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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 10, 2026

Royal Kludge A72 HE vs Steelseries Apex Pro Mini

Get the Royal Kludge A72 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Royal Kludge A72 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the bottom 45% of 65% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
  • 65% layout. No function row and no numpad.

Get the

Steelseries Apex Pro Mini

Build quality in the bottom 35% of 60% boards at any price.

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
  • Compact layout only. No function row, dedicated arrow keys, or numpad.

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

Royal Kludge A72 HE

Steelseries Apex Pro Mini

  • Layout size

    65%

    60%

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    Yes

    No

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Rapid trigger

    Yes

    No

    Faster resets help in games and not in normal typing

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Hot-swappable

    Yes

    No

    Switch changes without soldering

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Royal Kludge A72 HE
  • Steelseries Apex Pro Mini
Performance
93
58
Build quality
60
55
Productivity
83
58
Customizability
73
46
Portability
94
83

What they share

  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Royal Kludge A72 HE vs Steelseries Apex Pro Mini specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

12 of 22 specs differ

Royal Kludge A72 HE

Steelseries Apex Pro Mini

Typing & switches

Switch options

Magnetic
—

Hall effect (magnetic)

Yes
No

Rapid trigger

Yes
No

Hot-swappable

Yes
No

Mount style

Plate Mount
—

Sound dampening

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

65%
60%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Alice
Standard

Knob

Yes
No

Display

LED
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz

Max polling rate

8,000 Hz
—

Battery

7,500 mAh
—

USB-C

Yes
No

Build & materials

Case material

—
Metal

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

1,350 g
—

Dimensions

42 x 384 x 140 mm
—

Backlight

RGB
RGB

Firmware & software

Mac & Windows

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2026
2022

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

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