Ant Esports Apex 300: The Keyboard That Changes the Ant Esports Narrative

Introduction

The Indian mechanical keyboard market has changed dramatically over the last few years. Features that were once reserved for keyboards costing ₹8,000–₹10,000 have gradually trickled down into the budget and mid-range segments. Wireless connectivity, hot-swappable switches, rotary knobs, RGB lighting, and even integrated displays are no longer exclusive to enthusiast brands.

The Ant Esports Apex 300 enters this increasingly competitive market with an ambitious feature list and a price tag that competes with many established competitors. On paper, it looks like the sort of keyboard that shouldn't exist at its price point. The question is whether it delivers a genuinely satisfying experience or simply wins the specification battle.

After spending time examining its design, features, typing experience, software, and overall usability, it becomes clear that the Apex 300 is a keyboard aimed at users who want as many premium features as possible without stretching their budget.

Design and First Impressions

One of the first things that really caught my eye about this mechanical keyboard is that it does not seem like the usual entry-level product. Its compact build takes up less space at one's desk but manages to keep all the necessary keys. In addition, the included display and knob also caught my eye, adding some premium touch to the product.

In comparison with other cheap gaming keyboards, which usually have some sort of very aggressive design, this model balances quite well in this respect. This keyboard looks cool enough due to RGB lights, but it will not look misplaced at your working place as well. This product looks pretty sleek in general, with the display in an easily noticeable spot and a nice knob.

In terms of aesthetics only, the Apex 300 beats its price range hands down.

Switches and Typing Experience

Among other aspects, typing experience plays the most crucial role in any good mechanical keyboard, and the Apex 300 does pretty well here. 

Ant Esports has chosen to go with KTT Wine Red switches instead of the much more popular Outemu switches. These switches are considered to be pretty reliable by many keyboard lovers, and the choice was a wise one. As factory-lubricated switches are used here, there is a lot to be said about the quality. Key presses here are both smooth and consistent, there is not too much scratchiness in this case. Lubrication also plays an important role because it can silence unnecessary sounds.

It is very comfortable during long periods of typing. The keys are relatively easy to press, which means that you can type very quickly without suffering from fatigue. One of the best things about the typing experience on this keyboard is that it is not noisy like many budget keyboards. Instead of being hollow and annoying, it has a rather deep sound. It is not completely silent, however, but you can hear rather nice thock. There is nothing special about stabilizers.

Overall, typing experience is probably the strongest side of the Apex 300. Comparing it to my older Aula F75 (The most sought after Budget Keyboard) it feels more refined and pleasant in typing. Acoustically the Apex feels a bit more deeper sounding than the Aula. 

A Sound Test Profile is attached for user reference.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1An6JkkoTK1c9UREmbJvhKnrsmkg6vAf7/view

Gaming Performance

The Apex 300 is the ideal choice when it comes to gaming.

All keystrokes are registered fast and accurately, and the smooth switches mean you won’t feel the need to slow down at all while gaming. Regardless of whether you are playing shooter, strategy, or MMO titles, you will find that the keyboard does not hold you back in any way. Moreover, the layout means there’s a bit more space to manoeuvre your mouse, especially useful for those using low sensitivity in first-person shooters. I played on the Apex (pun intended) using Apex for almost 2 hours without feeling limited by my keystrokes.

Wireless Connectivity and Battery Life

With more and more consumers demanding wireless functionality as an integral part of their devices rather than a luxury, the Apex 300 fits into this trend nicely. 

Users have the freedom to choose between the wired connection, Bluetooth mode, and the 2.4 GHz wireless option. If one uses the keyboard with multiple devices, such as a computer, laptop, and a tablet, switching between different connection methods will be much easier with the keyboard at hand. Moreover, while the best performance is provided by the latter mode, 2.4 GHz connections work best for gaming; Bluetooth mode, meanwhile, is recommended for productivity. Bluetooth mode as an added bonus supports Microsoft swift pair so that you don't have to manually add the device. Just turn on bluetooth and select one of the BT profiles onboard via FN+1/2/3/4

The availability of various connection modes substantially increases the usability of the keyboard.

Wireless users like me will appreciate the large 4000mAh battery housed inside the keyboard. Of course, the battery life largely depends on the usage frequency as well as the RGB lights' brightness, however, with enough power stored the keyboard can be used for several days or even weeks until charged again. As someone who prefers working wirelessly, I can confirm that I was able to work on my Bluetooth for almost a week on the maximum charge level of 100%. Currently, I am still at 80%.

P.S: The current battery level is neatly displayed on the Display or it can also be accessed with the FN+Tab key combo.

Display and Rotary Knob

One of the key defining characteristics of the keyboard is its display. Though not absolutely vital for the core typing experience, it helps the keyboard stand out among many thanks to the level of customizability that it affords – which is rare for such a low price tag. It displays important info and is an important part of creating the premium look. The presence of the display and a handy wheel allows you to quickly change a number of keyboard parameters – including RGB effects, connect modes, customize the home screen, show GIFs and much more.

This makes the Apex 300 stand out from its peers in the budget keyboard category.

Software

The software grants access to all the customization options, such as RGB lighting adjustment, key remapping, macro creation, etc. In terms of functionality, the program does its job just fine, allowing users to customize their keyboards and set various options. However, while the physical device looks great and works perfectly fine, there is still room for improvement in the software aspect.

At times, the user interface can seem a bit clunky, lacking the polish one might expect from a top-tier suite. There may be some glitches here and there, and at times it takes time for the effects and gifs to show up on the keyboard. While this might seem like an important problem, it actually isn’t too significant, since most people aren’t going to use the program much anyway after initial setup.

Conclusion

The Ant Esports Apex 300 is one of the most feature-packed mechanical keyboards currently available in its price segment. It combines modern design, wireless flexibility, smooth switches, useful customization options, and an unexpectedly refined typing experience into a package that feels far more expensive than it actually is.

After a few weeks of use, the Apex 300 feels less like a budget keyboard trying to imitate premium features and more like a genuinely well-rounded product that happens to be affordable.

Pro's

• Excellent value for money 

• Smooth factory-lubed KTT switches 

• Useful display and rotary knob 

• Multiple connectivity options 

• Good typing acoustics 

• Hot-swappable design 

Con's

• Software needs a bit of refining 

• Keycaps could be backlit

Bottom Line

What Could Be Better?

No keyboard is perfect, and the Apex 300 is no exception. The software could be more polished with future updates. The keycaps, while functional, are not backlit making typing in the dark a bit of a sore experience. The Ant Esports Apex 300 is a surprisingly capable mechanical keyboard that delivers far more than its price suggests and stands out as one of the strongest value-focused options in the Indian market. 

I will give the Keyboard a score of 9/10 and award them with the Tech Reprise Gold Badge of Honor. 

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About Ant Esports

Founded in 2016, Ant Esports has grown from pioneering the gaming chair division into one of the India's leading providers of high-performance, budget-oriented PC peripherals and components. Ant Esports offers a complete range of products to equip gamers, enthusiasts and e-sports athletes, including mechanical keyboards, precision gaming mice and headsets, high-performance components that gamers use to build their gaming cum streaming setup. With a company-wide commitment to quality, innovative design, advanced features and high performance, Ant Esports products have won thousands of media and industry awards, earning their place in gamers' hands and PCs following years of development and engineering by a team dedicated to building great products they themselves would want to use.