review
Redragon Draconic K530 PRO SE Review Keyboard With Bullet R Neon Switches
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
The newly, updated Draconic K530 PRO SE - the 2nd gen of the original Redragon Draconic K530 keyboard! Redragon has kept the same plastic angled bottom case and plastic top plate, retaining also the tenkeyless
60 percent form factor with 61 keys (same as the new Caraxes Pro K644 SE Wireless.
Besides different color keycaps, the Draconic K530 PRO SE upgrades are found under the hood. These include
Redragon's 3-pin Bullet R Neon switches, which have a lighter linear
actuation force than the original K530 red switches and, most
importantly, a short pre-travel (2mm) so, you don't have to
bottom out the key to register input.
On the bottom of
the case, the Draconic K530 PRO SE features rubberized feet risers and
a slot compartment to store and transport the 2.4Ghz wireless dongle. Dimensions of the Draconic K530 PRO SE keyboard
are 29cm long x 10.5cm deep. With the feet risers, the top row of keys
measures 4.5cm high, while the bottom row measures 3cm high. Without the
feet risers the top row measures 3.5cm high. The spacebar measures 11cm
long.
The
Draconic K530 PRO SE keyboard comes with Redragon software support but
you can
access some settings directly from the keyboard. For example, you can
increase/decrease RGB brigthness and turn off/on the RGB lighting. RGB
effects include dynamic lighting and static single colors.
The Draconic K530 PRO SE keycaps are made of double shot ABS plastic; hence
the legend is permanent and won't wear off. Being double shot, the
keycaps are more resistant too, to developing the classic greasy shine you get
with single shot keycaps. The only potential issue with the K530 PRO SE stock
keycaps is that the legend is not transparent; hence the RGB
backlighting doesn't shine through the keycaps. This makes the RGB lighting
look dimmer and glow under the keycaps.
As far as battery performance, the internal 1600mAh battery takes 5 hours to charge and can deliver 15 hrs of playtime with RGBs on and 80 hrs with RGB off via 2.4Ghz wireless.
Potential deal breakers
- Non transparent font keycaps makes RGB lighting not very bright
- Redragon software only compatible with Windows
- Stock Redragon Bullet R Neon switches are linear but not silent, they make a gentle subtle click although quieter than MX red switches
Selling points
- RGB light effects accessible from the keyboard
- Lighter linear actuation force than MX red switches
- Solid construction - no rattling noises
- Pre-lubed dummy switch stabilizers
- RGB has static single color options to choose from
- Short 2mmm pre-travel distance - perfect for gaming
- Compatible with 5 pin switches
- Compatible with 3rd party keycaps
- North facing leds
- Customizable RGB lighting for each key directly from the keyboard
- IP40 dustproof Redragon Bullet R switches
- Suitable for productivity work and gaming
- Compatible with Cherry MX switches
- Switches are compatible with original K530 keyboard
- Triple connection mode: wired/Bluetooth/2.4Ghz wireless
Accessories
include a 1.5 meter rubber detachable cable, metal switch puller, metal
keycap puller, Redragon stickers and four spare Redragon
Bullet R Neon switches which are linear switches with 40G actuation
force, 2mm pre-travel distance and 4mm bottom out distance.
If you are considering the new Draconic K530 PRO SE or the original Draconic K530, the main difference is that the K530
PRO SE supports triple connection mode including 2.4Ghz wireless, while
the original only supports wired and bluetooth. That said, the original
K530 supports simultaneous bluetooth multipoint for 3 devices; whereas
the K530 PRO SE supports only multipoint for 2 devices.
The K530
PRO SE weighs 605 grams - 15 grams lighter than the original Draconic K530. Both the original and new K530 Draconic
use USB-C connection, hot-swappable 3-pin switches (compatible with
5-pin) but the new K530 PRO SE switches are IP40 dustproof and have a lighter linear actuation. Also, the new K530
PRO SE comes with a metal keycap puller, which works better than the
red plastic keycap puller that came with the original K530. You can buy the Draconic K530 SE mechanical keyboard from Redragonshop and Amazon. Check out review of Elf Pro K649 transparent keyboard and Garen K656 Pro.
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