R
azerisusuallyassociatedwithit
moreexpensiveandoutrageous
gamingproducts,buttheCynos
Liteisa simplemembranekeyboardwith
modestlooksanda £45price.Theplastic
CynosahasanilluminatedRazerlogoonit
slantedfrontedge,butthat’sit whenit com
toornamentation.Elsewhere,thisdevicei
smartandsubtle.
Buildqualityisdecent,too.Thisunit
can’tmatchthestrengthexhibitedbymore
expensivekeyboardsthatarebolsteredwith
metalplates,butit’sjustassturdyasthe£40
CorsairK55RGBandnoticeablymorerobust
thantheMSIVigorGK30.
TheRazerisoneofthemostcompact
keyboardsintheLabs.Itsminimaldesign
meansthere’snotmuchplastictobefound
beyondthekeys,andthebuttonsthemselves
arerecessedintothechassissotheydon’t
standproudlikeonsomanymechanical
keyboardsinparticular.
TheCynosahassubtlelighting,with
justonebacklitRazerlogoalongwiththe
backlighting.Thismakesfora smartlook,
butyoudomissoutonthemoreimpressive
displaysofsomekeyboards.Themembrane
layeronthiskeyboardisn’tilluminatedlike
it isonsomerivals,thoughit’sa featurethat
RAZER CYNOSA
LITE/£45inc VAT
SUPPLIER amazon.co.ukyou can find in the pricier Cynosa models.
You also don’t get glowing lights around the
chassis that can light up your desk.
As well as limited lighting zones, you also
get limited lighting colour options, with the
only option being the green seen here. This
makes the Razer’s lighting far less versatile
than the RGB LEDs on other models, and
even more disappointingly the lights aren’t
particularly impressive either: they’re not
very bright or consistent. You do get loads of
customisation options in the Razer Synapse
app, but this keyboard will never be as bold or
as attractive as its rivals.
Elsewhere, the Razer has no dedicated
media or macro keys, although on-the-fly
macro recording is possible here. It has a
middling 10-key rollover designation, and it’s
spill-resistant. The Corsair is better here, thanks
to its dedicated media and macro buttons.
Razer’s sunken keys strike a decent
balance between the superb Corsair buttons
and the lighter, weaker MSI design. The
Cynosa’s buttons are a little softer and
lighter than the Corsair buttons, but they
respond quickly and precisely – almost as
quick as the best mechanical devices. They
have a relatively linear motion with less of
a pronounced bump than some keys. The
keycaps have a nice comfortable soft-touch
coating that provides a secure grip.
The Razer’s buttons still can’t compete with
mechanical hardware, and especially with the
HyperX Alloy FPS Pro. However, the Cynosa
Lite is easily good enough for gaming, and it’sa solid alternative to the Corsair if that unit will
prove too heavy and tactile.
We only have one concern about the Razer’s
layout, which is its single-height Return key. It’s
quite common to find this with smaller brands
that can’t afford a full UK-style key layout
variant of their keyboard, but we’d expect
Razer to have a proper full-height Return key.Conclusion
The Razer Cynosa Lite is a good alternative to
the Corsair when it comes to typing: its buttons
are light, soft, and almost as precise and snappy
as the best mechanical devices. Plus, they’re
linear rather than tactile, so if the Corsair’s
heavier and more tactile buttons aren’t suitable,
the Razer is the best alternative at this price.
It’s a shame that the Cynosa is inconsistent
elsewhere: it’s robust and spill-resistant, but it
doesn’t have extra buttons, and its lighting is poor.
This is a good option if you want an
affordable keyboard with light, fast, and
reliable buttons, but remember that sturdier
units with more features are easy to find.VERDICT
Fast, light, and reliable typing are
undermined by poor lighting and features.YES, SIR
Fast, light, and
consistent typing
Spill-resistant
Robust build quality
NO, SIR- Poor lighting
- Few extra features
- A little more expensive
than rivals
SPEC
Connection Wired, USB
Cable 1.8m, unbraided
Material Plastic
Switch type Membrane
Backlighting 1-zone RGB
Extras Wrist restDESIGN
30 / 40FEATURES
27 / 35OVERALLSCORE
77 %
VALUE
20 / 25s
s
as
mes
seLABS TEST / KEYBOARDS