Get insider access
Preferred store
Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Dimensions
    2. Build Quality
    3. Ergonomics
    4. Hardware Customizability
    5. Backlight Features
    6. Backlight Clarity
    7. Cable & Connector
    8. Wireless Versatility
    9. Macro Keys And Programming
    10. Extra Features
    11. In The Box
  5. Typing Experience
    1. Typing Quality
    2. Typing Noise
    3. Switches
    4. Keystrokes
    5. Latency
  6. Performance
    1. Single-Key Latency
    2. Multi-Key Latency
    3. Data Transmission
    4. Chord Split
  7. Software and Operating System
    1. Configuration Software
    2. Computer Compatibility
    3. Wireless Mobile Compatibility
  8. Comments

Corsair K65 RGB MINI vs SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Corsair K65 RGB MINI
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Feb 18, 2025 09:02 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.0

Updated Jun 04, 2024 05:29 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Corsair K65 RGB MINI Picture
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. 60%
  3. RGB

Variants

  • K65 RGB MINI (Berry Wave)
  • K65 RGB MINI (Black)
  • K65 RGB MINI (Bubblegum Pop)
  • K65 RGB MINI (Hint of Mint)
  • K65 RGB MINI (Watermelon Blast)
  • K65 RGB MINI (White)
  • Apex Pro Mini (Black)
  • Apex Pro Mini (Ghost Edition)

Our Verdict

Corsair K65 RGB MINI

SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini

The Corsair K65 RGB MINI and the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini are both compact gaming keyboards, but the SteelSeries has a feature that allows you to adjust the pre-travel distance on a per-key basis, meaning you can set the sensitivity of your keypresses to where it feels best for you. On the other hand, the Corsair has a maximum polling rate of 8000Hz for incredibly low latency.

0 

Check Price

Black
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
Black
Apex Pro Mini
Searching
Finding store
Berry Wave
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
Ghost Edition
Apex Pro Mini
Searching
Finding store
Bubblegum Pop
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
Hint of Mint
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
Watermelon Blast
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
White
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
Read more

Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

9.0
9.2

Pre-Travel 
 

1.5 mm
2.2 mm

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Top Picture
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Top Picture

Size 
 

Compact (60%)
Compact (60%)

Height 
 

1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.6" (4.0 cm)

Width  

11.5" (29.3 cm)
11.5" (29.3 cm)

Depth 
 

4.1" (10.3 cm)
4.0" (10.2 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

1.25 lbs (0.568 kg)
1.33 lbs (0.604 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.0
8.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Build Quality Close Up
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
6.5

Side Picture  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Side Picture
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
Straight

Split Keyboard 
 

No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

4.5°

Medium Incline 
 

N/A

Maximum Incline 
 

N/A
11°

Home Row Height 
 

35.3 mm (1.4")

Wrist Rest  

No
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

6.0

Customizability Overview  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Plate-Mounted

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

No

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

Soldered

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

Yes

Backlight Features 
 

10
9.6

Backlighting Picture  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Backlighting Picture
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Brightness Max
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Brightness Min
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Brightness Min

White Shot 
 

Corsair K65 RGB MINI White Shot
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini White Shot

RGB 
 

Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

Yes
Yes

Color 
 

RGB

Color Mixing 
 

Poor
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

9.0

White Shot  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI White Shot
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wired

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)
Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)

Length  

6.0 ft (1.8 m)
7.3 ft (2.2 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
No Batteries
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

5.5

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

Yes

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Extra Features
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Hot Keys

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

No
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

Yes
Yes

Lock Indicator  

Caps & Scroll Lock
Caps Lock

Macro Programmable Keys 
 

All
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Bundle Picture
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

6.7
9.0

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

56.1 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

No

Noise 
 

Quiet
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Cherry MX Speed
OmniPoint 2.0

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical

Feel 
 

Linear
Linear

Analog 
 

No

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Key Switches 
 

Cherry MX Speed
OmniPoint 2.0

Mechanical 
 

Yes

Feel 
 

Linear
Linear

Operating Force 
 

45 gf
40 gf

Actuation Force 
 

45 gf
41 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.5 mm
2.2 mm

Total Travel 
 

3.4 mm
4.2 mm
Show Text 

Latency 
 

9.7
10

Latency Video  

Latency Wired 
 

1.1 ms
1.9 ms

Latency Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.7
10

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

1.1 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±0.1 ms

Wired 
 

1.1 ms
1.9 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

PCB (Estimated) 
 

0.0 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

9.4

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

Key Press 
 

1.1 ms

Key Release 
 

6.3 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

8.8

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Corsair K65 RGB MINI Multi-Key Raw USB

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

USB Polling Rate 
 

8,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

4,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

No
Show Text 

Chord Split 
 

7.7

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

6.2 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

12.1 ms
Show Text 
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Picture  

SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Software Picture

Software Tour  

Software Name  

iCUE
SteelSeries GG

Software Windows Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

Profiles 
 

6+
6+

Account Required 
 

No

Cloud Sync 
 

Yes

Macro Programming 
 

Software and Onboard

Ease Of Use 
 

Easy
Show Text 

Computer Compatibility 
 

10
8.2

Windows 
 

Fully Compatible
Full

macOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Full

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Fully Compatible
Full

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux

Android  

Not Compatible
No

iOS  

Not Compatible
No

iPadOS  

Not Compatible
No
Show Text 

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

0.0

Android 
 

Not Compatible
No

iOS 
 

Not Compatible
No

iPadOS 
 

Not Compatible
No

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Not Compatible

Check Price

Black
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
Black
Apex Pro Mini
Searching
Finding store
Berry Wave
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
Ghost Edition
Apex Pro Mini
Searching
Finding store
Bubblegum Pop
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
Hint of Mint
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
Watermelon Blast
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 
White
K65 RGB MINI
Searching
Finding store
 

Corsair K65 RGB MINI

SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini

Comments

  1. Comparison

Corsair K65 RGB MINI vs SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones