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Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market?
Gold Pokdeward
10
Review

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market?

by December 13, 2017
Positives

+ Simple design is perfect for use anywhere
+ Nice touches like the attached USB cap and integrated keycap puller are nice to see
+ Driver software is convenient to use for lighting customizations or macro assignments
+ RGB illumination is bright
+ Oetemu Brown switches are good
+ Full NKRO is great for button-mashing games
+ Doubleshot ABS keycaps will be quite durable
+ Affordable

Negatives

- Fixed USB cable without visible stress relief
- Stabilizers are noisy

Pokde Scoreboard
Pokde Rating
Appearance
9.0
Features
9.0
Materials
8.0
Performance
8.7
Portability
8.0
Value
8.8
Bottom Line

The Tecware Phantom RGB is an excellent choice at its price point, offering RGB lighting, good Oetemu switches and a driver software for easy macro recording and assignments.

8.6
Pokde Rating
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Introduction

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Mechanical keyboards are becoming more and more accessible. While they were once the playthings of those with deeper pockets, they have been increasingly affordable as of late. This has been accelerated with Chinese brands producing cheaper switches, and Chinese OEMs packing the cheaper switches into cheaper keyboards. Today we will be taking a look at the Tecware Phantom RGB, a mechanical keyboard that comes in at half the price of your popular RGB mechanical keyboards, and is actually more affordable than the recently reviewed Razer Cynosa Chroma, which is a membrane keyboard.

Unboxing

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 22

The packaging looks pretty sleek, with white text on an all-black surface. The keyboard’s image is UV coated onto the black surface, giving off a very premium vibe. Of course, they did not forget to print the words RGB in a colorful frame.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 23

Moving on to the back, you will see that Tecware is pretty generous with the information regarding this keyboard. So you have SMD RGB LEDs, modular mechanical switches, doubleshot ABS keycaps and a gold-plated USB connector. Not really stuff you find on the lower end of the price spectrum, but well, it’s all here. There is even  a driver software for this keyboard, which is even rarer at this price point.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 24

In the box you get the Tecware Phantom RGB, spare Oetemu Brown switches, switch puller and the user manual.

Appearance

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Once out of the box, the Tecware Phantom RGB is pretty standard looking. Low key even. There isn’t a Tecware logo on the top panel. You get the full 104 keys and not a single key more. The keys are mounted directly on the gunmetal grey backplate for a “floating key” design which is great for maintenance. The bezels are also very narrow, resulting in a minimal footprint for a full-length keyboard.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 26

The side of the keyboard feature a cutout which reminds me of my daily driver, the MasterKeys Pro S, which also sports a similar cutout. The edges are also trimmed for a keyboard that is actually octagonal and not a plain ol’ rectangle. The only branding visible on this keyboard is the word PHANTOM emblazoned on the front edge.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 27

The underside of the Tecware Phantom RGB is where things get interesting. While you usually get keycap pullers with most of the better mechanical keyboards, this is the first time I have seen one integrated into the bottom of the keyboard. The cable is non-removable, but the Tecware Phantom RGB features routing channels to help you do some cable management.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 28

Taking a closer look at the cable, you will see that this a really good quality cable. Solid, tight weave for the sleeving, and the gold plated connector even comes with a cap that is attached to the grip. Usually you will lose this kind of connector covers, but not this one here since it’s attached to the body of the connector itself.

The Tecware Phantom RGB doesn’t really awe in terms of looks, but hey, there really isn’t much flexibility in terms of keyboard designs anyway. Unless you want to slap on excessive bezels just to add more flair to it. Well, no thanks, I like my keyboards compact and clean, and the Tecware Phantom RGB is great the way it looks right now.

Specifications

Body material Plastic with aluminium top plate
Keycap Doubleshot ABS
USB report rate 125/250/500/1000 Hz
Switch type Oetemu Brown RGB
KRO NKRO
Anti-ghosting Yes
Microprocessor N/A
Cable 1.8m braided, non-detachable, gold-plated connector
Weight 1140 g
Included accessories Keycap puller, switch puller, 4x replacement switches, user guide

User Experience

Like any keyboard, it works as soon as you connect the USB connector to a vacant USB port on your system. You can use it without installing the driver software, but I definitely recommend doing so. I don’t really see the point of having RGB if you aren’t looking to customize it. The driver software can be downloaded here. For those who are going to use this keyboard with any other OS, the user manual actually has a nifty guide to allow you to take advantage of all the features.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 29

The UI looks pretty good. It’s simple and everything you want is within a click or two. While it may not be offer too many features, do take into account that most of its peers in this price range don’t even have a driver software. You get a choice of 19 lighting modes, choose whether you want the effects to go through all 16.7 million colors or just a single color, and you also get the option to tweak the speed and even direction of the effects in certain effects. My personal favorite is the Hurricane effect, which has the colors spin around the center of the keyboard. Macro programming is very easy but I admit to taking an extremely long time to discover how to assign my macros.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 30

The software is actually split into two parts, the LED Editing Mode and the Macro Editing Mode. However Tecware didn’t really make it clear, so the way to assign macros is actually to click on Disabled LED Editing Mode, and you will be in Macro Editing Mode. Here you just need to click any key to reassign its function, assign a macro or even program any key to work as media keys or shortcuts when you press it together with the Fn key. The selection of shortcuts and media controls are limited, and they are the same ones as the ones already available on the F1 – F11 keys.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 31

