XPG Summoner Review

XPG is better known for its memory and storage products, along with the H20 and Emix H30 headphones. The Summoner is the company’s take on a gaming keyboard, and it leads with its build and its extras.

The frame is a brushed aluminium casing with per-key RGB, a media control wheel and a full wrist support. Despite all of that, the keyboard weighs only 950 grams and sits firmly on the desk. The wrist rest attaches magnetically and sits over the front edge like a roof; it is stiff to seat at first but comfortable in use.

The volume wheel in the corner is the standout convenience. Rather than adjusting sound through the on-screen interface, it can be set from the wheel directly, and a dedicated button next to it mutes the audio outright. The RGB lighting is addressable per key and ships with seven predefined modes.

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XPG Summoner Keys

Macros are mapped to the F-row rather than to a separate column, so the Summoner has no dedicated macro keys. Anyone who relies on a bank of dedicated macros will need a different model.

The switches are Cherry MX, with a choice of Red, Silver or Blue. The review unit had Blue switches: a 50-gram activation force and a 2.2mm actuation point, with the familiar clicky mechanical sound. They handle long typing sessions as comfortably as gaming, and this article was written on them.

The Summoner also carries a USB 2.0 pass-through port. It is handy for charging or connecting a device without reaching under the desk, though it occupies two USB slots on the computer and stays on the USB 2.0 standard rather than USB 3.0.

In Brief

The Summoner suits someone who wants a solid aluminium board with per-key RGB, on-board volume and mute controls, and a magnetic wrist rest, and who is happy running macros from the F-row. With the Blue switches it works well for both typing and gaming; those who need dedicated macro keys should look elsewhere.