Razer's first hot-swappable mechanical keyboard will let you mix and match switches

(Image credit: Razer)

Have you met anyone who is really into mechanical keyboards? You know, really into mechanical keyboards? They could talk your ear off about the trade-offs between 5-pin switches, tactile keystrokes, and artisan Pokémon keycaps. I'm certain they would have something to say about Razer's new keyboard.

BlackWidow V4 75% is Razer's first hot-swappable mechanical keyboard that will swap out not only the just keycaps but the actual switches themselves without having to dismantle the keyboard or do any de-soldering.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 75% is a smaller ten-keyless version of the BlackWidow V4 Pro we checked out earlier this year. It also differs from its larger cousin in the ability to hot-swap its preloaded orange switches to the ones you choose, not just Razer ones, opening some exciting possibilities.

The cool about the V4 is that its socketed PCB can accommodate any mechanical 3 or 5-pin switches. This BlackWidow serves as a base for you to experiment with different switches and keycaps, assuming you're OK with the board's all-black aluminum design.

But hey, you know what makes a boring black keyboard look nice? Ridiculous keycaps.

The V4 has a 75% form factor, meaning the ten-key Numpad you'd usually find on the right side is cut off. If you've only worked on full-sized keyboards, the tighter dimensions will take some getting used to, but the benefit is you reclaim a bit more desk space.

Aside from the hot-swappable switches, the BlackWidow V4 75% is packed with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a fancy mechanical, like an 8000Hz polling rate, full RGB, and media keys.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 75% is available now for $189.99 in Black. Next month, Razer is releasing a white model that retails for $199.99. There is no word on whether Razer is giving any of its BlackWidow V4 keyboards the hot-swap treatment, but we will keep an eye out.

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web.