Smaller keyboards can be better keyboards. The 60 percent form factor eliminates unnecessary keys and uses layers to stack important functions to create a pleasantly compact, perfectly functional and efficient keyboard. Mechanical keyboard enthusiasts have been singing the praise of 60 percent of the keyboard for years. Now keyboard maker Razer kicks into action with the all-new Huntsman Mini.
The mini $ 120 It is the latest and smallest keyboard in Razer’s popular Huntsman line. It’s an opto-mechanical keyboard, which uses Razer’s recently updated clicky red and purple linear keyboard switches. These optical switches are activated using a light beam instead of a standard mechanical contact, which Razer says makes them last much longer than traditional keyboard switches. I’ve only been writing on my Huntsman Mini for a couple of weeks, so I couldn’t tell.
The Huntsman Mini includes all the bells and whistles one waiting for the line of Razer gaming keyboards. It has that Chroma lighting. It is programmable and supports multiple layers of complex commands and macros. It simply has far fewer keys.
A standard full-size keyboard is 101 to 104 keys. A keyless board cuts the right-side number pad, which saddens counters. A 60 percent dash slims things down even further by losing the arrows and center functions and removing the entire F-Key row.
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All the standard keyboard functionality is still there. It is just that the least used functions are assigned to different layers of the keyboard. If I need to use the “prt sc” command, I hold down the function key (FN) and press the P key. If I need to press F3 for some reason, I hold down FN and press 3. My arrow keys are now FN plus I, J, K and L.
What makes the Huntsman Mini a great introduction to the smallest form factor is the wonderful PBT keys on the board. Capital letters feature sub-legends on the front, so users can keep track of keyboard functions configured in different layers by default. The keyboard backlight is even set by default to highlight the layered keys when the FN button is pressed.
The Huntsman Mini is as easy as 60 percent of the boards. Everything is explained, the layer functions are clear and concise, and there is no searching and pecking for important keys. It’s cool to see another major keyboard maker adopting the smallest form factor, especially one as focused on games as Razer.
The keyboard is one of the most important tools in our daily life. We work on it. We play on that. We wrote questionable Twitter messages with him. But just because it’s massively important doesn’t mean you have tor be massive. Little keyboard users get along, and now Razer’s maKing over us.
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