Product: HyperX Alloy Elite 2
Type: Mechanical Keyboard
Price: $289.00 RRP
Availability: Out Now
Link: hyperxgaming.com/us/keyboards/hyperx-alloy-elite-2-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

HyperX isn’t afraid to switch things up between product releases, often literally with new mechanical keyboards often using similar product names but featuring different overall shapes and styles of mechanical switches. That is, that thing that sits underneath each key offering up that crisp click-accuracy and feel that dates back to the era of the typewriter.

The mechanical keyboard has become something of a must for high-end gaming of late. Well, if not must then one of things where once you experience it – it’s hard to go back.

The new HyperX Alloy Elite 2 represents the very top of the HyperX keyboard food chain, where a sturdy and robust build meets advanced features like audio controls and a slick volume wheel thingy. In addition to featuring HyperX’s own internally developed and produced mechanical switches as per the HyperX Alloy Origins, there’s a first here too. “Translucent HyperX Pudding Keycaps” which offer a soft-white looking lower third for each key that not only amplifies the per-key RGB lighting but does so to such a level you’d assume HyperX were entering the keyboard into some sort of RGB brightness competition.

Thankfully, you can tone that down and bit to enjoy the Alloy Elite 2 for what it is – a great mechanical keyboard suited for gaming and content creation.

Look and Feel

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Weighing in at just over 1.5kg, there’s no doubt that the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 is one chunky boy – but that weight mostly comes from the solid steel frame that is, well, the opposite of flimsy. Now, throwing the word ‘sturdy’ around is something of a go-to for me when it comes to mechanical keyboards. Especially ones that feature some form of metal in their construction or the good stuff when it comes to synthetic materials. The Alloy Elite 2 takes sturdy to the next level though, with a construction that will probably outlast most of us. Something that will stand the test of time and 80-million click lifespan found in the the HyperX switches. The downside here being that the steel body loves finger-smudges.

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The new HyperX Alloy Elite 2 represents the very top of the HyperX keyboard food chain, where a sturdy and robust build meets advanced features

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Where the design doesn’t quite feel as stylish and bold as the body itself and the back-and-white pudding keycaps is the plastic top bar that houses the audio controls and, well, large buttons for controlling RGB brightness and profiles. There’s a separation here between the main keyboard that, and this may come down purely to personal taste, that feels a little off. After the minimal and sleek look of the Alloy Origins series, we were kind of hoping that maybe this would follow suit. That minor quibble aside the two-tone look of the pudding keycaps catches the eye with or without RGB. Plus, the separation does include a cool little light-bar running across the top.

Specs

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Switch Type: HyperX Switch (Red Linear)

Actuation Point: 1.8 mm

Total Travel Distance: 3.8 mm

Life Span (Keystrokes): 80 million

LED Color: RGB

Cable: Wired (USB)

Dimensions: 444.0mm x 174.0mm x 37.4mm

Product Weight: 1.5kg

The HyperX Red Linear switch is something that we’ve gotten used too thanks to its inclusion in recent models – where the 1.8mm versus 2.0mm actuation point compared to CherryMX offers up a great gaming feel. What’s great about the decision to go 1.8mm (not that you can immediately tell the difference between fractions of a millimetre) is that it sits in a region that is great for productivity too – eschewing some of the typing issues you might have with a keyboard that, well, goes full gaming.

And in terms of full-gaming each key’s little LED light is exposed, resulting in a brighter and more noticeable glow – if that be your sort of thing.

Type Cast

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With the release of the Alloy Elite 2 we also find the best version to date of HyperX’s NGenuity software – which although is a dedicated Windows 10 app offers up easy and clean access to all necessary customisation.

In the end though there are a few design issues and omissions that would help justify the somewhat steeper cost of entry versus similar performing keyboards from competitors and HyperX alike. For one, no wrist rest is something of a glaring omission – especially for a premium model. In fact we'd take a nice and cushy wrist-rest over USB 2.0 pass-through any day. Also the lack of RGB backlighting for the function keys, as in the dedicated RGB and customisation keys, is a little odd.

Outside of that though it’s hard to fault the overall quality you get with the HyperX Alloy Elite 2, from the sturdy steel used in the build to the new pudding keycaps to the excellent HyperX mechanical switches.