Hands-on: Razer Joro is like an Apple Magic Keyboard built for gamers

Razer is a go-to name for pretty much anything connected to PC gaming, and it’s making in-roads into consoles as well. But its efforts to conquer mobile gaming thus far have failed to stick. Sure, some of its controllers are nice, but there’s a universe of competition out there.

The new Joro keyboard and Basilisk Mobile mouse are trying to change that. I’ve spent some hands-on time with each ahead of the announcements and wanted to share some quick impressions along with details about the products.

Razer Joro keyboard hands-on

Keyboard first. The Joro is an entirely new line for Razer, and yes, it’s named after a spider. Essentially a gamer-fied version of the Apple Magic Keyboard. It is extremely small and crazy light — I can tell you it’s 374 grams or 13.2 ounces, but that doesn’t communicate how light it feels in my hand. Despite that bag-friendly weight, it’s using scissor switch keys (not full mechanical, but similar to a really good laptop keyboard) and an aluminum top plate for a little extra sturdiness.

Michael Crider/Foundry

Despite looking similar to tiny, trendy low-profile keyboards, Razer has made some very deliberate choices here. Note the 65% layout, which allows full-sized arrow keys, no half-and-halfs like you might see elsewhere. That does squish the right Shift key down a bit, but even as someone who’s sensitive to that particular foible, I’m finding it tolerable. The typing is also surprisingly soft and quiet, more than suitable for travel, with some pleasant springiness.

Other gaming capabilities include full N-key rollover, full key customization in Razer Synapse, “Snap Tap” support (the software version of rapid trigger) and naturally, per-key RGB lighting. It’ll last 1800 hours in “power saving mode,” though presumably a lot less if you crank up the lights. Charging is over USB-C.

Michael Crider/Foundry

There are a couple of sour notes in my initial testing of this board. One, it doesn’t have feet, so you can’t adjust the very low typing angle. It’s not something that’s standard in this form factor, granted, but I would have liked to have seen it for a dedicated gaming board. The other issue is that the board is only Bluetooth…for now. An update later this year will let the Joro pair with Razer’s Hyperspeed USB dongles along with other devices, though there isn’t one in the box.

Michael Crider/Foundry

That’s an expensive upgrade for an already-pricey keyboard. I would have preferred to see a USB-C wireless dongle in said box, for rapidly plugging it into an Android phone or an iPad to get super-fast, gaming-grade wireless. I’ll have more impressions of the Joro in my full review, but it’s going up for sale today on Razer.com. It’s $139.99, pretty dang spendy for a mobile keyboard, but it does have a lot more going on than the Apple Magic Keyboard ($99) or Logitech MX Keys Mini ($100).

Razer Basilisk Mobile mouse hands-on

The Basilisk Mobile is perhaps a lot more familiar if you’re a fan of Razer mice. It’s using the existing slanted Basilisk shape, shrunken down considerably to just 4.4 inches/115.5mm long and 76 grams light. This modified design gets rid of the prominent thumb “sniper” button, replacing it with a more conventional row of three, plus the existing switch button just above the scroll wheel.

Michael Crider/Foundry

That wheel can do standard “clicky” mode and free-spinning ball bearing mode, as well as left and right rocking, which feels very stiff to me. I’m also not in love with how it feels…but I like a big, heavy mouse, basically the opposite of this design, so take that for the subjective opinion that it is. What isn’t subjective is an 18,000 DPI laser sensor, 350 IPS, and a 1000Hz polling rate. I also like the massive PTFE feet on the bottom, about half of this thing’s total footprint, presumably put there in the expectation of occasionally using a mouse on your jeans.

Michael Crider/Foundry

For connection you get Bluetooth plus HyperSpeed wireless, and yes, there is a dongle in the box, which hides away into a neat dedicated cubby on the bottom. Razer claims the Basilisk Mobile lasts for up to 105 hours in Hyperspeed mode, 180 on Bluetooth, but again, those will be cut down a lot if you turn the lighting on for the logo. That’s the only area of the mouse that lights up, practically restrained by Razer standards.

Michael Crider/Foundry

The Basilisk Mobile is on sale today for $89.99. Again, pretty darn pricey for a mobile mouse, but far more capable than most, and at least a little easier to stomach than the Joro thanks to that dongle in the box.