There are plenty of fantastic and eye-catching designs among the best keyboards available, but if you haven't considered picking up a 60 percent keyboard yet, you might want to check them out. By cutting down on the amount of keys you have, you can seriously expand your desk space and give your mouse some room to breathe.
A 60 percent keyboard is a design that does away with a fair amount of lesser-used keys. Basically, everything right of the enter key and above the numbers is now gone, so you still have all the most useful essentials and get a more compact model. On rare occasions, you can find the elusive 65 percent keyboard, which is a 60 percent keyboard that keeps the arrow keys - the only ones you would likely miss from the ultra minimalist design.
The best 60 percent keyboards at a glance:
• Best overall 60 percent keyboard: Corsair K70 PRO MINI WIRELESS 60 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - View on Amazon
• Best programmable 60 percent keyboard: RAZER Huntsman Mini Gaming Keyboard - View on Currys
• Best anti-ghosting 60 percent keyboard: SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - View on SteelSeries
These keyboards are fantastic for all kinds of uses. First off, they're a great option if you're in need of a budget keyboard for office work, as now you won't be stuck juggling papers and files around a cramped space. They're also surprisingly solid for gaming, as most games can be controlled with WASD and a mouse.
Regardless of what your preference is, we're confident that we've found a selection of 60 percent keyboards that will appeal to you. We've carefully looked at each model, weighing up their strengths and weaknesses so we can give you the best recommendations possible.
Best overall 60 percent keyboard
The Corsair K70 PRO MINI WIRELESS 60 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a brilliant example of a quality 60 percent keyboard. It makes the most of being a more compact model by also having the option to go wireless. This means you can take it with you on your travels, and thanks to a truly incredible 200 hours of battery life when the backlit is turned off, you'll never be stuck without it. Sadly, the backlit does bring that down to only 32 hours, but that's still plenty.
Another reason to love this keyboard is for its keys. They're spaced out a nice amount so as to make typing comfortable, and it means it is all the easier to swap the caps and switches out if you want to customise it later on.
Pros
- Key switches are great, as well as easy to swap out
- Brilliant battery life and wireless design make it very portable
Cons
- RGB backlighting chews through the battery life
| Dimensions | 30.7 x 10.8 x 6.7 cm |
| Weight | 860g |
| Special features | Backlit, Swappable CHERRY MX RED switches |
- Customer review: "This keyboard in white looks stunning. The 60 percent form factor means it fits on my busy desk and the RGB is probably the best implementation I've seen on a device ever, and it's made even better with white keycaps. The lights get extremely bright allowing for great visibility in daytime and the software allows for almost infinite customisability provided you are willing to put in the time to program the lights your way."
Best gaming 65 percent keyboard
If you're attached to having arrow keys, the ASUS ROG Falchion MX 65 Wireless RGB Gaming Mechanical Keyboard has you covered. While only a few games demand you use arrow keys, it's still a nice addition. Plus, I'm sure we've all scrolled down a webpage with them instead of a mouse wheel on occasion. As an added convenience, there's a touch panel on the side of the keyboard that allows you to adjust the volume or even copy and paste without lifting your fingers away.
It's a fantastic design all around, but we do have to acknowledge that this keyboard sits quite high. While that's comfortable for many, we could see it becoming an issue depending on how your desk is set up.
Pros
- Inclusion of arrow keys is handy and convenient
- Unique touch controls on the side allow you to adjust volume whenever
Cons
- Form is quite high, could be bothersome for some
| Dimensions | 30.5 x 10.1 x 3.9 cm |
| Weight | 520g |
| Special features | Touch panel, Arrow keys |
- Customer review: "I switched to the 60-65 percent layouts after wanting to reclaim my desk space from using a full-size keyboard. The ROG Falchion does a great job of giving me space on my desk and providing a great typing experience without compromising on the additional controls that typical 60 percent layouts remove. I'd actually go so far as to say this is about as good as keyboards get without going the custom route."
