HP Wireless Elite v2 keyboard and mouse review: Cut the cord with this comfy combo

The HP Wireless Elite v2 keyboard-and-mouse combo offers an inexpensive, yet well-made way tountether yourself from your desktop or laptop, The full-sized keyboard’s responsive, quiet keys deliver an exceptionally comfortable typing experience, and the wireless mouse is a stylish upgrade over your factory mouse or trackpad.

Design

The keyboard measures 17.28 x 6.02 x 0.61 inches, and at 1.5 pounds feels much more substantial than its thin-and-light design would suggest. Whereas most keyboards in this class will flex and bend with little effort, the Elite’s plastic chassis has very little give.

Above the alphanumeric keys are dedicated keys for media playback and various program functions. Four hotkeys for volume control and quick access to your browser’s homepage sit over the number pad. A Sleep button sits all on its own in the upper left corner of the keyboard.

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

Connectivity

The keyboard and mouse both connect via a single HP Link-5 receiver that plugs into the USB port of your computer. All I had to do was hit the blue “connect” buttons located on the bottom of the keyboard and mouse to get them working. Both devices maintained a solid connection during my testing with no lags.

You can use the same receiver to connect the keyboard and mouse to a Mac. Both worked as well with MacOS and Windows when I did this; however, most of the function keys won’t map properly.

Typing feel

The Elite’s scissor-style keys have excellent travel, producing bump feedback about halfway down with a nice, springy rebound. They’re also virtually silent, so there’s no worry of annoying office mates with a clatter of keystrokes.

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

Two flip-out feet put the keyboard at a slight incline. Keys are spaced enough that your fingers don’t feel cramped together, but key discovery is seamless. The chassis is roomy enough that most of my hands remained on it when my fingers were in the home-row position.

Mouse

The Elite mouse is a two-button model with a scroll wheel that doubles as a third button. The top and bottom of the shell are glossy black plastic. The matte-black sides are indented slightly so your thumb and ring finger can grip it comfortably.

Melissa Riofrio/IDG

Overall the mouse is comfortable to use. It fit snugly in my palm and glided smoothly with the little effort across surfaces ranging from my kitchen table to the leather arm of an easy chair. The buttons are responsive, with a satisfying click. The scroll wheel performed well whether when quickly scrolling up and down a webpage or moving incrementally through text.

Verdict

With its balance of style, comfort and functionality, the HP Wireless Elite v2 would be a bargain at full price, but at its current discount it’s a steal. It should be on the short list of anyone looking for a better typing experience at their desk or on the road.