IQUNIX A80 EXPLORER Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, TKL Wireless
IQUNIX A80 EXPLORER Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, TKL Wireless 2.4GHz/Bluetooth 5.0/Wired Type-C Keyboard with 83 Keys RGB Backlit, Tilted F-Row PBT Keycaps Hot-Swappable Cherry MX Blues
| Weight: | 1 kg |
| Dimensions: | 0.03 x 0.02 x 0.01 cm; 1 Kilograms |
| Brand: | IQunix |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | IQUNIX |
| Dimensions: | 0.03 x 0.02 x 0.01 cm; 1 Kilograms |
I like everything about this keyboard except for the price.
It comes in premium retail packaging which looks great.
This is basically a top of the line compact gaming keyboard. It is very heavy for it’s size and will need to be used on a stable surface. I tried using it in my lap and it was not a comfortable experience.
The keys are perfectly weighted for super-fast multikey games like OSU!, but 1st person shooters will also work perfectly once you get used to the key feel.
For general typing it is also great, as any premium keyboard should be. You get 83 keys with the F-row being slightly tilted, which is surprisingly easy to get used to.
The fact that this is wireless does not seem to have any effect on the speed, it feels just as responsive as a wired keyboard, The Cherry MX Blue are a good standard gaming switch and feel good no matter what you are doing.
The styling on this is quite extreme and retro, which I personally like. The typing sound is not annoying to other people, and certainly not to the user.
The only problem I have is the 190 price, which seems about 40 more than it’s worth.
I would say if the styling grabs you and you need a wireless/bluetooth board then look for a sale or voucher and pick this up as cheap as you can.
Let’s start with all the good stuff.
It looks good. It has a rechargeable battery. It’s wireless.
The downside for me is that it’s a bit heavy – you might think that’s a good thing – and the keys take a little bit more pressure for typing than a more traditional wireless keyboard.
The key action is good and positive though so probably better suited to gaming than it is to writing long documents in Word!
This is quite the keyboard – compared to most TKL designs, it looks straight out of a 1980s budget sci-fi movie and it’s not afraid to be different in terms of profile, colourway or aesthetic. I unashamedly love it for all these reasons, and have only docked it a star because it’s not a proper UK layout. When budget mechanical keyboards can get this one aspect right, it seems daft to leave it out on a keyboard at this price.
The Iqunix A80 is a cordless keyboard with a substantial construction (it weighs just over 1kg), a metal deck, hotswappable mechanism (red switches in this model) and three ways of connecting: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless with the provided dongle, or USB (various USB adaptors are provided).
In the box you get the A80 keyboard, a high quality key puller, a detachable, braided USB-C to A cable that matches the egg-yolk orangey-yellow and grey plastics well, a set of keys to convert from Windows to Mac/Unix layouts, some adaptors and the 2.4GHz dongle, some stickers, and a neat little retractable key brush. The standard keytops are not translucent, so the RGB backlighting doesn’t illuminate the characters; you can always upgrade the keycaps if required but the black-on-background colour suits the 1980s terminal aesthetic well.
You’ll notice the angle of the function keys first, and then the delightful look of the charge/function light next to the escape key. You’ll also notice that a lot of this is visual; the top strip doesn’t really do anything, though in theory you could use a Cricut or similar to print an F-key function reminder that was positively located using that round nub on the left.
It’s a comfortable and fast layout to type on (very fast if you’re used to US-layout), with a relatively high wrist point that you may want a rest for. The angled function keys leave more space above the top row than you might expect, and the substantial build means it doesn’t slide about. Sound from the red switches is muted, but quite loud, at high speeds it’s more duggaduggaduggadugga than rattles or clicks, a softer touch could be quite quiet with it.
Battery life is impressive, I get bored trying before it runs out, and as it has a physical switch for power underneath, standby lasts for ages. There’s no fancy software or anything, the RGB patterns are pre-programmed and you switch Mac/Windows layout modes via keyboard shortcuts. it also lacks a place to store the 2.4GHz dongle when not in use, which is a surprising oversight.
Ultimately this keyboard is all about the looks – there are no clever macros or on-board RGB individualisation options to store profiles for different games or apps, though there may be software to do that in the works looking at the Iqunix site. It also lacks three-device Bluetooth profile connection, so it’s harder to share between computer, smartphone and tablet for example (though you could pair with a bluetooth media PC and use the 2.4GHz for desktop). It’s not fantastic value for this layout and capability.
However, it achieves this particular style with attention to detail and quality that makes it worth paying for if you like it. The overall quality and solidity of the A80 is very impressive, and it’s a nice keyboard for typing on, will stand out in the office, and would double as a handy weapon if yeeted at an attacking office bear.
