The Best Backlit Keyboards (2022 Reviews)

Why should you get a backlit keyboard? Isn’t it just for bragging purposes?

Well, not exactly.

While it does offer PC users the ability to illuminate their keyboards for aesthetic reasons, a backlit keyboard also has a variety of functions.

For one, you won’t need to turn on the lights and disturb other people if you’re working late at night. Thanks to the backlighting, you can still press the right keys even with the surrounding darkness.

As for PC gamers, having this type of keyboard is important. There are backlit keyboards that allow per-key lighting – allowing players to organize various commands and sets of actions to optimize gameplay. Furthermore, what’s not to like about colorful and varied keyboard lighting to brighten the mood?

With that in mind, let’s identify the best-backlit keyboard and take a look at the products that truly went above and beyond the competition.

Top 5 Best Backlit Keyboards In 2022

Since all of us here regularly use PCs to work, relax, and play, we had a ton of fun reviewing these backlit keyboards. We expected some brands to be included, like Logitech and Corsair, but we were also surprised that we couldn’t include a Razer product in this shortlist. Take a look at our top five backlit keyboards below.

As you can see above, we only have one wireless keyboard and four of the wired type. Furthermore, this wireless product from Arteck is the single keyboard that managed to weigh less than half a pound.

Will it deliver just like other keyboards? Check out our individual reviews to find out the best backlit keyboard.

Logitech Illuminated Thin Keyboard K740 – Lightweight and Quiet Performance

best backlit keyboard in 2018

Our first backlit keyboard comes from none other than Logitech. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or you’re a casual PC user, you’ve most likely seen and used a product of the company. After all, Logitech is a brand that knows how to balance price and performance – basically becoming the go-to brand for affordable yet quality PC products.

The Logitech Illuminated Thin Keyboard K740 is a sleek black keyboard built to withstand regular typing. Thanks to its slender build, it readily complements a room or workplace with a minimalist and modern design. Specifically, the bulkiest part of this keyboard is merely 9.3 millimeters from the keyboard frame to the keys.

Not to mention, this keyboard is a full-sized keyboard despite its thin appearance – complete with full-size arrow keys and numpad.

Ideally, the illuminated keys should keep your typing procedures accurate and quick – even when the only light sources are the display screen and this keyboard. We have to commend Logitech for laser etching these backlit keys, assuring us that they won’t be faded and unappealing in the long run. Moreover, you have the option to manually adjust the brightness of the K740 keyboard. A brightness key is conveniently placed at the top right area of the product. This enables you to pick among three degrees of illumination. If you do not need the backlit feature, especially in the day, you can disable it. Just like in other keyboards, there are dedicated keys for adjusting and disabling the sound.

Looking closely at the keyboard, we noticed that the K740 used orange to easily display the FN functions. Thus, it’s very quick to use search and email functions, among others, using the function keys. We also saw that the Delete key is relatively bigger than usual, which is useful for many of us. The Insert key of the K740 backlit keyboard is placed at the top section, which ideally prevents accidentally pressing it.

Likewise, the shortcut keys are fully customizable, thanks to the brand’s SetPoint technology. This should be good news for office workers and gamer alike.

Keeping in tune with the slender build of the Logitech K740 backlit keyboard, the company included its PerfectStroke key system to keep each press as smooth and quiet as possible.

This technological feature is meant to lower the clacking sounds that might distract other people in the office or in the room. In addition, you might notice that there’s a bar right below the keys of the K740 backlit keyboard.

That section is a built-in palm rest. If you’ve worked long hours looking at a computer screen typing without much rest, your hands and wrists probably felt uncomfortable afterward. With this soft, rubber-coated palm rest, your hands will be adequately elevated while your wrists get to stay relaxed. Lastly, the Logitech K740 backlit keyboard has a three-year warranty.

best keyboards in 2018

Now, with all of the pretty amazing features of the Logitech Illuminated Thin Keyboard K740, we had to test their durability and actual performance. As expected, this backlit keyboard didn’t let us down. The keyboard layout felt good to the touch as soon as we laid our hands on them. As for the illumination, we can readily say that the letters of the keys glow adequately.

