MobileTechTalk A lot of my time after school is being spent behind my PC, and a PC without a keyboard… Well, isn’t a PC… At least, you can’t use it like one. Typing experience can be very important, especially when you’re typing a lot of text. In the past weeks, I’ve been testing out the Aukey KM-G3 mechanical keyboard. Should you buy it? Let’s find it out…
Disclaimer: Although Aukey provided me (Jeffrey) with the keyboard, they have had no influence on the editorial outcome of this review. The keyboard was tested connected to my OptiPlex 790 desktop PC running the latest build of Windows 10.
- 104 RGB backlit keys
- Outemu Blue mechanical switches
- USB 3.0 connection
- Multiple RGB color modes
- Windows-key lock
This keyboard just screams solid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The construction of the keyboard is mostly made of plastic with a brushed aluminum plate on top. It feels extremely solid in your hand, and I couldn’t notice any flex in the keyboard while lifting it up. Besides the screws up top which are clearly visible there are plenty of other less visible screws inside the keyboard that keep it really solid.
The keys of the keyboard are made of a high-quality plastic and feel really premium while touching. At last we’ve got the (very) thick cable that connects the keyboard to the PC. And because of its thickness it feels extremely solid as well. The connector is constructed very solidly as well, you won’t be breaking any of that very soon.
My desk setup has seen a total revamp in 2016, and the Aukey mechanical keyboard fits in extremely well. Whenever you show a picture of it to people, or they see it in reality they’re amazed by how it looks. And it looks great, the dark grey aluminum plate behind the keys together with the black plastic simply looks really good. Aukey also decided to show a few screws which secure the backplate in place, and it certainly helps with the industrial design of the keyboard.
As with almost every gaming keyboard the font isn’t just one of the standard ones, instead it looks a lot different, and better compared to the regularly used font. You may not prefer it though, it really depends on what you like.
At last we’ve got the RGB backlight that comes with the keyboard. Of course, you could disable it, but it also gives you the option to gives your keyboard something different… Especially since the keyboard is pretty dark on its own, adding a color to it may just be the right thing to do.
Tons and tons of words have been written on this keyboard in the past few weeks; in fact, I’m writing this and almost every review with the Aukey mechanical keyboard. Why, you may ask… There’s one simply reply I could give you, and that’s the feedback this keyboard gives while typing. If you start typing as much as I do you just need something good to type everything with.
The Aukey KM-G3 is using the Blue switches from Outemu, which is basically a copy of the MX Blue switches as MX lost their patent on the switches years ago. What does this mean for the typing experience, it’s very loud and you get a ton of feedback while typing. It’s as loud that my brother in the room besides me can hear me typing with his door closed. That’s one of the disadvantages of mechanical keyboards, the noise. If you really need it to be quiet this unfortunately isn’t the keyboard for you.
The springs inside the switches really give you the feel that the key has been pressed, which is a helluva lot different on the standard membrane keyboards used by most. This is something you either love or hate, and the only way to really find out the answer whether you like it is to try a mechanical keyboard out.
Next, we’ve the RGB color choice, which is extremely easy. Just press FN + INS for the change in mode, and FN + DEL for the change in color. With the FN key, you can also lock the windows key, mute the volume, pause / play a video and much more. There’s more than enough to check out when getting this keyboard, and the extra functions you get with this keyboard make it into an even better buy.
Week after week of using the Aukey KM-G3 keyboard brings up a smile on my face, a smile of enjoyment. This keyboard makes typing into a very pleasant experience; The Outemu Blue switches give you a lot of feedback and the industrial design make it into a very interesting package. The RGB backlight adds some more color, and the FN key brings a lot of features. Altogether something you can’t go wrong with…
Especially for its price of just £55.99 there’s no better mechanical keyboard out there, and if you need the numpad this is probably the only mechanical keyboard you can choose from in this price point.
Aukey Mechanical Keyboard
£55.99
Pros
- Used materials
- Outemu Blue switches
- RGB backlit
- Build is really sturdy
Cons
- Really loud
