Over time Aukey has learned to be known by the public for its accessories dedicated to mobile, but also to the desktop, always of increasing quality, and with a value for money that certainly leaves users happy. It is with this spirit that we approached the test of the Aukey KM-G12 RGB mechanical keyboard. The result surprised us positively. Here because.
If it is true that in the gaming peripheral sector there are brands that are much more known to the general public, it is equally true that the list of these other companies almost always leaves out that slice of the public who would also like to look at the wallet, taking home a quality accessory. . The keyboard under test aims precisely at that slice of the public. Aukey KM-G12 is an RGB mechanical keyboard, optimized for gaming, but which also allows a particularly comfortable and fast text writing. Let's start, first of all, by saying that it is a full keyboard, with 105 keys , with Italian layout, and that works perfectly with PC and Mac. It does not require any initial setup, and for correct use it will be sufficient to connect only the USB cable.
In the package , in addition to the keyboard and manuals, interesting for mastering all the lighting presets, there is also the accessory for removing the keys in total safety. It is a sort of small plastic pliers, which allows you to “embrace” each key, and to remove it without damaging the keyboard, thus allowing, in the eventuality, to replace some keys over time.
The Aukey keyboard under test is really well assembled. It has its weight, almost 1 kg, but more than being a problem it turns out to be an added value, because it remains firmly on the desk, allowing you to write as quickly as possible, thanks to a particularly high grip. We said, well built, and very solid to the touch, without any creaking. From the point of view of construction, one cannot but be absolutely satisfied: firm, solid and resistant.
Considering that aesthetics also plays its part, especially when choosing an RGB keyboard for gaming, what you notice right away is a really sufficient lighting, improved compared to the previous versions of the RGB keyboards proposed by the brand. The backlight is good, and the colors stand out perfectly even in sunlight. KM-G12, in particular, comes with 7 pre-set colors and 12 pre-set lighting configurations. To better master them, the advice is to read the manual, also available in Italian, where all the keyboard shortcuts are present, to change the color and the effect to be displayed on the keyboard. Not only that, however, the keys will be illuminated, but in a totally autonomous way it will also be possible to manage an LED bar that circumnavigates the entire lower part of the keyboard, and which gives an even more aggressive look.
From the point of view of the luminous “choreographies” this peripheral will certainly leave the user happy, who will be able to customize the keyboard with 12 pre-set effects. Just press the key combination “FN + PrtSc” to alternate between the 12 light effects, or press “FN + Home” to choose between the 7 color settings. If, on the other hand, you want to change the effect of the light bar at the bottom, you will have to use the “FN + Ins” keys to scroll through the 3 light effects, while with “FN + Esc” you can choose to switch on or turn off all lights.
The RGB effects present are among the most varied. You can choose to turn on the entire keyboard with colors that will alternate in a wave effect, which spreads from left to right, being able to change the speed of this movement. You can, again, choose to illuminate only some specific keys, leaving all the others off: this particular setting will illuminate the keys that are usually most used by gamers, such as the directional arrows, and the usual keys “W”, “a” , “S” and “d”. This is a little gem that nevertheless denotes the attention that Aukey has paid to please gamers.
Beyond the lighting effects, really beautiful and appreciable, this keyboard is able to offer comfort in typing and pressing each key, which is particularly satisfying, and which allows you not to miss any keystrokes, with an almost degree of precision. maximum. This is thanks to the anti-ghosting technology, which gives the user maximum writing precision.
But let's get to the negative side, if you can actually call it that. The noise. KM-G12 offers blue switches, which by definition are among the noisiest under pressure. The noise of this keyboard can be compared, no more, no less, to that of an old typewriter. Is it a cons? In fact, those who choose this keyboard are already aware of the degree of noise of the keys, which therefore become a real feature, rather than a disturbing element.
Certainly it is not the keyboard to recommend to those who, for example in an office, share a room with other colleagues. Again, it won't be the keyboard we would recommend to students sharing the same room: the noise from each key will actually annoy those around you. Likewise, it could negatively affect the rest of the people sleeping in the next room. We reiterate, we do not feel like including this element among the cons, because it is natural, for a mechanical keyboard with a blue switch, to produce this type of noise.
Just for the sake of completeness, we point out that there is a software for customizing the lights, available on the official Aukey website and which takes the name of G-Aim. We sincerely feel we can exclude it from this review. The same company, in fact, does not seem to push too much on this software, which is not advertised in any way, neither on the Amazon purchase page, nor in the user manual. Furthermore, having downloaded and tried it, we found a particular bug: after installing the app, the Enter key was replaced by the letter “ù”, forcing us to reset the keyboard by pressing and holding FN + DEL.
Conclusions
The Aukey KM-G12 RGB keyboard was a very pleasant surprise. It costs about 64.99 euros on Amazon, net of some discounts that occasionally land on the e-shop. It is built really well, has a heaviness that makes it extremely solid and stable, and offers a unique degree of comfort in typing, truly a godsend for those who can type quickly: hard to miss a beat, every key responds perfectly, and with minimal effort. Certainly the noise is an element to be taken into consideration, but do not call it “against”. The lighting effects are really noticeable, the brightness and color intensity is really good, and overall it manages to return that aggressive look that gamers will love so much.
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Price and availability
Aukey KM-G12 can be purchased on Amazon at a cost of 64.99 euros. Click here to buy it.
