Today we’re taking a look the ADATA XPG Summoner Gaming Keyboard, the latest and greatest gaming keyboard from ADATA’s gaming focused XPG brand. How does it handle? Read on to find out.
Product on Review: Adata XPG Summoner Gaming Keyboard
Manufacturer: XPG
Street Price: GBP: £115.00 GBP / USD: $129.99 – $139.99 Depending on Switch type.
Generally speaking you’d be forgiven for not knowing that XPG also make peripherals with them being a relatively unknown player in the peripheral market. However, they are looking to change that with their latest release, the XPG Summoner Gaming Keyboard.
Featuring a choice of Silver, Red or Blue CHERRY MX switches, per key RGB Lighting, an ergonomic & magnetic wrist rest along with semi-dedicated media control keys and a USB 2.0 pass through means that for the asking price you get a keyboard with a nice feature list.
The XPG Summoner features solid aluminium construction and it also has a sandblasted finish on the face plate, which looks great with or without the RGB lighting.
XPG on the Summoner Gaming Keyboard:
Winning is about having the right weapons and a gaming keyboard is an essential part of any arsenal. The XPG Summoner gaming keyboard with CHERRY MX switchers and Per-key RGB backlighting is just what you need.
Technical Specifications:
Keyboard Specifications
Colour: Gun-metal greyWeight: 951g
Dimensions (LxWxH) : 449 x 135 x 44 mm
Wrist Rest Specifications
Colour: BlackWeight:191g
Dimensions (LxWxH): 445 x 88 x 19mm
Tech Information
Anti-ghosting Keys: 100%Key Switch: Cherry MX Speed Silver/Red/Blue
Lighting Effect: 7 RGB Lighting modes (Static / Breathing / Trigger / Explosion / Colour Cycle / Colour Wave / WASD mode
Number of Keys: 104/105/109 (Depending on localisation
Macro Keys: 5
General Information
Interface: 2x USB 2.0 type A, 1 Pass-through port
Working Voltage: 5V DC
Polling Rate: 1000 hz
Keystroke Life cycle: Over 50 million strokes
Warranty: 2 Years
Packaging & First Look:
On the front of the box we have a front profile shot of the keyboard along with 5 USPs in bubbles along the top of the box. As well as the Cherry MX Logo in the bottom right.
On the rear of the box it goes into more USPs with close up shots that relate to said USPs.
The first look you get at the keyboard is a striking one, it looks fantastic!
In the box you also get some accessories which include a magnetic wrist rest, 9 replacement keys, a plastic key cap puller and some stickers.
Closer Look:
Along the top of XPG Summoner are the keys for controlling the on-board RGB & Macro profiles which can be accessed by holding the function key and pressing the corresponding buttons.
On the right hand side of the keyboard there is a master volume mute button, which feels quite soft and cushiony when pressed. Next to this is the volume scroll wheel.
Just behind the volume scroll wheel and mute button is the USB 2.0 pass-through port, while this is useful for memory sticks and peripherals it isn’t strong enough to charge a phone.
Performance Testing:
In our time with the XPG Summoner we’ve used it in multiple scenarios, including typing up this review and of course, gaming.The first thing we took note of when taking the keyboard out of it’s box is the size and weight of it, it’s a relatively compact and light-weight affair which lends itself to those who are fond of LAN parties, which is why it’s a shame that XPG have not decided to utilise a detachable cable to make it even easier to stow away in a back pack.
In terms of aesthetics the key caps are all moulded black matte plastic, this along with your choice of Cherry MX switches mean they’re a pleasure to type with, and the aluminium construction definitely helps contribute to it’s less gamery look, which overall we are fans of.
The keyboard itself is very comfortable to use, and that’s partially down to the included wrist rest, which most other manufactures fail to include, there is sufficient padding on the wrist rest, however we did find that after a couple of hours gaming it does get quite warm, although this doesn’t cause irritation for us, if you have sensitive skin it may do.
The ADATA XPG Summoner can store 5 macros via on-board profiles, however there is no software to create or edit macros available at this time so getting them right can take a bit of time. As there is no software available this also means that you can’t customise the lighting outside of the presets that ADATA have pre-programmed onto the keyboard.
Conclusion
Overall the ADATA XPG Summoner is a decent offering in it’s price range.However, there are some things ADATA XPG could improve on, the biggest of our gripes is the USB 2.0 Pass-through port, the majority of devices used today will benefit from a USB 3.0 port, whether this be a phone or memory stick and the exclusion of one seems a little out of place on a keyboard of this spec.
Another gripe that we had with the accessories that came with the keyboard is that the key cap puller is a moulded plastic one, which can result in scratches to the key caps if you’re not careful with them or are clumsy like we are. The inclusion of replacement key caps for the arrow keys, the WASD keys and the windows key is a nice touch as well, although XPG aren’t the first to do so it’s still nice to see.
As we mentioned previously the keyboard is quite nice to type on, the key spacing is just right and the amount of padding on the included wrist rest doesn’t elevate your wrists too high as to make it uncomfortable, however we do wish that the material was more breathable than it is at the moment to help prevent a build up of heat.
The fact that there is no software available to edit the RGB lighting or the macros is also worth mentionings, recording macros is not easy without some visual representation and the pre-programmed lighting effects do leave something to be desired if you’re into that, we personally left the RGB off as we are fond of how the XPG Summoner looks without it.
The XPG Summoner is a good keyboard at heart, however it does have some features that you may not like, while we do recommend the keyboard, we also recommend trying before you buy where possible
Pros
+Quality Construction
+High Quality Wrist Rest
+Spare Key Caps
+Great Looks
Cons
-Plastic Key Cap Puller
-Non-detachable Cable
-USB 2.0 Pass-through
-No Software Support
+Quality Construction
+High Quality Wrist Rest
+Spare Key Caps
+Great Looks
Cons
-Plastic Key Cap Puller
-Non-detachable Cable
-USB 2.0 Pass-through
-No Software Support
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