Asus ROG Azoth review: Better than a dedicated gaming keyboard

I never thought I’d have a better gaming-ready keyboard out there A custom mechanical keyboard that I built last year. But here we are.

When Asus announced the ROG Azoth, I immediately knew it was one of the The most anticipated product of the year. Based on the spec sheet, it’s a toolkit sandwiched between The best gaming keyboards You can buy. I didn’t expect it to be better than a dedicated enthusiast-grade mechanical keyboard, and it is. However, there are two small areas I’d like to see Asus improve with the second version.

Enthusiastic Design, Key Features

The look of ROG Azoth is instantly recognizable to anyone in the enthusiast mechanical keyboards world. It’s 75% design, following in the footsteps of Glorious GMMK Pro and drop sense 75. However, there are some important changes.

The top is an aluminum frame, but there’s no aluminum throughout the body like the GMMK Pro or Sense75. The Azoth is a bulky keyboard, but it’s not nearly as heavy as these other Enthusiast models because of its plastic bottom.

There’s a good reason for plastic here. The distinguishing feature of Azoth is that it supports 2.4GHz low latency wireless and Bluetooth as well as a wired connection. No other keyboard of Azoth’s caliber supports wireless connectivity, mainly because it is difficult to transmit a wireless signal through the aluminum. Asus took a risk, and I’m glad about that.

Battery life is also exceptional, even with the feature-rich OLED display on board. I started using Azoth out of the box without charging (I got to about half battery). After a week of daily use, I only needed to charge it once, and I still have half the battery left as I write this review.

Dream-like writing

The Azoth’s 75% form factor doesn’t automatically make an enthusiast’s keyboard, and Asus has plenty of justification for the $250 list price. I don’t compare Azoth to consoles like Razer Huntman v2.0 — and it’s similarly expensive — because it comes with features and a typing experience worthy of an enthusiast’s badge.

It uses a mount gasket, which was previously reserved for very expensive keyboards such as Angry Miu Cyber ​​Board R2. The pad is offset on silicone gaskets, which provide a soft cushion for your satisfied keystrokes Collision sound Advanced mechanical keyboard.

Asus combines a gasket mount and stabilizers that make large keys like the space bar feel smooth no matter where you hit them, plus plate foam to cut down on the unwanted metallic ping of mechanical keyboards. Results? A great typing experience that even high-end keyboards can’t match.

The only exception is the keys. Asus includes its own NX switches, either red (linear), blue (click), or brown (tactile). I used the brown switches, and they’re better than the garden-variety Cherry switches you find on keyboards like Corsair K70 RGB Pro. The keys come pre-oiled, and feel well worth the price. But this is a keyboard that requires upgrades, and those upgrades are where it shines.

Make it your own

Azoth is fully customizable, and its real value is in picking up a few other keys and keycaps and making the keyboard your own. You can change keys with a built-in tool, similar to last year Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animal.

I reached for some Akko Wine Red switches and a cheap set of keycaps I found on Amazon—generally, about $50 for an upgrade—and completely changed the typing experience. I still prefer my custom GMMK Pro with the stock configuration, but with a few minor upgrades? It’s hard to let go of Azoth.

However, I have some minor problems here. For starters, the included keycaps aren’t great. It’s dual-shot PBT and is rugged, but Asus includes some weird extras. For example, you will usually find a raised edge in a file F And j to indicate where your home row is, but Asus moves this to a file w key instead. I understand this is a gaming keyboard, but while gaming, the raised edge becomes more of an annoyance than a useful guide.

Another problem is that Azoth uses a north facing PCB. The RGB LEDs are located on the top of the switch housing instead of the bottom. This is to allow light to shine through the semi-transparent legends on the keycaps, but a north-facing PCB can interfere with certain keycaps and lead to an unwanted feel of sound and typing.

Even with these issues, there’s no denying Asus is pushing mainstream mechanical keyboards where they’ve never gone before, and I’m on board with it.

Functional OLED screen

I’m not too interested in gimmicks on keyboards, but the OLED display on the ROG Azoth isn’t a gimmick. It’s a highly functional multipurpose hub that makes it easy to navigate settings, change brightness, and add a little flair to your desk.

On the side, there is a switch that you can switch up and down to change volume, adjust brightness, etc. You can also hold it down for another function and use a button on the side for another. Together, you can cycle through media controls, brightness settings, and lighting effects with just a few clicks.

You can customize these functions on the Asus Armory Box as well. The OLED display goes much further and can display custom animations, text, and even some limited system information like CPU and temperature. All of these settings are stored in a profile, and you can also store up to six profiles onboard.

This is the kind of mainstream functionality you don’t find on an enthusiast keyboard. Asus brings the best of both worlds here.

The gaming keyboard to beat

Even with everything I’ve covered in this review, Azoth brings more features, including macOS support and a greasing station for your keycaps. Asus excels enthusiast keyboards on the front and reigns supreme on the quality front.

What’s shocking is that Asus doesn’t charge much of a premium, because $250 isn’t cheap for a gaming keyboard. This is the same price Corsair K100 And $50 more SteelSeries Apex Pro. You’ll get a quality keyboard with the Asus ROG Azoth for this price.

Editors’ recommendations