The RC Prestige mechanical keyboard from Azio has a bit of a steampunk vibe. Its backlit half-height keycaps — rounded squares with brushed silver edges — float above the faceplate and look like old-fashioned typewriter keys. The ebony version I tested has a black-stained wood faceplate; an ivory version swaps wood for white leather. The aluminum frame matches the color of the keycap edges and is secured with visible screws around the top.Â
Despite the somewhat anachronistic design, the keyboard has a lot of the features you’d find on current mechanical keyboards: hot-swappable Gateron G Pro 3.0 mechanical switches, double-shot keycaps, wired or Bluetooth modes (for up to three devices), MacOS, Windows, iOS and Android support, and high-quality materials inside and out.Â
The bottom case is plastic, but it doesn’t detract from the design. It certainly doesn’t make it lighter: it’s a hefty 3.5 pounds. The base has large circular feet with rubber on the bottoms so it won’t slide around. A twist of the cleverly designed back feet raises the rear of the keyboard for a more comfortable typing angle.Â
The keyboard connects by Bluetooth or USB cable (a nice USB-C-to-USB-A braided cable was included); there’s no 2.4GHz wireless option. With Bluetooth, up to three devices can wirelessly connect to the keyboard. The keyboard will go to sleep to conserve battery life when not in use, and it does take a second or two for it to wake and reconnect — not uncommon but still frustrating.
Even though I tested an early production sample of the keyboard, the typing experience was wonderful. The keyboard Azio sent me had Gateron G Pro 3.0 Brown tactile mechanical switches, a good…
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