To the keen eyed amongst you, first appearances of the BlackWidow Elite will highlight one big difference from the previous version immediately; the key switches are suspended above the metal backplate, instead of being sunken into a plastic surround, this changes the appearance more than any other aspect, but for the better, we think.
Other notable differences are the lack of Macro keys along the left edge and a massively cut down chassis size.
Adding the wrist rest increases the keyboard’s footprint considerably, though also improves posture and comfort. The wrist rest is padded and coated with leatherette for a premium feel. This is something we praised the BlackWidow Chroma V2 heavily for so it’s good to see it carried over.
With the keys now sitting above the backplate, keeping the ‘board clean should be a much simpler task. Razer have also moved the USB 2.0 and 3.5mm passthrough to the left side instead of the right, this should help right-handed players if you tend to play with the mouse close to the keyboard.
The wrist rest is still held in place with magnets along the front edge, but this time Razer have designed the angles in such a way that the height can be adjusted without fixing anything in place.
The base of the keyboard has seen some improvements. First off, cable management has been implemented, allowing you to protrude the cable out the rear of the keyboard, or trace it along the channels to come out of the left or right side.
Secondly, the stand-off feet now feature three height options, starting at 26mm when flat, 32mm on the small feet and 39mm at full extension.
Other notable differences are the lack of Macro keys along the left edge and a massively cut down chassis size.
Adding the wrist rest increases the keyboard’s footprint considerably, though also improves posture and comfort. The wrist rest is padded and coated with leatherette for a premium feel. This is something we praised the BlackWidow Chroma V2 heavily for so it’s good to see it carried over.
With the keys now sitting above the backplate, keeping the ‘board clean should be a much simpler task. Razer have also moved the USB 2.0 and 3.5mm passthrough to the left side instead of the right, this should help right-handed players if you tend to play with the mouse close to the keyboard.
The wrist rest is still held in place with magnets along the front edge, but this time Razer have designed the angles in such a way that the height can be adjusted without fixing anything in place.
The base of the keyboard has seen some improvements. First off, cable management has been implemented, allowing you to protrude the cable out the rear of the keyboard, or trace it along the channels to come out of the left or right side.
Secondly, the stand-off feet now feature three height options, starting at 26mm when flat, 32mm on the small feet and 39mm at full extension.
