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Razer has stepped into the market of low-profile scissor switch portable keyboards with the Joro, a compact 75% offering that promises to deliver gaming performance as well as practical multi-OS support. It does both, kind of.

Before we dive in, I want to mention that Razer did not send me the Joro, I purchased it myself direct from Razer. I tested the Joro for about two weeks before writing my review. This article does contain affiliate links which help to support this site if you decide to purchase.

SPECS & FEATURES

• Layout: Compact 75% layout
• Connectivity: Wired USB-C connection, 3x Bluetooth 5.0, Hyperspeed compatible (no dongle included)
• Polling Rate: 1,000Hz (wired)
• Hot-swappable: No (scissor switches)
• Keycaps: Ultra-low profile ABS with UV coating
• Backlight: Chroma RGB (single zone)
• Case Material: 5052 Aluminum top, ABS plastic bottom
• Programmability: Razer Synapse (Win/Mac)
• Cable: USB-C to USB-C cable included (with USB-A adapter)
• NKRO: N-key rollover with anti-ghosting
• Dimensions: 298 mm x 114.8 mm
• Front Height: 9.5 mm  (without keycaps)
• Rear Height: 16.6 mm (without keycaps)
• Weight: 360g
• Compatible OS: Win/Mac (switchable with key command)

PROS

• Configuration Software with 5 Profiles – Razer is not famous for making keyboards that are MacOS friendly. Sure, they’ve made a couple efforts to offer Mac-focused products in the past, but their gaming keyboards often only offer customization software for Windows. Thankfully, Razer went with Windows and MacOS support for the Joro, with configuration software that does work competently on Mac. There are some nifty complex functions that you can set up using the Synapse software – things like using key commands to trigger application actions. There are also multiple profiles you can save, which is nice. However, see the first Con below for the limitations on customization, because there’s also a lot you cannot do.

• Build & Typing Quality – This is one thing I’m glad Razer got right. There’s no shortage of scissor-switch thin keyboards on the market, from brands both big and small. Perhaps none are more instantly recognizable than the Apple Magic Keyboard, and the Razer Joro manages to offer both a more premium overall feel and a more refined typing feel than the iconic paper-thin board from Apple (and many copycats). The keys have a little more resistance than typical scissor-switches (in a good way) and have a little bit less of that trademark rattle that scissor switches usually are plagued with. It’s still there, but a little more subdued vs. options like the Apple Magic Keyboard. The case is a little thicker with a quality aluminum top, but still very thin and does not require a wrist rest.
• Easy Travel – This one kind of goes without saying as soon as you see the Joro, but it’s great for travel. Thin and light, it goes almost unnoticed in a backpack but is solid enough that I’m not worried about it bending if it somehow were stressed. I do wish Razer included a travel cover just to protect the keycaps and top from scratches though.
• Wired connection not just for charging – This is going to be a not-so-subtle dig at Logitech. One thing I can’t stand is when a wireless keyboard has a USB connection that only charges the battery and doesn’t serve as a functioning connection for using the keyboard, such as the MX Keys Mini. Thankfully Razer did not do this to us, and the Joro offers 1,000Hz polling in wired-mode. This means you’ve always got a usable connection even if the battery is dead.
• Great Battery Life – Razer estimates up to 1,800hrs battery life with power saving mode. I used the Joro with the backlighting turned off but not in power saving mode and had no issue using it for over two weeks. Without power saving mode I’m not sure how long the estimated life will be, but even if the life was cut in half to 900hrs that would still be several weeks and on-par with competitors in this segment of the market.
• Full Sized Arrow Keys – Thank you, Razer, for not going with the squished arrow keys of the Apple Magic Keyboard. These scissor-switch keyboards sometimes adopt the same layout of a laptop keyboard in order to be as compact as possible, and that means sacrificing things like the size of your arrow keys. But the Joro manages to keep things compact and still providing regular 1U arrow keys, which my little finger appreciates.

NEUTRAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Single Zone RGB – The Joro features RGB backlighting that illuminates the key legends well. There are multiple colors to choose from which is to be expected in a product from Razer. It does not, however, feature per-key RGB control, meaning the backlight cannot be controlled for each key independently. This is not a critical feature, but has become more common on gaming keyboards as it allows the user to set keys that perform specific game controls to different colors for easy identification (or just to look cool).

CONS

• Customization Limitations – There are two “categories” of disappointment for me in terms of customization. The first is just some general limitations, including the fact that not all the keys can be remapped (the nav keys cannot be). On top of this, there are no additional layers in the keymap to allow additional space for macros or preferred key mapping. Yes, there are multiple on-board profiles that can be saved on the Joro, but it’s still less flexibility than something like the Keychron B1 Pro.
• Advanced Functions Require Software – My second disappointment about the customization of the Joro is that the snazzier functions, which offer some extensive custom actions, do not work unless the Synapse software is running. Some users may not mind leaving the software running perpetually, but it’s something I don’t like because I use my keyboards with multiple devices, including a work computer which I cannot install any third party software on. For Mac users specifically, the “globe” key in Mac mode does not actually perform the function of a true Mac globe key. You can use a Hypershift function to make the globe key pop up the emoji & symbol menu, but this requires Synapse to be running.

• Sleep Timeout – My experience with the Joro included a fair amount of annoyance over the Bluetooth sleep timeout. There was no option in the Synapse software that would allow changing the timeout period to greater than 15 minutes. Once it goes to sleep, the first tap of a key wakes up the connection, and then there’s a 1-2 delay before your next press actually will register a key press. It’s undoubtedly intended to help save battery, but if you’re coming from the instant-input of an Apple or Logitech keyboard, this little lag can be annoying because it times out after only a few minutes.
• Smudges/Fingerprints – The keycaps and case top seem prone to smudges and fingerprints. To be more specific, it seems the Joro is prone to “showing them off” where some competitors have figured out how to either not pick up as many smudges or at least hide them better with their keycap surfaces.
• Wireless Gaming Limitation – The Joro offers a high polling (1,000Hz) wired connection and a Bluetooth 5.0 connection (3 of them) out of the box. Bluetooth is not the connection you want to use for gaming due to the much higher latency. It is compatible with a higher-speed wireless connection, but it does not come with a dongle. In order to get a high-speed wireless connection more suitable for gaming, you need to have (or buy) a Razer Hyperspeed wireless dongle.
• No Travel Cover – This is more of a wishlist item considering the price of the Joro. Since it is marketed as a travel gaming keyboard, it would be nice if it included even a basic cover to protect the keys during travel.

CONCLUSION

So overall, is the Razer Joro the best ultra-low profile portable gaming keyboard? Maybe. Razer didn’t make this easy for me – on the one hand, they did make a scissor-switch keyboard that I generally like to type on better than my Apple Magic Keyboard, and it’s more streamlined and portable than the Logitech MX Keys Mini. But it’s also got some aspects that frustrate me, enough that I find it hard to recommend for the $139 price. If you want top gaming performance in the smallest possible package, the Joro could technically get you there. The problem is that you’d have to also have a Razer Hyperspeed wireless dongle if you want high a high polling rate wireless connection.

• 👍 Nice build quality and typing feel vs. other scissor-switch keyboards
• 👍 Great battery life
• 👎 Picks up smudges and fingerprints very easily
• 👎 No high-speed wireless connection unless you have a Razer dongle (not included)

If all you’re really looking for is a nice portable keyboard with full-sized arrow keys and wireless connectivity, the Joro is a decent option, but it’s a bit pricey compared to something like the Keychron B1 Pro which actually has more flexible remapping capability. If you already have a Razer Hyperspeed wireless dongle and want a portable gaming keyboard to connect to it, the Joro would make more sense.