Whether we were directly facing our screens or just laid back a bit, we could see the backlit keys we needed to press. Even when sunlight hits the keyboard, we could still see the illumination as long as the brightness level is at its peak. Several of us prefer to just look at the screen while typing phrases and full-on paragraphs, so the illumination can be used by our peripheral vision to hit the right keys even without directly looking at them.

In other words, this is a stellar backlit keyboard for people used to touch typing.

While the K740 backlit keyboard isn’t entirely silent, it’s far from being noisy too. Each press is as fluid and quiet as possible. You definitely won’t annoy anyone with fast-paced typing. Speaking of typing, the palm rest really does work wonders. It somehow reduced the stress we felt while constantly typing, and it improved our performance because of our hand and wrist placement. On another note, hardcore gamers might not find this as the best gaming computer keyboard or even as a Logitech gaming keyboard due to the more or less standard key layout. Then again, the inclusion of hotkeys should make this useful enough for light and non-competitive gaming.

While it says that only those who use Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 can use the Logitech K740 backlit keyboard, the Linux enthusiasts in our team were able to enjoy the K740 too. While not every function works with Linux, this is definitely an unexpectedly good backlit keyboard for enthusiasts of this system.

Now, you might find it odd that the special key functions are backlit in orange instead of the function keys, but Logitech had a solution to let users spot the right function keys. While “F1” to “F12” does not illuminate compared to the email and search function indicators on the same keys, the function keys are grouped in fours so you can feel them despite the lack of illumination.

Overall, there is a lot to love about the Logitech K740 backlit keyboard.

Apart from its lightweight and elegant design that makes it easy to store in a standard backpack, the K740 manages to be a full-sized keyboard with remarkably good and adjustable key illumination. The laser-etched keys look beautiful, and the construction feels both superior and practical.

What We Liked

  • Lightweight, sleek yet full-sized keyboard design
  • Adjustable and precise brightness
  • Relatively quiet typing
  • Soft palm rest improves performance

What We Didn’t Like

  • Not ideal for hardcore or competitive gaming

Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard – Ultra-Portable with Beautiful Illumination

best keyboard in 2018

The next backlit keyboard comes from Arteck. The HB030B is the only ergonomic wireless keyboard in the list, but it can readily compete with the other wired entries.

At just a third of a pound, the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard is one of the lightest backlit keyboards we’ve ever had. Even if you just have a small backpack or a messenger back, we’re confident that this backlit keyboard would comfortably fit inside. It essentially has an ultra-slim design for increased portability.

The front panel of the Arteck HB030B has a brushed finish using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) while the back shell is constructed with high-grade Zinc alloy for durability and resistance to corrosion. Along with the Arteck Bluetooth keyboard, the package will also include a USB cable, a guide, and a two-year warranty.

As for the backlighting feature, the Arteck HB030B features blue LED illumination. Of course, Arteck offers seven different colors: cyan, purple, bright green, soft green, deep blue, soft blue, and red. Take note that you can choose between two brightness levels to suit your preferences. Also, this backlit keyboard is made to be used across various operating systems and products.

An incompatibility acknowledged by Arteck is with the Windows 8 Mobile OS. The brand also noted that the Caps Lock indicator won’t always work for those using gadgets with the Android 4.4 OS – but it will function as always. Otherwise, this portable backlit keyboard should work with iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OS. In fact, the HB030B has function keys dedicated to each of these systems. As long as your device has Bluetooth support, pairing it with the HB030B should be quick and easy.

Since the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard is a wireless backlit keyboard, it needs to have a reliable battery. Thankfully, this product uses an industrial grade and rechargeable Li-polymer battery. With just one charge, the HB030B could ideally be used for two hours every single day for six months. In addition, the keyboard is power efficient as the backlight automatically turns off upon detecting inactivity.

