Best 40% Keyboards 2023: Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

Keyboards are one of the most important elements of a good pc setup. It is the cornerstone of setting up a proficient desktop for gaming or other professional purposes.

There are different keyboard varieties out there in the market and the differences are numerous in terms of size, functionality and other factors. In this article today we will try and unearth the best 40 percent keyboard that is currently available on Amazon and gives you the best bang for your buck in terms of performance.

We will go through a list of the best 40% keyboards that we can find. Apart from that, we have also decided to dedicate an entire section to discuss some of the crucial factors that can help you to determine the viability of a keyboard.

It’s important for you to know exactly what type of keyboard would suit your usage requirements to the best possible extent. For instance, gaming keyboards or mechanical keyboards are different from membrane keyboards. Hopefully, by the end of this article you will know how to judge the value of a keyboard.

Also Read: Best 60% keyboards

Top 2 Best 40% Keyboards 2023

1. Vortexgear Core 40% Keyboard

Top Pick

Vortexgear Core 40%

  • 47 key 40 percent compact keyboard 
  • 4 different layers of customization
  • CNC ALuminum Casing for better durability 

Check Price on Amazon!

We start off our list with a highly rated keyboard from VortexGear that has emerged as one of the favourites among people looking specifically at 40 percent keyboard variants. This keyboard comes with a total of 47 buttons and it is an exceptionally useful keyboard to have owing to its compactness and lightweight body. If you are looking for a keyboard to fit into a tight space, this one would surely be a major contender.

It uses standard USB 2.0 to connect to other devices and works like a charm as a second keyboard accessory too. Another impressive thing about this keyboard is that you can reprogramme the Fn button after you have completed the latest firmware update. Not too many non-customizable keyboards can claim to bring as much to the table as  the VortexGear Core.

We have tested this keyboard with multiple different computers and it performs really well. With what we have witnessed, this one should definitely be counted in the best 40 percent keyboards currently available right now.

2. Qisan Mechanical Keyboard Gaming Keyboard

Budget Pick

Qisan Mechanical Keyboard Gaming Keyboard

Qisan Mechanical Keyboard Gaming Keyboard

  • 49 key mini keyboard with ABS keycaps 
  • Equipped with gaming grade Gateron switches 
  • Ergonomic step wise keycaps

Check Price on Amazon!

Next up we have the mechanical gaming keyboard from Qisan which is an up and coming brand that has potential to become a leader in the industry. They produce some of the most affordable and value for money keyboards currently found on the market. Equipped with high quality gaming grade gateron switches, this keyboard is a dream for gamers as it gives you a high degree of tactile feedback.

This elevates your gaming experience and is also great for typists who need to hammer on the keys for a major part of the day. The floating key design system is stylish and pleasant to look at while also being easy to use.

The rubber pads at the base of this keyboard ensures that the user has maximum stability while using this product. Ergonomic features like these have made it a massive favorite among casual gamers as well as regular pc users who are looking for a compact keyboard that they can use and travel with. We have enough reasons to believe that this keyboard is a great 40 percent variant for anyone and you should definitely get it right away.

Factors To Consider Before Buying The Best 40% Keyboards

There is a whole host of options available when it comes to keyboards. Even when we talk about specific 40 percent keyboard variants, there are quite a few good options to choose from and we have covered some of them in the list above.

In this part of the article, we will try and explain to you a few fundamental factors that you should look at before settling on a particular keyboard model. Make sure to go through these points carefully in order to narrow down your options and ultimately pick one that suits you best.

1. Cost

Some of the best 40 percent keyboards should always offer you really good value for money. One of the major characteristic features of 40 percent keyboards is not only that they are mocompact, lightweight and easy to carry, but also relatively affordable. Most 40 percent keyboards are generally available for a fraction of the price that you would ideally have to pay for a full sized keyboard. It’s not that these keyboards have to be extremely cheap to be of value, but they surely should not be too expensive either.

2. Portability

This one is probably the most relevant factor that most people will look at before buying a 40 percent keyboard. Not only should a good 40 percent keyboard be lighter and easily transportable, it should also ideally be compact in size.

This factor is crucial for people who are specifically looking for a keyboard that they can carry on the go without having to confront any kind of hassle. Even if you are a gamer and want to procure a transportable keyboard to carry along with your laptop, this factor is vital. So make sure that the weight and size of the keyboard is exactly to your liking and gives you the chance to carry the product with the least amount of hassle.

3. Switch Type And Quality Of Keycaps

Whenever we talk about keyboards, the type of switches used are of vital importance. People often underestimate the value of good quality switches and this is a mistake that you should not make. For instance, sticky tightly packed switches could make things problematic for some people. In the case of gaming keyboards, it’s important to ensure that you look for a keyboard which uses mechanical key switches. The spaces in between various key switches should also be carefully monitored as some 40 percent keyboards have suboptimal key layout that takes a lot away from their usability.

We would urge you to choose high quality keycaps instead of lower quality ones as there is a high chance that subpar keycaps will not last too long. This is more so the case if you are a regular user and plan to use your keyboard on a daily basis for a significant part of the day. In our opinion, double shot ABS keycaps and double shot PBT keycaps are some of the best in the business that you should be looking for.

In the case of mechanical keyboards, there are a variety of different options at your disposal in terms of switches and you should do further research in order to ascertain what type of switch fits your requirements to the best possible extent.

FAQs on 40% Keyboards

Q1. What Is A 40 Percent Keyboard?

A 40 percent keyboard is basically a smaller, more compact keyboard that has around 40 percent of the switches that are found on traditional full size keyboards. A regular full size keyboard has somewhere around a 100 keys. A 40 percent keyboard on the other hand is more compact and easier to carry and transport. 40 percent keyboards are ideal for people who are looking for a keyboard to travel with and don’t want to spend too much on a full sized keyboard.

Q2. Who Should Buy A 40 Percent Keyboard?

A 40 percent keyboard is ideal for you if you are a person who undertakes regular typing assignments. Keep in mind that these keyboards do not have a separate number pad and hence it would not be ideal for people who need to make numerical calculations as a part of their professional duties.

Q3. What Are The Benefits Of A 40 Percent Mechanical Keyboard?

We know that mechanical keyboards are specially designed keyboards for gamers and typists which have a high degree of tactile and audio feedback. A mechanical 40 percent keyboard is a great option for individuals who are looking for a solid keyboard with good feedback as a part of a setup in limited space. It can also be a great option for hobby-based gamers who travel a lot and would like to have a second keyboard they can play their favorite games on.

Conclusion

In this article today, we tried to unearth the best 40 percent keyboard that is currently found in the market at this point in time. We started with a brief intro on what 40 percent keyboards are and how they are different from traditional full size keyboard models. Then we proceeded to give you a list of some of the best 40 percent keyboard models that we could find and we discussed the various important aspects of these products.

In the following section we decided to give you a few important pointers on how to judge the value of a keyboard. Keep in mind that the ultimate value of a keyboard is largely relative and depends upon your usage patterns and expectations.

We ended the article with a few important questions that were common among prospective buyers of 40 percent keyboards. We tried to answer these questions as effectively as possible and we hope that this article helps you to find the right keyboard for your purposes.

 

Scroll to Top