Satechi SM1 Keyboard Review: A Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard That Delivers a Great Typing Experience

Satechi SM1 Keyboard Review: A Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth® Multi-Device Keyboard

As a writer, I love keyboards. I spend my days moving between them. Some I love and return to, others I find annoying, and I relegate them to a desk drawer. If the annoying ones are on a laptop, I connect a keyboard I like, so I get along better with that laptop. The Satechi SM1 Keyboard is the latest keyboard I’m tapping when I struggle with a laptop’s keyboard. While the Satechi SM1 Keyboard doesn’t hit the high standards of my Drop keyboard, it does just fine against less expensive keyboards, even those from Apple that make claims of magic.

What we like

Pros

• Grey colors, attractive
• Sturdy aluminum body
• Great typing feel
• Multiple connectivity options to more than one device
• Long battery life
• Less expensive than Apple products
• Includes Windows keys

Satechi has delivered a beautiful keyboard in the $99 Satechi SM1 Keyboard. They always sculpt their products, but this one is particularly pretty especially the white and gray version. For those seeking a darker vibe, they also sell one with more muted tones. I find the grey and white one cheery.

As with all Satechi products, this is a well-made, well-engineered piece of hardware. The  0.8 by 4.6 by 12.2 inches (HWD) 75% keyboard is small. It will appeal to those with smaller deskspace or multiple computers in one space. The rounded edges of the aluminum enclosure make for an aesthetically pleasing contour. Small feet on the bottom of the keyboard provide slight lift and angle.

While the Satechi SM1 Keyboard doesn’t hit the high standards of my Drop Paragon keyboard, it does just fine against less expensive keyboards, even those from Apple that make claims of magic.

The Satechi SM1 Keyboard easily accommodates up to four connections. Switching between them is a function key combo away (function and the appropriate number key/icon combination). The Satechi M1 includes a 2.4 Ghz. dongle (with a storage slot on the bottom of the keyboard) and two Bluetooth channels. The SM1 can also work as a wired keyboard. While clearly designed for Apple’s ecosystem, extra keys and firmware easily adjust to a Windows environment.

Typing is great, as would be expected with brown mechanical keys. Travel and clicky-ness are all goodness. Various shortcut keys and media keys provide easy access to features. The keys are not hot-swappable, and without software for macros, this is much more of a productivity keyboard than a gamer keyboard. However, those happy with the configuration can certainly play games, which will make the Satechi SM1 more responsive than non-mechanical keyboards.

The keyboard is battery-powered (unless wired). It charges via a USB-C port next to the power button. Battery life runs over 16 hours with backlighting. Without backlighting, the keyboard can go a couple of months between charges.

Satechi backs the SM1 with a 1-year warranty.

What could be improved

Cons

• No software to customize the experience
• May be too light and small for some
• Backlight pattern control key gets hit too easily
• Would benefit from a USB-C dongle
• No case
• The keyboard’s low profile may be tiring for some
• Packaging needs just a little less plastic

Although Satechi sells this keyboard with an eye toward gamers and professionals, gamers may be disappointed by the lack of programmability. Most mechanical gamer keyboards come with software to align them to gameplay, especially on Windows. Satechi does not offer any programmability outside of the backlight pattern control on the keyboard.

And for me, the backlight pattern control button is the one annoying feature. Not the backlight patterns but the button itself. It’s a little too easy to hit the backlight pattern control key, which, when it happens, sends distracting LED patterns racing around the keyboard. It requires several pushes on the same key to get back to one’s default lighting scheme. Mine is full backlight. That takes several pushes to return. I would like to see Satechi update the keyboard to require a function key push in conjunction with the backlight key to change the current setting. That firmware fix would only require updating instructions, not changing key or anything else about the keyboard.

The 2.4 GHz. dongle needs to be updated to USB-C, given that Satechi’s target market has always been the Mac. Most Macs, especially laptops, don’t include USB-A ports, so the keyboard requires an adapter or dock to leverage the ease and stability of the 2.4 GHz. connection. USB-C dongles are not common yet, but perhaps Satechi can take the lead for their Mac-based customers.

The Satechi SM1 Keyboard is light enough to be portable, but I always worry about mechanical keys popping off in a bag. I would like to see Satechi consider a case to signal portability. Of course, extra components result in extra costs.

Some may find the low-profile keys a challenge for all-day creation. Those owners may want to look into a wrist rest, which Satechi should consider a case and a wrist rest combo as branded add-ons at an additional cost.

Satechi’s mostly cardboard packaging is good, but it would benefit from the elimination of the glued-on retail tag that requires an extra step before recycling. They even use soy ink in printing their boxes.

Satechi SM1 Keyboard: The bottom line

I know I picked at it a bit, but that’s what analysts do. The Satechi SM1 Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard, besides being a mouthful of a product name, is an outstanding keyboard.

Satechi provided the SM1 Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard for review. Images courtesy of Satechi unless otherwise noted.

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