Review: Razer’s BlackWidow V4 75% keyboard is a gamer’s customizable dream

Razer is known for its products that both gamers and non-gamers can use. And with their latest keyboard, they’re truly merging the two into one, and in a compact size to maximize your desk space.

The BlackWidow V4 75% is Razer’s first hot-swappable mechanical keyboard and is powered by the Razer Chroma RGB. The BlackWidow V4 Pro came out earlier this year with stellar reviews, and Razer took the internet’s feedback and put it into the V4 75%.

It should come as no surprise that the BlackWidow V4 75%’s tagline is “Swap Out. Swap In. Game On.” The keyboard comes with a keycap and switch puller included, and it’s just as easy as the keyboard’s slogan states. I’ve personally always been horrified to try to take the keys of my keyboard off even knowing full well they can and are supposed to. But with the included tool, you just stick the two thin metal pieces over the key you want to take off, gently pull, and it pops right out. Need to put it back on? Just push it down and it connects with a satisfying click.

The switches installed out of the box are Razer’s gen-3 orange mechanical switches, but you can swap them out for any 3- or 5-pin switches, whether they’re Razer-made or a third-party.

This keyboard may be small, but it still packs a punch. With an aluminum faceplate, it’s still fairly weighty even out of the box. And what’s nice is if you want to make any customizations to the inner workings, it’s five screws to get to the inside and that’s it. They don’t make it hard for you to make this into exactly what you want it to be.

And that’s not even covering any of the lighting effects that you can control through Razer Synapse and Chroma Studio nor have I even mentioned how they’ve done the tape mod for you on the back of the PCB.

But what makes this keyboard so addicting isn’t just the customizable aspects for hard-core gamers who have an exact, but the sound when you type. You’ve seen those ASMR videos all over TikTok and Instagram of different keyboard sounds.

The BlackWidow V4 75% is the literal chef’s kiss of those typing noises. It’s everything you want a mechanical keyboard to sound (and feel) like. Need to write an angry email to a client at work? It still gives you the satisfying smack when you type hard but is still quiet enough that coworkers (or your pet) won’t notice when you’re going off.

Playing a game on a live stream or with friends? These aren’t the annoyingly loud clicks of a gaming keyboard at all.

Truly, if you don’t want to customize this keyboard at all, you can just use it straight out of the box without any issues or problems. The hardest part I had was plugging the USB fully into my computer and that was just a user error. Razer has put out a product that is exactly what you need it to be, whether you’re a seasoned PC gamer or someone who just likes nice keyboards.

The BlackWidow V4 75% is on sale now with an MSRP of $189.99. There’s a white version launching in late September that only intensifies the lighting effects and will retail for $199.99.