Custom PC - UK (2020-08)

O

nceyougetdowntosub-£20
keyboards,therearesomany
no-namebrandswithcheap-as-
chips,throwawaymodelsthatit’simpossible
totestthemall.Doingsowouldalsoberather
pointlessanyway– if a keyboardonlycosts
£5-10,aslongasit doesn’tblowupyour
computer,it hasessentiallydoneitsjob.
However,wewereintriguedtoknowwhatsort
ofexperiencewecouldgetfroma verycheap
wirelessmodelfroma knownbrand
suchasHP.
Costingjust£25incVAT,theK2500is
justaboutthecheapestwirelessmodelwe
couldfind,sonotsurprisingly,it offersfew
frills.However,it’sstilla full-sizedkeyboard
witha numpad,andit evenincludesfour
extramultimediakeysinitstoprightcorner,
includingMute,VolumeDown,VolumeUpand
anotherbuttontobringupthe‘secret’Start
Menu(theonethatpopsupwhenyouright-
clickontheStartMenuinWindows).
Thedesignis basicbutfunctional.The
roughlytexturedblackplasticusedthroughout
thebuildprovidesa clearlycheapbutsmart

HPK2500/£25inc VAT

SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk

finish. The font used on the keycaps is also

clear – which isn’t a given even on far flashier

keyboards. As such, there’s nothing that

immediately leaps out as being problematic

with the design.

Two AAA batteries power the keyboard,

with the battery container accessed via a

slide-out cover on the underside. There’s no

means of charging the batteries (the supplied

ones aren’t rechargeable anyway) while

they’re still inside the keyboard, so you’ll have

to either keep a supply of freshly charged ones

on hand, or rely on disposable ones. Battery

life is rated at up to 30 months, but we’d

surprised if they lasted quite that long if the

keyboard is in regular use.

Meanwhile, the wireless signal works via

a dongle, which is blessedly small, so it only

sticks out 4-5mm from your chosen USB

socket – that’s a particular boon if you’re using

this keyboard with a laptop.

Installation is as easy as just plugging the

dongle into your USB port, with no drivers or

other software required. We also experienced

no general connection or interference issues

while also using several other wireless

peripherals. The wireless range is rated at 10m

and this held up in our testing.

So far so good, then, but the K2500 has

some downsides. While the key layout

and selection can’t be faulted, the key

action certainly can. The rubber-dome key

switches are as basic as it gets, making typing

surprisingly hard work. You don’t get the

satisfying precise feedback of a mechanical

switch, or even just better-quality rubber

dome keyboards, such as the Microsoft

Ergonomic Keyboard.

The combination of the stiff action and the

wobbliness of the keycaps made typing feel

far less precise than on other, better-quality

keyboards – you really have to hit the keys

quite hard and precisely. We could still touch

type easily, but we’d be hankering for an

upgrade if we were typing long documents on

a regular basis.

The longevity of the key switches is a

concern too, as keyboards of this type tend to

start wearing out, and become less responsive

within a year or two of heavy use.

Conclusion

If you fancy the convenience and cable-

less freedom of a wireless keyboard, the

HP K2500 offers a perfectly decent way of

getting you what you need without breaking

the bank. It has all the basic functions you

could need and performs reliably. Just bear

in mind that it’s a cheap, basic keyboard, with

the key action and extra features you’d expect

from a board costing half the price. If you’re

planning on writing your next novel, you’ll want

a better-quality keyboard.

VERDICT

Wireless convenience at an incredibly low

price,butit’sotherwiseextremely basic.

COST-EFFECTIVE

+Wirelessconvenience

+Extramultimedia

buttons

+Clean, simple design

DIRTCHEAP

• Poor quality
  keyswitches


• Wobblykeycaps


• No battery charging

LABS TEST / KEYBOARDS

SPEC

Connection Wireless

Cable N /A

Material Plastic

Switch type Membrane

Backlighting None

Extras Four multimedia buttons, USB receiver

DESIGN

15 / 25

FEATURES

15 / 25

OVERALLSCORE

67 %%

PERFORMANCE

12 / 25

VALUE

25 / 25