The Arbiter Studio Polar 75 touts itself as a cutting-edge gaming keyboard, packed with slick features and premium build quality. But, does it offer enough to dethrone the likes of Razer and Wooting?
Getting a gaming keyboard has become more complex since the debut of the Wooting 60HE. With the advent of magnetic and optical switches capable of rapid trigger functionality, the gaming keyboard world has been in an arms race to keep up, and only a select few get it right.
Arbiter Studio is one of those companies, having burst onto the scene in late 2023 with the Polar 65, which we dubbed the “ultimate package” in our review. Now, the company looks to take things to a new form factor, with a couple of new tricks up its sleeve.
Key specs
- Switch type: Fuji Pro Magnetic Switches
- Keycaps: PBT Dye Sub
- Connectivity: Wired
- Form factor: 75%
- Lighting; RGB, software configurable
- Features: Screw-in stabilizers, pre-lubed switches, CNC Aluminum frame, silicone dampening, Gen 2 hall sensors, Rapid Trigger, Super Tap
- Price: $165.00
| Pros | Cons |
| Buttery smooth | Keycap legends feel “off” |
| Web app configuration | Parity between app & keyboard can feel disjointed |
| Super Tap & Rapid Trigger | |
| The perfect form-factor |
Design
The Arbiter Studio Polar 75 Pro is a slick-looking keyboard, decked out in a black and white colorway with accenting along the spacebar and several other keys is an understated design motif that other brands should take note of: This is how you do it while looking subtle, and while looking great.
The 75% form factor is ideal for those wanting a compact board, without all those extra keys no one uses for gaming, and that’s why it’s my favorite layout. No matter if you are working or gaming, having a full set of function keys is always helpful in a pinch.
The legend of the keys can appear misaligned, but it appears to be a curious stylistic choice made by Arbiter Studio, as all key legends are slightly to the right of the center. Luckily, if this bothers you a lot, you can just replace them with one of the thousands of sets out there.
The rotary knob to the top right-hand corner can control media functions, and the aluminum build of the board makes it weigh a good amount. The underside is plastic, with a metal plate. Don’t expect to find much else external on the board itself aside from a USB-C port, the real tech is all housed within.
Top-spec
Inside the Polar 75 Pro are their Gen 2 Fuji Pro switches, which are buttery smooth out of the box, alongside the pre-lubed stabilizers. These magnetic switches have become all the rage, since being popularized thanks to features like Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap (Or, as Arbiter calls it, Super Tap).
These features make use of the high sensitivity of the switches themselves. Rapid Trigger has become a de-facto feature for any gaming keyboard, and has made its way to Razer and SteelSeries keyboards.
Meanwhile, an emerging tech named Snap Tap, developed by Razer in response to Wooting’s Rappy Snappy feature, has also been making waves. To be considered one of the best keyboards for gaming, these features are a must, and they’re all here in the Polar 75 Pro.
Software & features
Arbiter Studios’ web app is fantastic, having an easily accessible browser-based solution is handy, and it’s extremely easy to use and set up custom profiles with. But, do take note, the web app only works using Chromium-based browsers, meaning Firefox users will have to look for an alternative browser to run it.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Setting actuation points, and changing your preferred RGB lighting is super easy, and you don’t have to install anything, either.
This is because of how easy it becomes to perform tricky counter-strafe maneuvers in titles like CS2 and Valorant due to the SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Direction) rules imposed by Super Tap, which defaults to the last key pressed, even if both keys are held down at the same time.
The implementation here works well enough to the point where I felt like I had a significant advantage over my opponents.
Gaming performance
Testing the Polar 75 Pro in CS2 and Valorant, I was able to execute counter-strafes with ease thanks to a combination of a well-implemented Super Tap rule, in addition to Rapid Trigger. Comparing it directly against the Wooting 60HE, I found the overall experience to be superior on the Polar 75 Pro.
This is down to pure build quality merging well with well-implemented software features, which is something that so many brands manage to get wrong. Compared directly to the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro, the typing experience is leagues ahead, while retaining all of the key features.
This might just be the best-feeling, and most fully featured gaming keyboard out there right now.
Should you buy it?
Compared to rivals like Razer’s Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, which starts at $179, and the Wooting 80HE, priced at $199 for the base model, the Arbiter Studio Polar 75 not only keeps up with them in terms of features but has both beaten on price. It offers extraordinarily good value.
Verdict – 5/5
The Arbiter Studio Polar 75 Pro is a masterclass in how to make an industry-leading product. It’s got the features, it’s got the quality, and it’s got a fantastic user experience via a web app to back it all up. The only real competition coming for the board will be Wooting’s 80HE, which is still in production. But until then, the Polar 75 Pro may just be one of the best gaming keyboards around.