The design is a bit marmite. It’s quite retro and looks like old terminal keyboards from the late 70’s.
Personally I don’t like it that much and the colour scheme doesn’t look that great either in person however…….
The keyboard itself is a mechanical delight to type on and has just enough backlighting and adjustments so suit most persons.
The keycaps can be replaced and so can the switches. I love cherry reds myself.
Sturdy and no flex with a good weight and battery life.
The looks though……
Overall the price for this product is very good, after using it for a while its comfortable to type on and its great for any use. the Bluetooth is a great feature especially when wanting to use it on the go or have a clean setup. Battery life is amazing and you wont have to worry about charging it for a while.
The case is well built built and has a nice finish to it, the braided wire is a nice touch to it and is very durable. Hotkeys on the side are very useful. The keyboard lays on a comfortable angle and has adjustable levels at the bottom.
For the price (189.99 at the time of review) it is a very good product, and is a great first purchase if you are new to building keyboards or are just interested in them.
Pros:
Small size
Easy to type on
Hot swappable
Comfortable angle
Cons:
Spacebar way rattle a tiny bit but its an easy fix.
Keys letters aren’t translucent, but its nothing too big
Verdict:
Get it if you are new to/ wanting to build a custom keyboard.
It’s a good keyboard but a 190 keyboard? Possibly not.
Out of the box, it looks great, the colour scheme and almost typewriter build make it look like something from Fallout. There is a switch on the rear/base that allows you to switch between wireless and wired (USB-C) modes which makes it really easy to quickly change operation. Bluetooth connectivity is also possible with FN+F1 used to enter pairing mode.
The connection is good in wireless mode and I’ve never noticed it dropping out. The only issue is that it can take five or so seconds to be picked up when you type following the keyboard entering idle mode. On boot-up of my computer, I’ll immediately start typing and generally, only the last couple of digits or my pin are picked up, so long as you give it a few seconds you’re OK.
Typing feels nice with solid key-presses though there is a constant ringing when typing and it’s not the quietest thing though this is to be expected with a mechanical keyboard.
The RGB is decent but not the brightest nor richest I’ve ever seen. There are a number of modes that can be cycled through using FN+HOME with colour switching selectable through FN+END,. The product listing states there are 16 million colours but I’m not sure that this is the case there are a handful of solid colours that can be used individually or as part of a rainbow. It’s possibly less of an issue in wired mode but when used in wireless mode the keyboard, and the lighting, switch off after a few seconds of inactivity.
While great for typing/writing this isn’t really a gaming keyboard with no macro or function keys beyond the simple multimedia ones. It is very responsive though and so wouldn’t be a detriment to gaming.
Battery life is really good and can be checked any time by pressing FN+B which causes the upper left LED to flash with each ‘pip’ indicating 10% of battery. In wireless mode, I get easily a full week’s worth of use before I even need to consider charging via the included USB-C cable.
Overall I do really like it, as someone who types a lot it’s fun, easy, and comfortable to use and it’s more than enough for the relaxed gaming I do. Its worth is subjective and while I’m not quite sure it’s 190 worth of keyboard, I can’t argue with its quality.
NOTE – Do be aware though that this is a US keyboard and so if you’re a UK user some of the keys won’t quite match up, for example, ‘2’ shows as ‘@’ rather than “, ‘3’ shows as ‘#’ rather than etc… thanks to years of typing I know exactly where things are but it may impact other users.
Now THIS is a keyboard! It’s chunky, really chunky and deep and I love how the top row of F-keys are angled towards you.
It’s a beautiful gaming keyboard with an array of RGB lights and can be used wired and wirelessly. I opted for the Cherry MX Blue keys which seems to be all the rage these days. They’ve got great tactile feedback and I love the keystroke noises they make! The keys are swappable should you wish to install brown/red switches.
In the box you’ll receive:
Keyboard
Spare keys (for Mac)
Key extractor
Cleaning brush
USB cable
2.4GHz wireless dongle
A top quality keyboard and one that I can easily recommend. It gets 5 stars from me.
Thank you for reading.
At 189.99, at the time of writing,
This :
IQUNIX A80 EXPLORER Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, TKL Wireless 2.4GHz/Bluetooth 5.0/Wired Type-C Keyboard with 83 Keys RGB Backlit, Tilted F-Row PBT Keycaps Hot-Swappable Cherry MX Blues
is simply stunning.
Packaging :
It arrives in a lovely, shiny, professional, retail ready box.
