A budget-friendly board built to get work done
Releasing alongside the Dell Silent Keyboard and Mouse (KM555), the $34.99 Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C) is a bargain-priced keyboard designed with productivity in mind. This board features video-chat controls compatible with both Zoom and Microsoft Teams, a dedicated Microsoft Copilot button, and the option to connect via USB-A or USB-C. It has some minor issues, similar to the KM555’s—primarily, the membrane keys aren’t the most comfortable to type on—but its affordability is argument enough to score it a recommendation if you’re in the market for a cheap keyboard.Design: A Familiar Look and Feel
Nearly identical to the keyboard included in the KM555 bundle, the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard is fairly standard. „Generic“ might sound too harsh, but it’s apt to describe the keyboard’s simple design. But simple is not bad, as the lightweight (1-pound) and compact (1-by-17-by-8.8-inch) build makes the keyboard easy to move around your desk.
Like on the KM555, the membrane switches make the keyboard’s typing slightly uncomfortable. It’s not terrible; I imagine users accustomed to the short key travel distance of Apple keyboards might have no issue with them. But for others, it could be a noticeable annoyance. The chiclet keys feature no backlighting, but the white labels against the black keys do pop enough to give your workspace a clean, no-nonsense look.
A closer look at the keyboard reveals one of the major differences between the KM555 and the KB525C: the four keys above the number pad.
Touted by Dell as the “world’s first wired collaboration keyboard for Zoom and Microsoft Teams,” the keyboard includes four shortcut keys exclusively for video calls.
