Keyboard enthusiasts all around the world love the idea of Backlit keyboards. As they say, you’re never too old for putting a bright and vibrant backlit keyboard on top of your computer desk. But all’s not jolly good about backlit keyboards in the market.
Right now, you might be wondering, what are backlit keyboards and how do they work; Well, if that is the case, then you’re in the right place. I’m going to talk to you about backlit keyboards today.
In this article, we’ll talk about backlit keyboards, their significance in the industry backlit vs standard keyboards, the pros and cons of backlit keyboards, and whether you really need one or not. So, make sure you read this article till the end because if you’re thinking of getting a backlit keyboard, you’d definitely want to know more about them.
Table of Contents
What are Backlit Keyboards?
Keyboards that have internal lighting that shines through the keycap spaces are known as backlit keyboards. More often than enough, these keyboards use LED lights on the frame to provide that lighting effect inside the keyboard. Backlit keyboards have been around for quite a long time. They’ve been considered a great invention by most keyboard enthusiasts, but some people don’t enjoy them as much.
Nowadays, backlit keyboards are mostly associated with gaming forward keyboard designs. However, the RGB lighting aspect is just one type of backlit keyboard and is considered very visually aesthetic. In fact, one of the main reasons for the popularity of RGB backlit keyboards, in my opinion, is that the bright lights in the keyboards that usually shine through the keycaps with transparent legends look really cool, and thus, give a very gaming-forward look.
Personally, I really like backlit keyboards, whether they’re simple LED keyboards or RGB backlit, but only if they’re done well, because sometimes, just to get the feel of backlighting, keyboard manufacturers use low-quality components and end up ruining the aesthetic.
But overall, backlit keyboards are here to stay, in my opinion, because they’re not meant for a single age group or anything. From children to adults, everyone loves to have their favorite color pattern in their RGB backlit keyboards, which is quite a cool thing to have control over, in my opinion.
Importance of a Backlit Keyboard
Backlit keyboards are becoming more and more important for computer usage. If you don’t have a table lamp, or the light from your PC case is not bright enough, a backlit keyboard will allow you to see what you are doing even at night.
With a backlit keyboard, you can easily type and work in dark spaces because each of the keys is individually lit. This makes backlight essential for computer usage.
On the other hand, the same doesn’t need to be said about laptops. Laptops, although they have backlit keyboards sometimes, they don’t need backlit keyboards crucially.
The simple reason for this is that laptops have keyboards attached to them, and as close as the screen is to the keyboard, there’s always visible light on the keycaps that allows you to see the keycaps and the legends on them. So, you don’t excessively need a backlit keyboard on a laptop, but having one will surely increase your overall keyboarding experience.
Backlit Keyboards vs Standard Keyboards
There’s always been a huge debate over which kind of keyboard is better; Backlit or Standard; Well, other than personal preference, a few factors are often considered important when comparing these two kinds of the same device. Let’s take a look at those factors:
Usage in Dark
First and foremost, let’s talk about efficiency in the dark. Usually, frequent keyboard users develop a kind of muscle memory that allows them to use the keyboard without looking at the keys. But that isn’t the case with all the keys.
For example, the layout of keyboards around the enter key is often different in keyboards. This is where Backlit keyboards stand out. All the keys are backlit, and that’s why you can simply use the keyboard without having to bring a torch or really looking hard at the keyboard that you might have to do in a non-backlit standard keyboard.
Texture and Feel
This might come off as a surprise to you, but mostly, backlit and non-backlit keyboards come with a textural difference. The preference depends upon your usage, though.
Backlit keyboards usually come with keycaps with an overall smoother texture, which I am a fan of. On the contrary, non-backlit keyboards have a rougher texture that some people enjoy. So, depending upon your liking of the texture of a keyboard, you can choose.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics are the biggest point without a doubt when it comes to backlit vs standard keyboards. This is another point of personal choice, though. Some people like things plain, while others like shiny and bright colored RGB backlighting their peripherals.
Me personally, I love RGB lighting. In fact, I like LED backlighting as well on keyboards because it just gives that pop to a keyboard that it needs to perfectly complete a computer setup. And I’m sure that many of you out there will definitely agree with me.
Pros and Cons of Backlit Keyboards
So, you’re thinking of buying a backlit keyboard; Well, before you do, I’d say you should definitely take a look at the different advantages and disadvantages you might face with these keyboards. So, let’s take a look at a list of backlit keyboard pros and cons that need to be considered.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Visual Appeal | Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea |
| Premium Design | Expensive at times |
| Customization Capability | Excessive Energy Requirements |
| Typing in Dark Environments | Not a Necessity |
Advantages of Backlit Keyboards
Let’s look at some of the major advantages you’ll get if you purchase a backlit keyboard.