Best programmable 60 percent keyboard
www.currys.co.uk
For those who like to customise their keyboards, give the RAZER Huntsman Mini Gaming Keyboard a shot. Programmable keys allow you to customise the function of just about every key to your heart's desire, so you can set up as many shortcuts as you like. Plus, the keyboard has in-built memory, so you can swap between profiles without losing your settings. The keys themselves could be a bit sturdier and more resilient, but that's only a minor complaint.
The backlighting on this keyboard is quite impressive too. If you ever find yourself typing up essays at night or gaming in the dark, we're sure you'll agree that having a little bit of extra light is always appreciated.
Pros
- Programmable keys with in-built memory make customisation easy
- Effective backlighting
Cons
- Keycaps aren't the sturdiest
| Dimensions | 3.7 x 29.4 x 10.3 cm |
| Weight | 550g |
| Special features | RGB backlighting, Programmable keys |
- Customer review: "Great for a 60 percent keyboard as it has the functions all clearly labelled on the side of the keys. Excellent value for money and the keys feel good. If RGB is what you're after the software also always you a lot of customisation. Improvement Points: Some of the larger keys are a little wobbly, but at this price point you can't really complain."
Best budget 60 percent keyboard
www.currys.co.uk
If you want an ultra-budget option that won't disappoint, go for the ADX Firefight 60 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. It's significantly cheaper and more affordable than the rest of the competition, but it doesn't slack on the build quality to achieve that. The switches are actually quite solid and precise, making them a great pick for fast typers who wear down other keyboards.
The only con we want to mention is a subjective one. While we love seeing a keyboard that isn't just the standard black and grey, bright blue, yellow and red might be a step too far for some of us.
Pros
- Fantastic budget-friendly value
- Switches are precise and ideal for fast typing
Cons
- Bright design could be offputting for some
| Dimensions | 4.23 x 10.37 x 29.36 cm |
| Weight | 610g |
| Special features | RGB backlit, Anti-ghosting |
- Customer review: "Solid build, nice colour, cheap, compact. Improvement Points: Tiny bit of light bleed through on yellow keys. But for the price, I don’t care."
Best anti-ghosting 60 percent keyboard
steelseries.com
The SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini Mechanical Gaming Keyboard showcases how worthwhile it is to pick up a keyboard with anti-ghosting. Never again will you have to feel the anguish of an input being eaten up while playing a game; this keyboard will register every press with consistent accuracy. The keys are spaced out in a way that's better for gaming or working from home, but the performance still might tempt you to burn it into the office.
The SteelSeries Apex 9 is also fantastic thanks to its adjustable tilt. We often shift how we sit over the course of the day, so being able to adjust the angle of our keyboard and its height is super handy for keeping us comfortable.
Pros
- Fantastic anti-ghosting ensures accuracy in your typing
- Adjustable tilt keeps you comfortable for longer
Cons
- Spacing of the keys makes it better for gaming rather than office work
| Dimensions | 4 x 29.3 x 10.3 cm |
| Weight | 676g |
| Special features | RGB backlit, Anti-ghosting, Programmable keys |
- Customer review: "The vibrant RGB lighting is effective and subtle. The software supplied with the driver download (free) is very useful - it enables you to have custom layouts and lighting of individual keys. This can also be set to launch when you run certain games or apps so you can really customise a layout for your games. Being able to control both the colour and the visual effect of each key is very useful. You can adjust the feet to a couple of different levels of elevation. Non-slip feet on the base stop it sliding around your desk."
FAQs
How to use arrow keys on a 60 percent keyboard?
While 60% keyboards tend not to have dedicated arrow keys, you can replicate them through the use of the function key. In most cases, it will be fn combined with WASD, but certain models may differ. Alternatively, you can opt for a 65% keyboard, which will be a tiny bit bigger but lets you keep the arrow keys for convenience.
Are 60 percent keyboards good for gaming?
You might see the lack of dedicated arrow keys and be put off, but 60% keyboards are actually great for gaming. Most games will ask you to use WASD to move around. Even in the case that it does require arrow keys, you should be able to adjust the bindings in the settings for most games. Only a handful of titles will require both, and on those rare occasions, you might be better off with a controller anyway.
Kyle Purves is a Commercial Content Writer for What’s The Best, with an avid interest in all things gaming and tech.
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