If you thought it was impossible to replace your worn-out keyboard and mouse with a half-decent wireless model for under $50 total, think again. Dell’s $49.99 Silent Keyboard and Mouse Combo (KM555) squeaks and works under the price bar. Slim and quiet enough that they almost live up to their name, Dell’s new peripherals are solid daily drivers for office productivity, delivering amazing performance for the money. They’re not without flaws, such as the keyboard’s sticky-feeling membrane switches and some wireless-connection glitches. But this set is a perfectly capable option for anyone looking to save a buck without giving up too much comfort or too many features.
Design: A quality combo platter
The unassuming KM555 is in most ways your typical general-use keyboard. Not a full-sized keyboard but slightly larger than a true 75% model, the KM55 is fairly compact and surprisingly lightweight, thanks to its plastic frame. Dell claims the combo uses 64% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. However, the company is not marketing it as eco-friendly, like other sustainably made electronics. (Check out peripherals like the now-discontinued Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse or even laptops like the Acer Aspire Vero.)
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With an all-black exterior and bold white lettering, the keyboard’s keys, at first glance, are reminiscent of the basic chiclet keys you see on cheap laptops and other low-end peripherals that come bundled with desktops and all-in-one computers. And indeed, each key press is greeted with an impressive feel like membrane keys. However, this also hushes every press. The key action may not be silent as the product name suggests, but it makes a tamped-down mechanical keyboard sound deafening in comparison.
The same can be said for the mouse. Also available separately as the $29.99 Dell Silent Mouse (MS355), the bundled clicker uses exceptionally quiet switches that push with each button press. The mouse is a close-packed shape that should fit most average-sized hands nicely, but it’s a little small for my hands. A rubber-lined scroll wheel sits between the two main click buttons and is comfortable to use. Its action is as quiet as the keyboard. Overall, both the devices are true to the spirit of their names.
The keyboard uses two AAA batteries, while the mouse is powered by one AA battery. (Batteries are included with the combo pack.) The keyboard hides its battery door on the back of its body, while the top shell of the mouse can be closed. Dell claims that the two peripherals should offer about 36 months of use before the battery needs to be replaced. That long rated lifespan makes sense considering the lack of battery-consuming additions like keyboard backlighting.
It goes without saying that peripherals are not without their fair share of modern features. Both the mouse and keyboard offer two modes of connectivity: you can connect to your device via Bluetooth or using the included USB-A dongle. The latter can be stored inside the mouse or keyboard when you’re not using it. Switching between connection methods is a matter of pressing a button on a device (bottom of the mouse or top right of the keyboard.)
For the most part, the connections are seamless. One dongle handles both devices, which is handy if you don’t have too many USB ports. I experienced a fair number of disconnections in testing, especially when using the keyboard. It would only be for a moment, but it was enough to interrupt my workflow. I tried both USB ports on my laptop, and the problem persists.
Dell positions the combo as “boasting AI capabilities,” but the AI isn’t as unique a use case here as the Logitech Signature AI Edition M750 Wireless Mouse’s ChatGPT button and prompt builder. There is only one Copilot button on the keyboard, which automatically opens Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11 devices that support it.
Software: A surprising amount of options
Plugging the USB dongle into your device for the first time will prompt you to install Dell Peripheral Manager (if you’re on a Windows PC). This application is where you will manage settings adjustments for both mouse and keyboard You can assign various multimedia, productivity, and Windows-specific actions to up to 18 individual keys on the board. While the functions aren’t very advanced, I was surprised to find so many editable keys on such a simple keyboard.
The mouse offers application-specific settings adjustment using the Dell Peripheral Manager. You can also set the primary click action to the left or right button (a win for lefties), and you can even adjust the mouse’s polling rate, the number of times per second your device sends your inputs to your PC. (The higher the number, the faster the response.) Gaming mice can go as low as 250Hz or as high as 8,000Hz, while normal polling rates typically settle at 1,000Hz. Silent Mouse offers 125Hz, 250Hz and 333Hz options. The mouse has a maximum sensitivity of 4,020dpi (dots per inch), which is impressive for a standard office mouse.
The app is easy to navigate, and switching between the two devices is as simple as clicking a button in the top right of the screen. As mentioned above, Dell Peripheral Manager is Windows-only software, but the keyboard and mouse work with devices running macOS, iOS, Ubuntu, ChromeOS, and Red Hat operating systems.
Verdict: An economy bundle gets the job done
With versatility, customizability and affordability in one box, is the Dell Silent Keyboard and Mouse Combo worth it? A keyboard with shallow key travel and squishy membrane switches doesn’t feel particularly good to type on. But the mouse is surprisingly spry, balancing out the keyboard’s downsides. It is also sold separately.
Overall, the Combo is a solid option for people looking for an affordable daily driver. True, better options exist—for example, the Editors’ Choice-winning Logitech MX Master 3S Wireless Mouse and the Cherry KC 200 MX, but they’ll cost you a lot more. If you’re more concerned about getting reports done on time and less about subjective things like key-actuation points and key-switch clickiness, the Dell Silent Keyboard and Mouse is good enough.
3.5
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$49.99 At Dell
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Dell’s Silent Keyboard and Mouse (KM555), a low-cost wireless-input combo, is a value-packed daily driver for basic PC use.
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