Compact dimensions are the key selling point for tenkeyless keyboards, particularly when they sit within premium price brackets. K70 RGB TKL shaves over 100mm of width from the K100 RGB, while also making it slightly shorter from front to back. It’s even more compact than the tenkeyless K63 when the latter has its wrist-rest removed, underscoring the clear design focus. Its footprint on a desk is thus much smaller, making it a good alternative for cramped gaming spaces that need room for a mouse to move but not going to the same lengths as the recently released K65 RGB Mini 65%.
There's a subtle departure from K65 and K63 TKL implementations as each media key is raised from the aluminium frame and separated by small raised buffers rather than appearing as discrete circular buttons. The position of these keys is reversed compared to the K100 (where they were located just above the number pad), having the secondary effect of making them usable as makeshift macro keys. Capslock and Scroll Lock indicator LEDs are recessed into the frame, but bright when illuminated.
CORSAIR are continuing to use the revised keycap typeface introduced with the K100. It’s less stylised, far clearer and makes less use of abbreviations for functions like Home and Page Up compared to the K95 and previous generations.
Textured alternative keycaps for ‘gaming zone’ keys - i.e. WASD and QWERDF - make a return too. Some of these keycaps are asymmetrically contoured with one edge noticeably higher than the others, cradling where you rest your fingers. Textured keycaps were absent from the K100 bundle but saw widespread use in prior generations.
Removing the keycaps lays bare the CHERRY MX RGB switch. This ‘Red’ low force linear variant has a clear housing and red stem, making them clearly distinguishable from standard MX Reds. The K70 RGB TKL is also available with MX Speed and MX Silent switches, but not CORSAIR’s new OPX optical-mechanical switches.
One under-appreciated aspect of CORSAIR’s keyboard designs is how easy they are to clean. Removing each keycap is easy, and the unibody chassis dispenses with the usual nooks and crannies where crumbs, dust and hair can build up.