Now that we are done with the software, what about the RGB illumination? This is Tecware’s first RGB keyboard, and they did well by going with SMD LEDs. Not like they have a choice when they decided to go with removable switches, but SMD LEDs are usually more reliable than standard through hole LEDs. However due to the grey backplate, the colors won’t diffuse all over the keyboard. The legends on the keys are well illuminated, but that’s about it. You don’t really get the sexy glow I have come to expect from RGB keyboards. The keycaps here are doubleshot ABS so I doubt I will be changing them anytime soon. It’s nice to see that Tecware didn’t just go with the most popular China OEM for these doubleshot ABS keycaps, as I have seen hideous ones on quite a few keyboards in the budget price range.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 32

The typing experience on the Tecware Phantom RGB is pretty good. While Oetemu Brown switches are rated at 45g of actuation force, I am not too sure about their specifications as they are tangibly stiffer than my Cherry MX Brown RGB. Most keyboard enthusiasts will tell you that Cherry’s RGB switches pale in comparison with the non-RGB version, but I had both kinds of Cherry Brown switches, and I don’t remember them being this stiff at 45g. The tactile bump is quite noticeable on these Oetemu Brown switches, actually more so than on my Cherry MX Brown RGB switches. The keys also have very little wobble to them, a sign that these switches are built to fine tolerances. I actually started my review with some skepticism about what Oetemu can bring to the table, but after typing out my research manuscript, my fair share of articles here and also this review, I must say Oetemu offers an excellent experience that doesn’t suck in comparison to Cherry switches.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 33

You do get full NKRO here and Windows will detect as many keys as you can mash in one go, even if its 104 keys. There is also no ghosting to speak of, so you get 100% of your keypresses off. No more blaming the keyboard for failed skill casts, as it’s all you.

Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 34

If I were to complain about my experience with the Tecware Phantom RGB, it’s the stabilizers. They sound pretty loose. I do like that the stabilizers here are all Cherry stabilizers, which makes keycap removal and replacement easier than it is with Costar stabilizers. The doubleshot keycaps are also rather thin, contributing to some additional noise.

Conclusion

With the price tag in mind, this is an amazing keyboard. Sure, there a few flaws here and there like the hollow body and slightly confusing UI in the driver software, but hey, its an RM219 keyboard we are talking about here. For RM219, you are getting RGB illumination, solid Oetemu switches that can be replaced at a moment’s notice, doubleshot keycaps that don’t suck, and a nifty software to let you customize the Tecware Phantom RGB to your heart’s content. Is it worth the money? Hell yes! This is an amazing entry into the world of mechanical keyboards. I can’t wait until Tecware updates their TKL boards with RGB as well. Now, that would be my perfect keyboard. With that said, this is definitely a keyboard worthy of our Gold Pokdeward!

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Tecware Phantom RGB mechanical keyboard review; best value keyboard in the market? 21

About The Author
Vyncent Chan
Technology enthusiast, casual gamer, pharmacy graduate. Strongly opposes proprietary standards and always on the look out for incredible bang-for-buck.
10 Comments
  • Travis Thorne
    October 21, 2018 at 2:12 am

    I love your reviews but there was something I could not find out no matter how much I’ve searched online, does this keyboard support per key custom RGB backlighting, in other words can you set any key on the keyboard to any of the 16.8 million colors? I want to make my own custom patterns like flags, constellations, etc.

    • Vyncent Chan
      October 22, 2018 at 10:59 am

      Hi, yes it does. As you can see in our screenshot of the software, there is a Custom mode in which you can customize the keyboard yourself :)

      • Travis Thorne
        October 23, 2018 at 9:11 pm

        Oh thank you! I am getting the keyboard, I was trying to compare it to the Rosewill K81 and K85 have you tried those keyboards (they have LCD on the outer rim of the keyboard also) and have you found the Phantom to be better than those? And in the custom mode you mentioned do you see a full spectrum of colors and you can click in it to pick the colors you want for each key, or you could just set the RGB values for each channel, between 0-255 for each of the three channels? Thanks!

        • Travis Thorne
          October 24, 2018 at 4:13 pm

          Also, which Oetemu switches do you recommend for maximum longevity- blue, red or brown? I had heard that reds last the longest but based on what you wrote it sounds like Oetemu browns might be the best?

          • Vyncent Chan
            October 24, 2018 at 6:24 pm

            Well, I have never had a problem with longevity when it comes to mechanical keyboards. Logically, the Red switches should last longest, because it doesn’t involve any physical parts touching each other to give you a tactile feel. I personally prefer Brown switches because they feel amazing to me, but that’s actually a very subjective matter. Some prefer Blue, some prefer Brown and some prefer Red. :)

        • Vyncent Chan
          October 24, 2018 at 6:31 pm

          If I am not mistaken, you can assign the RGB values. And I have not tried any of the Rosewill keyboards, unfortunately.

          • Travis Thorne
            October 24, 2018 at 11:45 pm

            Thanks, I think this keyboard might be more durable. About the switches, I think the Red switches would be most durable too, however they all have the same rated 50 million key presses I think. Either way it shouldn’t matter because on this keyboard the switches can be replaced. I picked the Brown switches as you did because I am not an amazing typist but I love to write and sometimes I need to peek down to see if I am keying the right letter lol.

          • Travis Thorne
            October 24, 2018 at 11:47 pm

            The only thing that I can see the Rosewill keyboards have that these dont is rim lighting, but you only get limited choices with, either a solid single color or the rainbow effect. It does move around the edges of the keyboard but I think it might distract from the keyboard lights. Also, they use Kailh switches so I dont know how those compare to the Outemu ones,

          • Vyncent Chan
            October 26, 2018 at 2:39 pm

            Hm, I would say Kailh are better Outemu, but just barely… I would love the rim effect though!

  • Travis Thorne
    October 21, 2018 at 2:19 am

    Does this keyboard support per key RGB lighting, that is can any of the keys be assigned any of the 16.8 million colors? Thanks!

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