By Robin Owens 13 days ago, Keyboards
Top-rated membrane keyboards for gaming and typing.
An appropriately chosen keyboard allows you to type quicker and with superior precision while sitting in front of the computer longer without feeling fatigued. Since a keyboard feels more personal than any other component of your PC setup, picking the correct model is crucial.
While you might think that the typing process feels similar on any decent keyboard, the differences in the key mechanisms can change your experience quite a lot, which is why more and more users are opting for a membrane keyboard for typing rather than the conventional mechanical one.
Several aspects differentiate one keyboard from another including key travel, bottoming actions, responsiveness and the force needed to register a button press.
A model that might feel comfortable for one user can seem extremely inconvenient to another. How can you possibly determine what is the best membrane keyboard for you then? Continue reading to find out.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Weight:1.80 lbs | Color:Black
⊕ Convenient access to media keys
⊕ Key matrix is optimized
⊕ Very comfortable
⊖ Keyboard feet aren’t rubberized
The K55 backlit gaming membrane keyboard offers everything you need to improve your performance. It features six customizable macro keys, while multi-key anti-ghosting guarantees that all your button-pressing combinations will be registered the way you intended.
The special volume and multimedia playback keys allow you to keep the background music in check without being distracted from gaming. The RGB lights and convenient lighting modes offer a plethora of features, enabling you to personalize the experience to your liking.
The silent keys are highly responsive and provide a nice tactile feeling. The K55 is supplied with a removable rubberized wrist rest that allows you to enjoy extra comfort during long gaming sessions. The cable of this model is non-braided but still reliable.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Weight:0.66 lbs | Color: Black
⊕ Rigid design
⊕ Durable, braided cable
⊕ Windows key lock
⊖ Feet don’t have grips
The K502 is a terrific non mechanical gaming keyboard that comes with 104 island-style chicklet keys that provide reliability and responsiveness. This product has a low resistance and small key travel, which means you have to put in less effort to type while still enjoying high precision and tactile pleasure.
The K502 comes with six lighting modes and effects, four brightness settings, customizable breathing speed and the option to turn off the backlight when you don’t need it. The keycaps are laser engraved and are clearly visible thanks to the backlight.
This model offers terrific ergonomics and is as well-suited for office use as it is for gaming. You’ll highly enjoy the keystroke precision, which will result in fewer typos and misspellings. The K502 was also designed to endure a moderate spillage. The built-in wrist rest adds another level of comfort, which is greatly appreciated for long gaming sessions.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: No | Weight: 2.30 lbs | Color: Black
⊕ Flat keys are almost completely silent
⊕ Can be connected using a USB input
⊖ Isn’t wireless
Elevate your user experience to a new level with the help of the K280e, arguably the best membrane keyboard out there when it comes to comfort. The provided palm rest allows you to relax your wrists more while typing. You can also fold the feet under the keyboard to achieve a more convenient angle for your wrist joints.
The flat buttons make minimum sound when being pressed. This means you can spend hours upon hours typing without disturbing your colleagues or family members. Simply plug in the K280e into a USB port and start using it immediately.
This product was designed to last thanks to the highly durable chassis, sturdy keys, spill-resistance and solid UV coating that will ensure the characters won’t wear off even after years of daily usage. The K280 offers full-sized keys, a numeric pad, a special row of F-key shortcuts and media buttons, allowing you to optimize your workflow.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Weight:2.5 pounds | Color: Black
⊕ Removable USB cable
⊕ Backlight
⊕ Reasonable price
⊖ Doesn’t have a wrist rest
This RGB membrane keyboard can help you customize your PC setup and breathe new life into it. Alloy provides an amazing radiance and 6 effect modes for you to pick from, allowing users to play their favoring games in style.
Supplied with a sturdy frame, this HyperX product can sustain about 120ml of accidental liquid spills without getting damaged or affecting your performance.
This option offers everything you need from a membrane model including silent keys, high accuracy and comfort, and an anti-ghosting feature. If you’re looking for a cheap anti ghosting keyboard with quiet, soft keys, this is the best option for you.
Being made of reliable plastic, the Alloy is more lightweight than a mechanical model and thus is far more portable.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Weight: 3.00 lbs | Color: Black
⊕ Top-tier build quality
⊕ Comfortable buttons
⊕ 2-area RGB lights
⊖ Subpar sensor smoothing
When it comes to choosing a membrane gaming keyboard, few options are as appealing as the Vigor GK30. Thanks to MSI’s trademark RGB backlight, you can enhance the look of the keyboard by selecting from thousands of colors and interesting effects so that it fits your setup perfectly. You can even change the color of each key individually.
