days without having to plug it in.
Should you buy it?
I was very surprised with the Redragon K673 Pro keyboard, and it’s well worth checking out if you’re in the market for something new without breaking the bank.
It’s very well built, features some of the best mods you can do to improve the overall experience, and comes in at a very solid and easily accessible price.
The Verdict: 4/5
The K673 Pro blew me away during my testing. However, the left-side USB-C port and glossy plastic make it fall shy of being the perfect keyboard.
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