With this Bluetooth backlit keyboard, we included our tablets and smartphones apart from the desktops and laptops. Amazingly enough, pairing and re-connecting the HB030B with them was easy as long as the operating systems were compatible with it. From a Samsung Galaxy S6 to a Windows tablet, the performance was as accurate as ever.

We suppose that we got things working immediately because the instruction manual of the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard provided the directions we need. However, we do hope that they will further expound on the troubleshooting section concerning connectivity. This backlit keyboard is made to pair with a lot of devices with different operating systems, to detailed and specific troubleshooting information would greatly help.

Many of us type really fast, and the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard managed to capture all of them. There were no dropped characters whatsoever. Also, the light weight of the HB030B backlit keyboard makes it easy to carry around.

The inclusion of several function keys helped to improve the speed of our operations. There were dedicated keys for searching, selecting, pasting, going to the home screen, and even going in sleep or lock mode.

In addition, the battery life of this backlit keyboard is alright. Its duration is dependent on how bright you want the keyboard to be and how far it is from the device you paired it with. Thus, it’s wise and practical to illuminate it only when you really want the visual flair. Still, this is a significantly affordable backlit keyboard that surprisingly delivers with a commendable battery life – working for around six hours of gaming.

Speaking of visual flair, the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard produces some spectacular colors. They look good to the eyes and they really give your computer setup life. Activating them and changing the colors is not hard to do at all, and the illumination is enough to keep your typing accurate in the dark.

Overall, the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard is a fantastic choice for those looking for a backlit keyboard that won’t break the bank. It’s affordable, has a decent battery life, offers ample and beautiful illumination, and it captures each keystroke precisely with many types of paired devices.

What We Liked

  • Beautiful colors to choose from
  • Ample illumination
  • Connects and reconnects quickly with many devices
  • Captures each keystroke precisely

What We Didn’t Like

  • Instruction manual could be further improved

Redragon K552 KUMARA Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Satisfying Feedback and Typing Sounds

best keyboards

Next up, we have the Redragon K552 KUMARA Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. The name does sound intimidating at first, but it’s actually a great and surprisingly minimalist pick for any keyboard user.

Weighing at 2.2 pounds, the Redragon K552 KUMARA Mechanical Gaming Keyboard isn’t the lightest product we have, but its form makes it look lighter than that.

The design of this cheap mechanical gaming keyboard is made for people who want illumination along with a minimalist keyboard. The keys of the Redragon K552 KUMARA are durable to live up to being a mechanical keyboard. After all, there’s nothing better than hearing the clacks of each keystroke using such a product.

Such a keyboard should have great resistance, audible typing sounds, and sufficient feedback. It only makes sense for the Redragon backlit keyboard to have metal and ABS construction – and even a splash-proof design.

There’s a full N-key rollover that essentially scans the whole hardware to assure that each and every keystroke is accurate.

Even if you press or hold down several keys at the same time, this full N-key rollover feature takes note of the activated keys. To help video gamers, Redragon included custom mechanical switches. This feature enables the pairing of each key to an individual switch to enhance feedback, both in the aural and tactile sense.

The switches can be identified with a different color and feel.

This Redragon backlit keyboard simply wants its users to have a sturdy mechanical keyboard that also provides sufficient illumination. Speaking of lighting, the red illumination of the Redragon K552 KUMARA Mechanical Gaming Keyboard can is fully adjustable.

Regardless of the lighting level you choose, you are guaranteed to have the finest backlighting, all thanks to the utilization of double-shot injection molding for the 87 keycaps. In addition, these keys are built to withstand ghosting and key conflicts. Another gaming-related feature they have is a USB connector that’s been plated with gold to survive intense gaming.

