What you need to know
- Today, Dell announced its new Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C) and Silent Mouse and KB Combo (KM555), which are aimed at office workers or students.
- The KM555 wireless keyboard and mouse combo is just $49.99, while the standalone wired keyboard is $34.99.
- Both keyboards are silent and offer Microsoft’s new Copilot key.
- Our hands-on review gives both a thumbs up.
It feels like hundreds, if not thousands, of keyboards are available today, but few get Dell’s approval. Today, the company announced its new Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C) for $34.99 and Silent Mouse and KB Combo (KM555) for just $49.99.
I’ve been using both keyboards for the last week and am impressed. When I first received them, I had no pricing details, so for all I know, the keyboard and mouse combo could be $100. Still, I was surprised to learn that these are bargain-level offerings while also offering some extra productivity functionality, including a Microsoft Copilot key and flexible keyboard configurations.
Here’s how they break down their differences and whether they are worth buying.
Dell Silent Mouse and KB Combo (KM555)
The Silent Mouse and KB Combo (KM555) are my favorites because of their smaller size. Despite their compact design, they still have a full number pad and full-sized arrow keys.
As you may have noticed, this is fully wireless and connects via Bluetooth LE 5.1 or the included 2.4GHz Type-A dongle (which stores nicely in the mouse or keyboard’s battery bay). I don’t love the removable battery bay door on the bottom, as it’s a bit finicky to remove and replace, but the good news is that those two AAA-included batteries should last up to 3 years, which is absurd.
The title of this keyboard emphasizes silence, and Dell delivers here. It is silent, making it the perfect keyboard for office or college students sharing a dorm room. Key travel is very good, with what feels just over 1mm, so it never feels shallow or bottoming out. There’s no flex on the deck, either, due to this keyboard’s shorter wingspan.
On the rear of the keyboard is a small power on/off switch, and there are some one-level risers to give some elevation and a more ergonomic orientation.
This keyboard is among the first to include the new Microsoft Copilot key, which lets you call up the generative AI assistant with one press. I’m a big fan of Copilot and use it often, but how others feel about it remains to be seen.
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Interestingly, while Dell doesn’t let you remap the Copilot key, it does let you reassign the function to 18 others, including the entire function row. Using the Dell Peripheral Manager software, users can reassign the keys to different actions, including categories for suggested, productivity, Windows features, and multimedia. It’s an impressively thorough configuration tool, which should make even the pickiest typists happy.
While not up to snuff with our best gaming keyboards, this Dell silent keyboard will make our best keyboards for 2024.
Turning to the Dell Silent Mouse (MS355), it’s also better than you’d think at this price (it does sell separately for $29.99). DPI scales from 600 up to 4,020, which is more than enough for most people (I set it at 2,250 while using a 4K 32-inch display, and my cursor zips across the large display).
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While the polling rate, which offers 125Hz, 250Hz, or 333Hz, won’t compete with the best gaming mice (usually around 1,000Hz), it’s still higher than average for your basic office mouse, which is 125Hz (see our best mice for 2024 for more ideas).
Like the keyboard, Dell is quite flexible regarding configurations. You can swap the primary mouse button from left to right (the mouse is ambidextrous) and customize the scroll-wheel-press setting for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Finally, since both devices run on batteries (2x AAA for the keyboard and 1x AA for the mouse), the battery status is visible in the Dell Peripheral Manager app, making it a breeze to check.
Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C)
Assuming you use Microsoft Teams or Zoom, the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C), priced at $34.99, is an excellent choice for those requiring a bit more video call functionality.
It’s the same as the previous keyboard but with a few key differences. For one, it’s wired with a USB-A plug that also covers the Type-C one beneath it, giving users ultimate flexibility without the worry of misplacing the adapter (it’s attached).
The other is some added “collaboration” keys dedicated to Zoom/Microsoft Teams (sorry, Google Meet), including video on/off, screen share, chat, and mic mute/unmute, which any person who regularly makes team video calls will appreciate. The keys are lit up to let the user know they are available to work and give an excellent visual indication if they are in use.
With this keyboard, the user can program only 15 keys, but that’s still more than average.
Due to its wider width, the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C) has a bit more deck flex, but it’s not noticeable unless you press hard. Like the other silent keyboard, this one has the same key travel distance, silent keys, and risers in the rear.
The Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard (KB525C) also has a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key for quick access to Microsoft’s AI assistant.
Should you buy?
Considering the sub $50 price point for the mouse and keyboard combo and the $35 wired keyboard, these new releases from Dell are excellent.
My only complaint is that I wish both keyboards required a bit less effort to press down the key, which feels a bit more resistant than I’d prefer. There are also no backlights for either keyboard, so these won’t be used in the dark for many people. That’s understandable for the wireless keyboard, as most do not offer backlights anyway (and if they do, battery life is terrible). Still, it would have been a nice upsell for the wired keyboard (while also driving up the cost, unfortunately).
However, overall, both these keyboards punch above their weight and would be ideal for any office worker or student looking for simple but highly productive keyboards that don’t break the bank.
