Tecware Phantom Elite 87 Mechanical Keyboard Review
Kevin Tan 
Tecware has been in the Philippine market for quite some time now. They are famously known for their Alpha case. Aside from cases, they were also one of the first brand to have budget gaming mice with a pro-grade sensor. This 2019, Tecware decided to make a refresh version of their Tecware Phantom, upgrading the Outemu hot-swap to a universal hot-swap feature thus calling their new series, the Elite.
UNBOXING AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
UNBOXING
The Phantom Elite 87’s packaging is more phantom-like than its predecessor which is the Phantom TKL 87. What we can see from the previous box is that it has a picture of the keyboard in front and some colorful texts. In addition to this, the details of the keyboard are written at the back. Also upon opening the box, you can see the keyboard wrapped in a thin foam with plastic cover, extra switches, and switch puller. Sad to say, a user manual is not present in the package.
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
- Keyboard
- Extra 4 pcs Kailh speed silver switches
- Switch Puller
- Top plastic cover
SPECIFICATIONS
| Form Factor: | TKL |
| Layout: | 87 ANSI |
| Switches: | Kailh Speed Silver |
| LED/Lighting: | 16.8M RGB |
| Keycaps: | ABS Doubleshot |
| Bottom Row: | Standard bottom row |
| Polling Rate: | 1000hz |
| Cable: | Non-detachable braided cable |
| Connectivity: | Wired |
| Dimensions: | 361.5 x 133.5 x 40.1 mm |
| Weight: | 950g |
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
The Tecware Elite 87 has a standard ANSI 87 key layout with a universal hot-swap socket (Kailh). It has 16.8m RGB lighting colors and with either Gateron (yellow/brown) or Kailh Speed (silver, bronze, copper) as stock switches.
In addition to this, it has an OEM profile, ABS double-shot keycaps that will prevent the legends from fading in time. Moreover, the top plate is made of steel and painted with a gray anodized-like finish.
Also at the back of the keyboard, you can see that the cable is a braided non-detachable with a length of 1.8m with 2 rubberized flip-out feet and 2 rubber feet at the bottom and a keycap puller mounted on the case. As for the durability of the keyboard, it has minimal flex and weighs around 1kg, a solid build for a TKL keyboard.