The Redragon K552 KUMARA Mechanical Gaming Keyboard lives up to its name by providing us with the satisfying clicking sounds with each keypress. This could be the best mechanical keyboard for gaming. Likewise, this product does work as a backlit keyboard. Instead of being annoyingly bright, the red lighting of the K552 KUMARA keyboard is easy to the eyes regardless of the illumination level we pick.

It’s a testament to the benefits of having double-shot injection molded keycaps. The only thing we really need now is the inclusion of a wrist rest, but that’s already asking for too much for such an affordable backlit mechanical keyboard.

Furthermore, the Redragon backlit keyboard feels absolutely solid.

It’s clearly made to withstand the grueling gaming sessions of many PC owners. Even how the keys were raised added more aesthetic improvements While some people might find the standard key layout boring, we think that it matches the minimalist principle of the K552 KUMARA Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.

There are no oversized keys and there are no unusual layouts to get used to. This just simply delivers as the best mechanical keyboard for typing and as the best mechanical gaming keyboard.

What We Liked

  • Great clicking sounds from a mechanical keyboard
  • Red illumination is adjustable and easy to the eyes
  • Full N-key rollover feature
  • Double-shot injection molding for the 87 keycaps

What We Didn’t Like

  • Could have a wrist rest in addition

Azio KB505U Large Print Tri-Color Keyboard – Stable and Effectively Reduces Eyestrain

best keyboard with lights

From a red backlit keyboard, let’s look at a backlit keyboard that offers three different illuminations.

The Azio KB505U Large Print Tri-Color Keyboard isn’t exactly a popular choice for people looking for a backlit keyboard, but it definitely deserves more attention. One of the most notable features of this product is that the relatively larger size of the print keys compared to average keyboards.

It serves two purposes: to enhance productivity and to prevent your eyes from feeling strained. It’s certainly not unusual for users to look at their keyboards before typing to look for the right key to press. If the print is small, this all adds up to wasted time.

With a huge print on each of the keys, it’s significantly easier to find the right key. Add to this the fact that they are backlit, and you will no longer worry about pressing the wrong keys at work or while playing.

With the Azio KB505U Large Print Tri-Color Keyboard, you can pick red, blue, or purple for your illumination.

Personally, the blue lighting looks both incredible and soothing to the eyes – perfect for working or playing late at night. The cord of this Azio backlit keyboard is five feet long, which is more than enough. Lastly, there are hotkeys designed to quickly access common functions and for browsing multimedia faster.

In terms of durability, the Azio KB505U Large Print Tri-Color Keyboard works. We seriously commend the company for the simple yet significantly useful utilization of large print keys. Many people who are not yet familiar with typing without looking at the keys will value this feature.

This backlit keyboard is affordable and reliable. If you’re wondering about the backspace key that’s sometimes too short for comfort, we’re glad to note that this has a full-sized backspace key. We liked the red and purple colors, but the heavy favorite was clearly the blue illumination.

In addition, you don’t have to worry about the keyboard moving due to fast and hard pressing. There are four rubber feet at the front and two at the back that keep the Azio KB505U Large Print Tri-Color Keyboard as stable as possible.

In fact, the back area’s two feet can be raised depending on your preference. Another thing we appreciated is the palm rest. It can get pretty tiring to use the computer all day, so this is a useful feature for relaxing our hands.

Still, we do hope that the instruction manual was enhanced.

Not everyone can figure out things by themselves, and they don’t want to press anything randomly out of fear of doing something wrong. Here’s a quick tip from us: turning off the Azio backlit keyboard means pressing the same button you use to switch to red, blue, or purple for about five seconds.

Overall, the Azio KB505U Large Print Tri-Color Keyboard is a great keyboard that’s useful for both work and gaming – all thanks to the large print keys and the palm rest.

