Corsair has consistently put out my favorite gaming keyboards for the last several years. From the full-sized K70 to the compact powerhouse K65, whenever I need a new keyboard the answer has always been Corsair. Even while I was comfortable with what they already had on offer, though, the team at Corsair has continued to revolutionise and energise their line of competitive keyboard gear. The Vanguard Pro 96 packs in so many new features and upgrades I hadn’t ever considered needing in a keyboard, but now that I have them, I don’t see myself ever going with anything else.
I wasn’t sure if the 96% layout would be for me, at first. I got quite comfortable with how compact and minimal the 75% layout of my K65 was. With the Vanguard Pro 96, though, Corsair has struck a really nice balance that has left me more than happy. You’ve got pretty much the full range of keys you’d expect on here, but with the middle column and space between the arrow-keys and numpad stripped away, they all equally occupy space across the keyboard in a clean, compact way. What’s amazing is that alongside those keys, Corsair have managed to include a rotary volume dial, a 1.9-inch LCD screen display, and a row of 6 programmable macro keys to boot.
The macro keys are so smartly designed – the keyboard has sloped and curved edges instead of flat straight edges, and the macro key row is nestled alongside the left edge of the keyboard along that slope. As a result, your macro keys are easy to see and easy to tap without being too hidden away or, worse, adding the bulk of extra keys to the main layout.
I love the look of the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 keyboard a lot. At first, those soft raised edges of the sturdy aluminum frame betrayed the minimal design I was so used to prioritizing in my choice of keyboard. I cared less and less about that preference the more I used this keyboard, though, eventually coming around to loving how the slightly more expressive frame really draws the eye and makes the keyboard feel just a bit more premium. It matches up perfectly with the soft edges of the provided wrist-pad, too.
If there’s one design flaw I had to point out, though, it would be the USB-C port placement. The port is nestled underneath the middle of the keyboard, but you also need to pinch and thread your cable between two small plastic hooks to properly insert it. Once it’s there, it’s secure and neatly tucked away – but in moments where I had to unplug and replug the USB-C, it definitely caused a bit of an annoyance.
I’m blown away by how good the MGX magnetic switches and double-shot PBT keycaps feel on this keyboard. It’s my first experience with a hall effect keyboard, as I’ve only engaged with hall effect technology in the context of game console controllers. There’s a soft yet sturdy clack to each stroke of the key, and that spacebar press is full of satisfying weight and emphasis each time I click it. The keys never betray my typing speed or heavy hand, and they’re plenty reliable in high-pressure games of Apex Legends or Arc Raiders.
The big thrill with magnetic switch technology is that you’re able to customise them to really get the feel and sensitivity you need. The switches on the Vanguard Pro 96 have a 4.0mm travel distance, but you can adjust them in the Corsair software to hit anywhere from 4.0mm to 0.1mm.
Like some of their other new peripherals, the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 is only customizable via a new lightweight web portal – no more iCue software download required. It’s a relief to be able to get a bit of software bloat removed from my PC, and once you’re in that web portal, you’ve got just as many exhaustive customisation options as you would have expected from the download software. The keyboard RGB is fully customizable, of course, and your programmable macro keys can be set up here to drive anything from daily tasks to in-game macro actions. Smartly, you can even customise and save multiple layers of macro setups, swapping between them depending on what you’re up to. This is also where you can adjust the actuation and reset points for the magnetic switches individually.
It really is so impressive just how much is packed into the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96. Blending an almost full keyboard layout with additional macro keys, a volume dial, a display screen, and even a dedicated Stream Deck button is a lot – but to have all of that come together and still feel like it’s compactly and cleanly contained in this 96% frame is downright marvellous. In a world where so many options for gaming hardware feel like they’re conceding one feature to make room for another, there are no concessions with this keyboard. Well, besides maybe that awkward USB port placement.