Corsair K65 Plus wireless keyboard and MM300 mousepad review — Dynamite comes in small packages

I tend to gravitate towards full-size keyboards. It’s probably the ten keys, but there’s a safety I feel with them that’s engrained in me. Hence, even if I use a great TKL keyboard, there’s more than a good chance I’ll go right back to my bigger one. Until now. Corsair’s K65 Plus wireless keyboard has arrived on my desk, along with the huge MM300 mousepad, and after using it for quite a while, I doubt it will be leaving anytime soon.

Inside the box for the K65 Plus you’ll find the keyboard, a USB-C cable, the USB dongle, and a 2-in-1 Key switch/keycap puller. The latter item looks a bit scary, but it’ll get the job done. I appreciate a good sized and braided cable included with the K65 as well. As for the mousepad, nothing else arrives in that box, but you don’t necessarily need anything else to go with a mousepad.

The K65 Plus is a thing of beauty to look at. While I went for the special Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 edition – which really pops with a bunch of BO6 designs on it – the standard colors are black or midnight gray. You can spice things up, however, in Corsair’s custom lab, where you can add your own color choices that match your space or personality. This is a major win, allowing you to have a customized keyboard for an extra cost. The mousepad looks epic too, with a huge gray Cerberus logo smack dab in the middle of a bunch of other light designs.

If you want to create space at your setup, a smaller keyboard could be just the thing for you. I have a large desk, but it went from a normal amount of space to completely open just by switching over to the K65 Plus. Admittedly, that’s because my other keyboard is large and included a wrist rest; which is the one thing I wouldn’t mind having with this keyboard. In any case, the downgrade to 75% is noticeable, with more room to arrange my large amounts of tech I use daily. Similarly, having a huge mousepad like this is awesome because it creates a nice background on my desk while simultaneously giving me the space to use my mouse wherever it’s comfortable.

Hooking up the K65 Plus might be the easiest thing ever, and that’s because it works in several ways. You can run it wired, as I prefer, but you can also use it wirelessly via the USB dongle or with Bluetooth, all by adjusting the slide button on top. There’s also a Windows or Mac mode so you can even jump between operating systems. I love that there’s a spot on the top of the keyboard for you to keep your USB dongle in as well, and that has a nice hold on it to keep it inserted. This allows the keyboard to be even more portable, taking the only item with you that’s necessary for unlocking the versatility. Given the K65 Plus doesn’t weigh a lot more than a pound and is tiny, throwing it into a backpack isn’t a problem in the slightest. Even as light as it is, it’s sturdy, so it doesn’t feel cheap either.

Typing on the K65 Plus is one of the most impressive things about it. I don’t feel like I’ve used the term “comfortable” when talking about a keyboard before. That being said, using the K65 Plus is one of the most comfortable keyboards I’ve ever put my hands on. There’s something about this build that flows perfectly, with the keys in the right spots. I’ve often used other keyboards and mis-hit keys or typed something incorrectly; not on the K65 Plus.

This also extends to gaming with the K65 Plus. As someone who doesn’t care to use a keyboard and mouse, I struggle at times depending on the gear I’m using. The natural flow of the K65 Plus works well even for my smaller hands. As a right-hander, I’m usually ahead of myself with a mouse, but due to the incredible feel of this keyboard, I actually found myself having to keep up with the keyboard as opposed to the mouse. Games like Call of Duty require precision and speed, and the K65 Plus enables all of that with its lightning-fast responsiveness.

All of that is possible thanks to some phenomenal switches. Corsair’s MLX Red switches have been amazingly accurate, and the other inclusions like full key rollover, anti-ghosting, and more add value to the K65 Plus. If you want great performance for gaming, the 1000Hz report rate is certainly a big reason as to why this one feels so responsive. Also, I really like how tappy these linear switches are, providing just enough sound to give that typing ASMR to let me know my press is registering while also not being too loud and disturbing anyone nearby. If you don’t care as much for these switches, you can swap them out as well as your keycaps, meaning the K65 Plus is easy to modify too.

There are plenty of additional functions built into each key as well. Most of us are going to be familiar with the Function key, and it feels like Corsair has done a great job of investing in it. All over the place are additional bindings, allowing you to swap profiles, raise the volume; even a few of the keys you’re missing from the full ten key version are replaced this way. I appreciate the team using the entire keyboard to give us more with less space available.

Included in that is the software portion of the K65 Plus. Corsair has its iCUE app running the show, and it supports this gaming keyboard quite well. There’s a lot of adjusting you can do here, between different key assignments, lighting, and more. I like the ability to change the control dial functionality around, making it more than just a volume knob. This is all pretty standard affair in the app, but I’m glad it’s here.

RGB lighting is a smashing success for this keyboard. While the keycaps themselves aren’t lit, the backlighting shines through tremendously, adding a lot of flair to the K65 Plus. It’s some of the best lighting I’ve seen, and there are a lot of ways you can customize it to your liking. If RGB really made your devices run faster, the K65 Plus would be a no brainer accessory (although it quite frankly already is).

Lastly, let’s touch on the battery. I prefer to run my devices wired, but I did use the K65 Plus for a bit using its wireless capabilities. Given how fantastic this keyboard already is, it was no surprise that I got through several days with RGB lighting on and only drained it to medium charge. The K65 Plus battery life is advertised at 266 hours with RGB off, but given its versatility between wired and wireless modes, I doubt you’ll come close to the end of that without being able to charge it right back up quickly via the USB-C quick charging that’s available.

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