Desk & Power review
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 Review: Fifteen Screens, Ten Characters Each
Sold to streamers and quietly better at ordinary desk work. The labels only fit about ten characters, which shapes how you can actually use it.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Elgato
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
Good · researched from 4 sources
The best physical shortcut panel you can buy, and more useful outside streaming than the marketing suggests. The ten-character label limit is the constraint that decides how you organise it, so plan around icons rather than words.
- Buy if
- Anyone repeating the same handful of software actions all day · Streamers, which is the intended audience and the obvious fit · Smart home and audio switching, which two sources used it for
- Skip if
- People who want long text labels on the keys · Existing MK.1 owners, on IT Pro's advice · Anyone who needs the stand at a specific angle
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Sold to streamers, bought by everyone else
Elgato markets this to people broadcasting on Twitch, and the deepest software integrations are there: scene switching in OBS, chat commands, alerts.
Two of our three reviewers barely used it that way. 9to5Toys set it up on a Mac for launching applications, switching audio input and output, and triggering HomeKit lighting scenes, and concluded it shines for productivity despite the gaming positioning. IT Pro used it to advance PowerPoint slides and to open a morning set of applications with one press.
The hardware is fifteen buttons with a screen behind each one. What you point it at is your business.
The label limit shapes everything
Laptop Mag found there is not enough room to label an icon past nine or ten characters. They also found the screens distort at normal desk viewing angles and that the glossy key surfaces pick up glare.
That sounds minor and is not. A panel of fifteen keys is only useful if you can tell at a glance what each does, and ten characters does not describe most actions. The workable approach is icons rather than words, which the free library and the option to use your own images support.
What USB-C fixed
The original Stream Deck had a captive power cord. IT Pro identifies this as its real flaw: damage the cable and the device is finished.
The MK.2 uses a standard USB-C cable you can replace for a few pounds. That is the entire generational upgrade in practical terms, and IT Pro is straightforward that existing owners have no reason to buy again.
The other change is the stand, now sturdier and fixed at roughly 45 degrees where the original was adjustable and flimsy. Whether that is an improvement depends on whether the old one's angle happened to suit you.
Multi-actions are the feature that matters
Fifteen keys sounds limiting until you realise each one can trigger a chain.
IT Pro describes multi-actions executing several commands at once, alongside folders and multi-page profiles. A single press can mute a microphone, switch an audio device and open an application. Nesting means fifteen keys becomes fifteen top-level categories.
That is the difference between a macro pad and something you actually keep on the desk after the novelty passes.
How it scored
The overall 7.8 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Functionality
Fifteen LCD keys with folders, multi-page profiles and multi-actions that IT Pro describes as executing several commands at once.
Value
Every source raises the price. Laptop Mag still gave it an Editor's Choice and IT Pro calls it solid value for a new buyer while telling existing owners not to upgrade.
Build quality
IT Pro's main praise is that the captive power cord of the original is gone, replaced by a standard USB-C cable you can replace on its own.
Ease of use
Laptop Mag calls the software surprisingly clean and easy to use, with free icon libraries and a store for plugins and sounds.
Display and labels
Laptop Mag found there is not enough room to label icons past nine or ten characters, with distortion at normal viewing angles and glare off the glossy keys.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Fifteen keys with individual screens that can show icons, live data or GIFs
- IT Pro highlights USB-C replacing the original's captive, unreplaceable cord
- Multi-actions chain several commands onto one press
- Laptop Mag rates the software surprisingly clean and easy to use
- 9to5Toys used it for HomeKit scenes, audio switching and launching apps, none of it streaming
What we didn’t
- Laptop Mag found labels cut off past about ten characters
- Laptop Mag reports distortion viewing the screens from normal angles, and glare off glossy keys
- IT Pro notes the redesigned stand is sturdier but no longer adjustable
- It is expensive for what is functionally a keypad, which all three sources say
- IT Pro tells existing MK.1 owners there is no reason to upgrade
Specifications
| Keys | 15 LCD, three rows of five |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 4.6 x 3.3 x 1.0 in per Laptop Mag |
| Weight | 9.5 oz with stand, 5.1 oz without, per Laptop Mag |
| Connection | USB-C, detachable cable |
| Stand | Detachable, roughly 45 degrees, fixed angle |
| Software | Stream Deck app with plugin store, folders, profiles and multi-actions |
| Faceplate | Removable, alternative plates sold separately |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
4
sources reviewed
Laptop Mag supplies the dimensions, weights and the label and glare limitations, and is the only source that criticised the screens. IT Pro supplies the generational comparison, the stand change and the software feature set, and is the source for the advice against upgrading. 9to5Toys contributed the non-streaming use cases on macOS. A fourth review was read but reported no downsides, so it is not cited. No source published latency or durability measurements, so none are claimed here.
What we read
Common questions
Is the Elgato Stream Deck only useful for streaming?
How much text fits on a key?
What actually changed from the original Stream Deck?
Can I change the angle it sits at?
What are multi-actions?
The bottom line on the Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
The best physical shortcut panel you can buy, and more useful outside streaming than the marketing suggests. The ten-character label limit is the constraint that decides how you organise it, so plan around icons rather than words.
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