Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL White Edition Review – The Cheat Code Of Keyboards

Unboxing & Walkaround

When it’s black and green, you know it’s a Razer – specifically, the one we’re looking at today is the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL White Edition. Unlike most keyboards, the secret sauce of this Huntsman is Razer’s in-house second generation analog optical switch, which allows for precise control on things like throttle and brake pedal in racing games, for example. Oh, and there’s the RGB that the company is famously known for, of course.

Opening the box and you’ll get the keyboard, a detachable USB-C to USB-A cable, wrist rest, user guide, and the separate guide for advanced functions, which is configurable on-the-fly (for when you don’t want to use Synapse). There’s also a sticker pack inside the the user guide, which we’ve only found out later on.

The Huntsman V3 Pro TKL comes with a relatively simple set of media controls and a status indicators on the top and bottom of the navigation keys, including one remappable key that calls up Xbox Game Bar by default. The status indicator also displays actuation level when entering actuation mode or rapid trigger adjustment, the features of which we’ll get in detail later.

While being a premium keyboard on its own right, the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL lacks a USB passthrough port – you only get a USB-C which is exclusively for connecting the keyboard only, as it doesn’t have any wireless capabilities. That said, you do get a magnetically-attached wrist rest, which aligns with the slope angle of the keyboard itself.

This is the Razer Optical Analog Switch Gen-2, with the top-mounted LED coupled with cross-shape stem and a linear force profile that actuates at 40gf. Given its analog nature, there is no fixed actuation point – though 2.0mm is the factory default. In certain mode like FPS this can go as low as 0.8mm, or 0.3mm under Rapid Trigger mode. The actuation range can be adjusted between 0.1mm all the way to 4.0mm (full distance).

Specifications

Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL White Edition

Full specifications available on product webpage.

Body Material	5052 brushed aluminum alloy
Form Factor	Tenkeyless (TKL)
Wrist Rest	Leatherette, magnetically attached
Keycap Material	Double-shot PBT
Switch Type	Razer Analog Optical Switch Gen-2 Actuation force: 40g (supports dual-step actuation) Pre-travel: Variable (0.1-4.0mm) Total travel: 4.0mm Lifespan: 100M keystrokes
Polling Rate	1000Hz
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)	Full-key NKRO
Anti-ghosting	Yes
Onboard Memory	6 profiles (2 preset + 4 customizable)
OS Support	Windows 10, Windows 11
Connectivity	Detachable wired braided cable, USB Type-C to USB Type-A No USB passthrough ports
Battery	None
Colors	Black White (as tested)
Dimensions	363 x 139 x 39 mm 363 x 224 x 39 mm (wrist rest included)
Weight	719.5g 933g (wrist rest included)

User Experience

There’s two ways of configuring the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, the first of which is via Razer Synapse. You won’t have to look for the download link, because Razer products have the tendency to just knock on your figurative front door as soon as you plug the USB into your PC (not that I’m a fan of this idea). In any case, once downloaded you’ll be greeted with several controls on offer through this keyboard, mainly surrounding analog controls.

Recently, Razer also added a new feature called Snap Tap – depending on who you ask, some may say this is basically cheating, while others may think this is at best a competitive advantage. How does it work, then? YouTube channel optimum explains it: in certain FPS games, a common technique to avoid getting hit by opponents is called “strafing”, which involves tapping opposing movement keys in rapid succession. This requires precise timing skill on the player’s part, as the keys can cancel each other if both keys are registered at the same time.

However, Snap Tap basically automates this by letting the next key press to automatically override regardless of your previous key’s actuation status. It’s commonly referred as “null bind” in competitive FPS communities, and some consider this illegal, while others don’t. The feature also works on another similar technique called “counter-strafing”, which decelerates the player faster from movement to enable precise shots by milliseconds sooner. It’s not a big advantage, but it’s there.

It’s still a hotly debated topic today as esports tournaments (like ESL responsible for CS2 tournaments) are still figuring out the legality of this feature, though the Pandora’s box is likely opened at this point, given that competitors like Wooting has also introduced a similar feature.

Side note, most of these options can be configured directly on the keyboard itself without Synapse installed on the system, though you’ll need to be pretty familiar with its rather complicated controls (there’s even a dedicated guide included in-box on how to do this). That being said, Razer noted that controller functionality requires Synapse running on the PC to emulate Xbox controller inputs.

The Good

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL has a lot going for it – the build is sturdy, the software customization is practically limitless, and you don’t necessarily have to always use Synapse if that’s not your cup of tea (though there are exceptions). The analog nature of this keyboard offers significantly more dimensions of play, with double actuation, variable actuation, Snap Tap, Rapid Trigger, and more features that provides a distinct competitive advantage.

In terms of typing feel, it’s what you expect out of the premium keyboards – generally smooth, and with the help of variable actuation, you can adjust this to better adapt to your typing styles. The media controls does the job, though you can customize it into basically anything: volume, microphone volume, page scroll, app switching, brightness controls, you name it. Same goes to most keys on the keyboard, so the sky is the limit here.

The Bad

For a high-end keyboard like this one, it’s might not be necessary to feature wireless functionality. Should that be the case, I’d at least hope to see a USB passthrough, which unfortunately isn’t present on this keyboard. Another oddity comes from the wrist rest – despite the faux leather look on the surface, there is virtually no cushion to your wrist. The only thing it does is putting your hand on an elevated position, which helps, but perhaps a cushioned layer would’ve made it better?

In terms of sound profile, I do find it on the loud side and also a bit higher-pitched than, say, the Corsair K70 CORE. Have a listen:

Razer hasn’t mentioned the use of sound dampeners for the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, and the sound profile does seem to reflect that. Since sound is subjective, you might want to give this one a try first to make sure if this sound profile is what you want.

One more thing – since this is an all-white keyboard, I’d suggest you to clean your hands first before using it. Dirt will easily get caught on by the PBT keycaps, which isn’t too worrying since you can always use a piece of cloth to rub it away, but you may end up doing this a lot if your hands are a particularly grimy one.

Verdict

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL White Edition costs RM1,149 (RM50 extra on top of the Black variant), which is not a cheap keyboard by any means – but for the price, you’re getting a whole lot of competitive advantage, with all the creature comforts that comes with it. Just don’t be surprised if someone on the other end of the multiplayer lobby calls you out for “cheating” though (assuming you’re good enough to wield the feature it offers).

Special thanks to Razer for sending us the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL White Edition for the purpose of this review.