It’s a little fiddly, and we didn’t encounter any function that made it feel like an essential addition, but its a neat extra feature. The display can also be used to change settings, using the volume wheel and adjacent button. Packing in 128×40 pixels, this black and white panel will show whatever image you like (including GIF animations) or you can sketch an image in SteelSeries’ software.

Left of these controls sits the OLED display. Next up on the hit list is the top-right corner of the keyboard with its lovely tiny, knurled, metal volume wheel (which you can press to mute) and little play/pause button below it. And yes, there’s that illuminated USB pass-through socket we mentioned too.

There are practical additions, such as the inclusion of cable-routing options on the underside, so the cable can exit from the left, middle or right of the back of the keyboard. This keyboard isn’t all about show either. Even the wrist rest adds to the overall premium and stylish impression, with its thick rubber top, sharp angles and magnetic attachment. The top also includes a slab of aluminium, with a lovely sandblasted and anodised finish, which attractively diffuses the RGB lighting that spills out onto it. The edges of the keyboard are also cleverly cut at various angles in order to slim down the overall look, although in practice the Apex Pro isn’t significantly more low-profile than the other models on test. The TKL layout helps here, as this more compact form factor always looks more appealing than the sprawling mess of full-sized models.

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Apex pro tkl white