Not so long ago, we reviewed the HyperX Alloy FPS mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches. While the keyboard was impressive, it did lack in a few areas. Today we check out the HyperX Alloy Elite, which keeps all the great features of the Alloy and then some. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
The HyperX Alloy Elite has the same frameless, compact design like that of the Alloy FPS, but it adds dedicated media buttons and backlight controls. You can change the pattern of backlight or switch it on/off at the press of a button, and there are separate play, pause, next and back buttons along with a handy volume slider. Between the top panel and the keys is a light bar which looks incredible, providing the entire keyboard with quite a classy look.
There’s also a removable palm rest included in box, which makes the keyboard much more comfortable to use. Moreover, it comes with Cherry MX Red switches, which makes it almost perfect for gaming. The Blue switches sound very satisfying, but the smoothness of the red ones make sure your movements are always slick and on-point.
One major thing that we dislike about the Alloy Elite is the cable, which seems excessively thick and large, compared to the Alloy FPS’ thin and removable cable. There’s a USB port on the front which you can use to charge your devices, so that makes it a bit convenient. Additionally, the Alloy Elite comes with an extra set of WASD and 1-4 keys with a titanium finish. The 1-4 numeric keys are smooth but the WASD ones are textured, giving it a bit of an edge.
The keyboard is also available in Cherry MX Brown and Blue variants, so there’s plenty of options to choose from, depending on what you like. The body of the keyboard is solid with good grip on the bottom, making sure the keyboard doesn’t slide on the surface during intense gaming sessions. In addition to changing the LED backlight settings (apart from the colour), which remains to be the standard red, there’s a dedicated button to activate the gaming mode that disables the Windows key. However, we would like to see some more customization options, especially being able to change the LED backlight colour.
You don’t need to install any software in order to play around with the keyboard’s different features, but that also means that there are no programmable keys or macros, and it’s not possible to create a specific profile with the settings that you can switch on the go. Apart from that, the keyboard’s performance is quite impressive, and while the Blue switches can cause some discomfort over prolonged use, the red ones in our review model don’t seem to cause any issues. Whether you’re playing a competitive FPS or an open world survival game, there are no hassles at all. The keyboard supports N-key rollover and anti-ghosting, meaning you can press as many keys as you want at once and the keyboard will register all of them.
The Verdict
At a price point of INR 9137 (Amazon), the HyperX Alloy Elite seems like a great choice for gaming enthusiasts.Though it still lacks a few features, it is compact enough to be kept in any place without much of a problem, and solid enough to make sure you don’t have to compromise on your gaming experience.