What We Liked

  • Three colors to choose from
  • Large print keys to lessen eyestrain
  • Palm rest
  • Rubber feet for stability

What We Didn’t Like

  • Instruction manual could be improved

Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard – Fantastic Backlit Keyboard for Gamers

best illuminated keyboard

To cap off our list of backlit keyboard reviews, we have an incredible backlit gaming keyboard from one of the most prominent companies dedicated to building products for the gaming community.

The Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard looks absolutely beautiful as one of the best gaming keyboards 2020.

It’s definitely packed with features, yet it still weighs just 1.8 pounds. For one, it features a three-zone dynamic RGB backlighting. If that wasn’t enough, this Corsair backlit keyboard offers more than 10 lighting patterns. Thus, it goes beyond providing single-color lighting and gives you several preconfigured illumination effects.

Of course, users can still choose static backlighting, which is more appropriate if you’re working and just need a backlight. For gamers, they will most likely prefer the multicolor patterns to match the intensity of gaming.

Instead of choosing to have clacking sounds of the mechanical keyboard, the gaming keyboard Corsair built wants to be as quiet as possible.

Performance doesn’t always have to mean being loud, so this Corsair backlit keyboard relies on quiet yet responsive keys that have anti-ghosting protection. In addition, there are six macro keys that can be programmed for combos, key remaps, and other nifty actions – you don’t even have to get another software to make this happen.

Likewise, gamers will appreciate how much Corsair took note of their audio needs. There are multimedia controls in the Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard that allow volume adjustment without having to pause the game. Moreover, the rubber wrist rest is not only delicate but also detachable.

For stability, there are adjustable feet at the bottom section. Finally, this gaming keyboard has a Windows Key Lock mode to prevent accidentally exiting the game.

If you want a keyboard that ultimately feels like it’s truly fully-sized, get the Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard.

While this isn’t the most popular gaming keyboard,  it is sizable and quite amazing to behold. Despite this appearance, this backlit keyboard manages to be very light for carrying. However, was it durable? In short: Yes. Whether we typed very fast or slowly, there was barely any keyboard flex.

Still, one has to accept that this isn’t a mechanical-type keyboard. Instead, this is a membrane keyboard that does not have individual keys and relies on pressure parts. Thus, it won’t be as quickly and accurately responsive as the most remarkable mechanical keyboards. Despite this, the Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard is enjoyable to regularly use.

You don’t have to press hard for the keys to work. Then again, we hoped that the wrist rest was made of soft rubber than just textured plastic.

Let’s move on to the backlighting aspect of this Corsair keyboard. Each of the three sections of this backlit keyboard has a number of pre-configured settings for you to choose from.

You can have the whole keyboard with a single color or have dazzling three colors for each section shift depending on your chosen speed. Consequently, the six macro keys and the playback controls worked fine.

What We Liked

  • RGB colors are fantastic and have preconfigured settings
  • Performs well as a membrane keyboard
  • Full-sized and almost no keyboard flex experienced
  • Multimedia controls

What We Didn’t Like

  • Wrist rest is textured plastic

Conclusion

In the end, we have two recommendations. If you’re looking for a keyboard to provide ample illumination while you browse movies or strive to be productive late at night in different places, you should get the Arteck HB030B Universal Slim Bluetooth Keyboard. This is an extremely portable backlit keyboard that’s compatible with a variety of devices.

Furthermore, keystrokes are precisely captured and the illumination is arguably beautiful.

If you’re more of a hardcore gamer, the best-backlit keyboard for you is the Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard. With its preconfigured settings, RGB illumination, multimedia controls, and highly responsive fully-sized membrane keyboard, gaming is a smooth and fun experience.

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Justin Stuart
Justin Stuart

Justin is the head writer for My Tech Reviewer and he ensures that readers always get what they are looking for. He's a hard worker and spends more hours writing for My Tech Reviewer than he works at his part-time electrician job.

Justin Stuart

Justin is the head writer for My Tech Reviewer and he ensures that readers always get what they are looking for. He's a hard worker and spends more hours writing for My Tech Reviewer than he works at his part-time electrician job.