Let’s get this out of the way straight away: this TKL keyboard has an RRP of just under £480. Many places list it for less, and a few charge even more. However, this is far too expensive to buy a keyboard. If you have the money and want to spend it on something close to the ultimate product in the category, then well, this is for you. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend it because there are so many good options for a third of the price. Even the closest competitor, almost identical, is around £150 cheaper…
But what do you get if you decide to sell your kidney to buy a keyboard?
Here’s a hint:
First of all, you will find an unparalleled build quality. It is also complex, with an aluminum frame that has an additional layer of protection on the blade-patterned front. A lot of time was spent on the CNC machine and everything seems to be sandblasted and anodized, which means that the surface is very smooth and obviously very impressive. Even the bottom is covered with a carbon fiber-like finish. It even has magnetic feet of different sizes that are milled from aluminum but have small rubber tips on the end for optimal stability. It’s so high that it’s hard for me to see where to go if one day you want a new keyboard of the same caliber. It’s a bit like buying a regular Ferrari that you use to drive to the supermarket to buy milk. It’s gorgeous and luxurious and you can never top it.
While we are talking about expensive solutions, there are two different layers of Poron, high industrial foam insulation, as well as the silicone layer that works as a cushion. The dongle magnetically mounts in a cavity on the bottom. Yes, magnetic… it costs a fortune compared to just making the hole slightly smaller than the dongle to fit it in comfortably. This feature adds some extra functionality in both style and price.
In addition, there is an adjuster located throughout the keyboard, which allows you to set it to have a hard response for gaming or a soft response for typing. I think it might be a bit too black and white, and if you’re not going for a hammer, the second setting can be used with either – I’d even go so far as to say that I would prefer the opposite of what is expected. But it’s really fun to be able to change the feel of the keyboard without having to take it apart and replace the switches or anything like that.
The switches are ROG’s own NX Snow acetal mechanical switches, which most people would think are normal made by the manufacturer Kailh. It is a delicate linear switch, the entire gas is oiled, it is protected by an additional wall, and the upper part of the keys that come into contact with the shaft is polished to extra smooth to maximize the smooth and ultra-smooth typing experience. It’s a real experience in every way, and despite my regular keyboard costing around £180, it’s a plasticky, boring and cheap experience that breaks expected to look back compared to him.
Here’s a hint:
Here, you will find a keyboard with a polling rate of 8,000 MHz in wireless mode, which uses 2.4 GHz radio waves. You get an improved OLED display with touch elements. In addition, there is a very nice touchpad for navigating the screen, a carbon fiber top panel, a middle panel that can be adjusted to switch between hard and soft keys, and three layers of vibration dampening.
Battery life is good, if not extreme. We haven’t fully tested it yet, as it’s said to last 1,600 hours, or about three months of continuous use. Personally, this means I have to charge it every other month at worst, but twice a year would be more accurate. No matter how you look at it, this is crazy.
The wrist rest is probably the most consistent I’ve seen – heavy, strong, immovable, made of metal and silicone, and has a comfortable surface. I was surprised at first that there were no magnetic or RGB attachments, but honestly it doesn’t matter once you start using it. I hope others don’t follow Asus’s lead, though, because I’d seriously imagine this palmrest costs the same to produce as some of the cheaper keyboards on the market – and maybe even more.
All this connects to the Asus Omni dongle, which is able to connect a keyboard and mouse. The 8,000 MHz you get wirelessly is impressive, but I don’t quite understand why you’d need it in a device that isn’t for competitive hardware use.
Overall, I don’t agree with all the design and feature choices, but the design quality is outstanding. It features quality, top-shelf design, and materials that the average person can’t afford. But I wouldn’t recommend buying a keyboard that expensive, it’s crazy. It’s nice if you can afford it, though, and I could be motivated to buy it if there was a full-size version of the flat-mounted filler wheel instead of just being available in the same quality . At the risk of my friends and family thinking I’m crazy, of course.