- Visual Appeal
One of the most important things in peripherals nowadays is the look and the visual appeal. You wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time and money getting a keyboard that just looks bad on your desktop table.
If we talk about the visual appeal of backlit keyboards, there’s a lot of potential. This is because backlit keyboards offer a range of colored lights in the frame that give a keyboard a sense of visual appeal. Many keyboard enthusiasts love the backlit component, and that’s why it is one of the advantages of backlit keyboards.
- Premium Design
This might not be something that you think of right away, but it is definitely one of the more thoughtful advantages of backlit keyboards. Most backlit keyboards offer a very premium design along with some of the highest quality components.
Why; Well, simply because backlighting is considered a premium component and keyboard manufacturers tend to include them in keyboards that are often paired with other amazing features, specs, and components. So, buying them will make sure that your money is well spent and that you’re getting the most out of your keyboard, which is great.
- Customization Capability
Keyboards were originally considered just tools for computer communication. Still, with the passage of time, they’ve evolved to become much more than that, with tons of additional features included in them. One of these inclusions is customization capability.
If your keyboard comes with an LED or RGB backlighting, there’s immediately a layer of customization capability attached to it. Even in the simplest keyboards, you can change the patterns of the lighting according to your choice. But in the higher-end devices, you can control the colors of every individual key and form your own patterns the way you like them.
- Typing in Dark Environments
Arguably, one of the toughest things to do with a keyboard is to type with it efficiently in dark environments. For example, let’s say you’re sitting in your room and your partner is sleeping. You wouldn’t want to wake them up by turning the light on now, would you?
To avoid this, you can get a backlit keyboard, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to see the keys at all. All you need to do is turn the backlight on, and all the keys will be illuminated, and you’ll easily be able to type perfectly in dark environments.
Disadvantages of Backlit Keyboards
Since we’ve checked out the advantages of a backlit keyboard, we should also look at some of the disadvantages that they come with:
- Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
As we know, not everyone is a fan of backlit keyboards. This is why we say it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. What makes backlit keyboards not likable for many people around the world.
Well, older individuals and some young adults also dislike the extensive lighting that RGB keyboards have to them. In fact, some people even dislike a single LED lighting in their keyboards. Again, it is a matter of self-preference and can’t be disputed because they prefer simple, minimalistic. Decent keyboards that don’t have a lot of vibrance to them, which is understandable and, I believe, justified.
- Expensive at times
We spoke about how RGB lighting or LED backlighting is mostly used in premium devices with many other high-end components and a lot of options and features available in them.
That basically means that these keyboards are often very expensive and can be a burden on the pocket. So, if you don’t have a lot of money in your wallet for your next keyboard, I would suggest going for a standard keyboard or saving up to buy a high-quality backlit keyboard. But the price is an issue that can be considered a disadvantage in my opinion.
- Excessive Energy Requirements
LED and RGB lighting basically adds another layer of equipment that needs to be powered within the keyboard. So, if you’re getting a backlit keyboard, it means it will surely require more energy than a standard keyboard.
This excessive energy requirement can sometimes affect your power consumption on your PC. And if you’re using a wireless LED-backlit keyboard, you can end up losing the battery life much quicker. This is why backlit keyboards are usually not preferred wireless and can be problematic because of excessive battery consumption and limited overall usage time. So, this can be considered another disadvantage.
- Not a Necessity
Backlit keyboards are pretty great, and they do offer a new layer of customization and options as well as an overall aesthetic visual appeal. But are they absolutely necessary; Not really.
If you’re someone who enjoys using a good keyboard and you’re not a big fan of backlit keyboards, you just don’t have to buy them. They’re not absolutely necessary, and backlit keyboards usually don’t tend to have any digital or feature differences to a standard keyboard. So, since they aren’t a necessity, you don’t have to get one if you don’t want to. That’s all there is to it.
Do You really need a Backlit Keyboard?
Finally, the question that arrives is, do you really need a backlit keyboard in your life; Well, honestly, there’s no simple answer to that. There are tons of advantages to having a backlit keyboard, but there is also the case of preferences as well.
If you’re someone who values aesthetics, bright lights, and RGB in peripherals, you’d love backlit keyboards, but if not, you might not like such keyboards at all, in which case you shouldn’t get one.
But if you’re simply asking for my personal opinion, I would suggest you get a backlit keyboard and get an idea of how it feels for you. I’m sure you’d love it and would definitely prefer getting them from then on.
Conclusion
Backlit keyboards are amazing and definitely something that will stay and upgrade in the coming future. The amount of control, customization, and aesthetics they provide is incredible. Their benefits are manifold, which makes them a preferred choice for a lot of people out there.
I hope that you learned a lot from this article and that you’re going to get the best-backlit keyboard that matches your desktop set up so you can have the ultimate keyboarding experience. Have a great day ahead of you!