Fnatic miniSTREAK Review

👤by Weston Dakin Comments 📅31-07-18
Conclusion

The Fnatic miniSTREAK is a superb keyboard with minimal flaws. The design is quite subdued with just a few minor nods its gaming credentials, the build quality is brilliant and it just feels very solid and well put together. It is also very comfortable to use daily and for gaming thanks to the padded wrist rest that also has more functionality than meets the eye. This functionality comes in the form of adjustments, of which there are three to select from, this provides great scope to maximise comfort. Then the extra little touches further help to solidify its standing as a gaming keyboard, these additions are the FN lock and competition mode. The FN lock essentially turns the media keys into dedicated media keys which usually requires an FN input to work. This is great as it removes an extra input and makes using them for media that much better. Competition mode is also brilliant if you want to disable all the distractions and just focus on gaming, this button can be customised using the software. The final strong suit is the switches - Cherry MX Red Silent in this case, which just are great for gaming. They offer a linear response combined with speed and fluidity, plus they don’t have the same audible noise as the regular Reds which makes them ideal for streaming.

The miniSTREAK isn’t without fault though, and there are a few things that could have been better. RGB is one instance that we feel could have been stronger. The effects are great and the illumination is vivid enough, it’s just that there are a few spots where the illumination isn’t full and also the whites have a magenta hue. Another minor drawback is the lack of a USB pass-through, it would have been a nice inclusion at the price point and would have brought it more in-line with the STREAK. The final slight negative point is the software, it’s easy to use and very well styled, but it’s just missing a few features that can be found in some rival suites. On a more positive note, the software is in the early access phase, and there is a likely chance that these features could be added down the line.

Ultimately the Fnatic miniSTREAK is a superb gaming keyboard that is well priced and almost matches its larger sibling in terms of features, but yet is more compact. Also, the Silent Red switches would make this an ideal choice for gamers and streamers that don’t like the sounds that sometimes accompany mechanical switches.


Fnatic have done a top-notch job with the miniSTREAK as it performs like a champ, but also doesn’t skimp on the creature comforts that help make this full-featured gaming keyboard.

Pros
+ Brilliant gaming performance
+ Compact form factor is great for small desks
+ Strong build quality
+ Removable and adjustable wrist rest
+ Comfortable to use daily
+ FN lock and competition mode feature

Neutral
+- RGB illumination is a mixed bag
+- Software is short on features in comparison to some rivals

Cons
- No USB pass-through


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