By employing the Mystic Light synchronization feature, you can pair the keyboard with other RGB hardware to create a magnificent light show. The mechanical-like plunger switches are also great because of the pleasant typing experience they provide.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes |Weight:2.59 pounds | Color: Black
⊕ USA key layout
⊕ 8 quick access keys
⊕ Perfect for playing video games
⊖ None found
The TBI Pro might be the best membrane keyboard if you’re looking for in-depth LED customization. It has 7 lighting modes with 8 colors, allowing you to easily adjust the keyboard to your PC setup.
Other than the colors, you can also set the brightness level, frequency and breathing mode to make them fit your taste, system specs and workspace. The clear, easily visible keys have adjustable lighting, meaning you can play games in the dark without having to use a lamp.
This product is also supplied with an anti-ghosting function that enables you to press and hold up to 25 keys and all of them will be registered as needed. Such key combos are perfect for simplifying work, allowing you to have even more control over what’s going on and immerse yourself fully into the game.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Weight:2.09 lbs| Color: Black
⊕ RGB lights
⊕ Gaming mode
⊕ Low price
⊖ Somewhat simplistic design
If we go by sales numbers alone, then Cynosa might be the best membrane keyboard in the United States. It comes with all the crucial features you’d expect from a gaming model. The keys are backlit, soft, separately customized, spill-resistant and powered by Razer Chroma.
This model is capable of performing up to 10 commands simultaneously thanks to the incredibly useful anti-ghosting feature. You can synchronize Cynosa with plenty of games, Razer products, Philips Hue and equipment from over 30 other manufacturers, with each of the keys being able of displaying about 16 million colors.
Finally, Razer Hypershift allows you to easily customize macros and hotkey combinations so that you have no problem issuing complex commands.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Corsair K55
Our choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Redragon K502
Modern |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Logitech K280e
Stylish |
CHECK PRICE → |
The majority of computer keyboards share a nearly identical layout and possess the same sets of standard keys. Those include character keys (alphabetic, numeric and punctuation), modifier keys like Shift, Ctrl, Alt and Fn (Function), system command keys like Esc (Escape) or PrtSc (Print Screen), editing keys like Enter, Delete and Backspace, the navigational arrow keys, Home, End, PgUp (Page Up) and PgDn (Page down), and finally, function buttons that can be customized to perform specific tasks like adjusting the volume, brightness, and so on.
Some of these keys come in different variations. For instance, Apple computers use Cmd (Command) and Option keys, while some of the newer keyboards have Windows and menu keys that were designed for Windows 10. Some models also have numeric keypads that simplify the task of typing numeric information.
Back in the day, a standard keyboard always had 104 keys, but that standard is no longer relevant. These days, most models have at least as many buttons, but most of them come with additional ones.
Determining what kind of a keyboard form you’d like is another thing you have to think about. Classic full-size models remain to be the most popular choice, but if you’re going to switch to a non-mechanical keyboard, you might decide to go in a different direction. A full-sized model has all the keys necessary to use a PC without dealing with function layers and it even comes with a complete number pad. Its primary downside is the size, which makes it hard to place the keyboard on some desks. You also have to move your hand more to reach the edges of the board, and the mouse will have to be placed further to the right than you might have preferred.
Keystrokes is one of the first things you have to check when picking a membrane keyboard. Pressing the keys should feel comfortable, pleasant to the touch and offer high responsiveness. In general, some keyboards register even a feather-like press while others demand a lot more pressure. The mechanism that is responsible for making the key react to your presses is called a “switch”. Usually, you’ll have to choose between a rubber dome keyboard or one with scissor or mechanical switches, with the difference being in the provided level of sensitivity, noise and comfort. Do some research to find out which type suits you best.
Even though a keyboard will always make some sounds when you type very quickly, membrane models are a lot quieter than their mechanical counterparts. Some mechanical products, particularly blue switches, can make a lot of noise, even though that’s not always a downside since some users actually like the sound of typing.
Unlike mechanical keyboards, membrane models don’t have separate keys that are mounted individually, but rather represent high-tech pressure pads that have outlines and embedded symbols on a flat surface.
The majority of video game players use mechanical models since they are sturdier and offer superior speed. That said, some gamers love the smaller footprint, portability and lower prices offered by a membrane model. Finally, some users refuse to compromise between the two options and get a hybrid mecha membrane keyboard instead.
Membrane keyboards are the hardware that doesn’t have individual keys as moving parts, but rather offers a flat surface that acts as a pressure pad, with each “key” being outlined and marked to resemble a traditional keyboard.
