SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL Review — The Mac Gamer’s Optical Workhorse

Quick Specs

Source: SteelSeries official product page

The SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL is the rare gaming keyboard that takes Mac compatibility seriously. SteelSeries explicitly rates it as Mac/PC, the SteelSeries GG configuration software runs natively on macOS, and the USB-C cable plugs into a modern MacBook without an adapter. For Mac users who game — natively, through Whisky, or through Crossover — this is the keyboard to beat.

The heart of the Apex 9 TKL is its OmniPoint 2.0 optical switches. Instead of physical contacts that wear out and bounce, these switches use a beam of light to register actuation. The result is a 100-million-keystroke lifespan and an adjustable actuation point you can set per key. I run 1.0mm on WASD and 3.0mm on every other key — twitchy movement, zero accidental presses during normal use.

Build quality is exactly where you’d expect at this price. The top plate is aluminum, the keycaps are PBT (so they won’t shine after six months of typing), and the cable is detachable USB-C. The board weighs 776g, which sounds heavy until you realize it means the keyboard never slides during a tense gaming moment. The OLED smart display on the upper-right is half marketing gimmick, half genuinely useful — I use it to show current Spotify track and Discord notifications.

Where the Apex 9 TKL really earns its place on a Mac is in the software. SteelSeries GG runs as a native macOS app. You can adjust actuation, build RGB profiles, and map macros without bouncing into a Windows VM. That’s something almost no gaming peripheral company gets right for Mac users, and it’s the reason the Apex 9 outranks several boards on this list that look great on paper.

Daily typing is excellent too. The optical switches feel like a smooth linear with a faint tactile hint — fast typists love them because the keystroke registers earlier than a traditional mechanical. RGB is per-key, plenty bright, and the legends are crisp doubleshot PBT. The tenkeyless footprint frees real desk space for mouse movement, which matters more than you’d think on a Mac mini setup where every inch counts.

Verdict

The SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL is the smart pick for any Mac user who plays games on their machine. The combination of adjustable optical switches, native macOS configuration software, and USB-C connectivity is genuinely unmatched at this price. The only meaningful tradeoff is the lack of a wireless option — and for gaming, that’s not really a tradeoff at all.