The level of packaging is not excessive, or profligate, and is just enough to keep the product safe, and out of the box in good condition.
It makes a very good first impression.
It would make a great gift.
Recycling :
Most of the packaging can be recycled, including the inner contents.
The build quality is amazing, with a high level of finish, and detail.
The design is cool, simple, and clean, which translates into a keyboard that looks stunning, functional, and unique.
The performance is amazing, with such a high level of finish, that the keyboard is like going to your daily commute in a Formula One race car. You look good, you stand out, and you have so much grunt under the hood, that you can blow the competition away, without breaking a sweat.
I loved testing this keyboard out so much, I made it my everyday working keyboard, which is brilliant for games, great for everyday tasks, and as for cool… it sits there looking every inch a formula one racer.
I cannot recommend this mechanical keyboard highly enough.
Amazing,
I hope you enjoyed our time together .
Thank you for reading my review .
I realise that my title is a bold statement I’ve owned a lot of different keyboards over the years (ranging from cheap to Razer and Logitech flagships) and out of all of them, nothing has provided the typing experience of the IQUNIX. Now this is no cheap keyboard and is probably priced in the realm of “enthusiast’s” rather than the average person, but if you can look past that then you are in for a treat!
The colour scheme in my opinion looks fantastic, it’s much nicer than your basic black keyboard. The build quality is superb, it has zero flex when I’m typing on it, there is no squeaking or hollow noise when typing on it, the keys are amazing with a real positive tactile feel, they actuate extremely well with a smooth fast motion, the rollover seems unlimited so you’ll not have any problems with them. The wireless works flawlessly without any drop outs or issues during use, the keyboard angle is perfect to me and reduces strain and fatigue on your wrists. I really don’t have any negatives to say about this keyboard it’s simply perfect.
Overall it’s probably the best keyboard I’ve ever used and I’d highly recommend it!
This is such a cool keyboard, i know it is marketed at a gaming community however i needed a keyboard for working from home and this one appealed. I like the colours as they are very unique and makes the keyboard looks stylish on my work surface. The keyboard is durable and sturdy with no problems with moving around.
The keys are easy to use and comfortable to use all day, they are wear resistance which is great as i find that keyboards wear easily with my long working hours. I have joint hypermobility syndrome so i have bad wrists, therefore the ergonomic slant of the keyboard allows for my wrists to be in the correct position.
The keyboard is charged using a USB C which is provided. This provides a long battery life even whilst using the cool back light of the keyboard. The device can be connected using a wire, bluetooth or even a 2.4ghz connection. All connections provide a smooth connection with no problems of lagging or loosing connections. I type quite quickly and there has been no problems with missing letters or the keyboard not being fast enough to register my typing.
First of all I am in no way technical and am only a casual gamer. However, I do find that a standard sized keyboard is a bit of a pain as I do end up with it on my lap more often than on the desk or keyboard slide and a standard keyboard tends to be wider than my thighs so every time you hit a key the darned thing tilts. Throw in the fact that the keyboard then has to be used flat rather than tilted and it is a pain to use. The smaller size of this keyboard means it fits on my lap nicely with no overlap and as the base is angled the tilt is built in so this makes it a joy to use. The only downside is that it is weighty (about twice the weight of a standard keyboard).
The mechanical keys are an absolute joy to use and have a really satisfying feel to them, even when either gaming or typing rapidly (I average approximately 70-80wpm) it keeps up. The back light function is also a boon as often we have the lighting in our main room quite dim so the lighting on the keyboard itself actually serves a functional purpose.
I have only used this hardwired to my PC and have not unpacked the dongle or tried connecting via bluetooth as the included cable is amply long enough to go from my PC to the keyboard, even for use on my lap.
Although this is a big ticket item I do think it is value for money. I have been using this for hours every day over a couple of weeks and am really happy with it. My son even borrowed it to try on his gaming set up and he was equally impressed after using it for 12 hours a day over 2 days to put it through it’s paces. He did try and connect it through bluetooth but found that it would only work in certain orientations which we put down to his PC rather than the keyboard as he has a similar issue with a bluetooth headset.
The build quality feels incredibly sturdy and really does make me think of the early 1980s keyboards that were built like tanks and lasted like them too. Hopefully I will get the same longevity from this keyboard.
An excellent gaming keyboard for those who prefer the feel of a mechanical design (which I certainly do).
Wireless connectivity is excellent, as you would hope for this price, either via bluetooth, the supplied 2.4GHz dongle, and you still have the option of USB wired connection if preferred. Personally I do on occasion, so it’s nice to have the option available. Styling is solid, with large roundovers, quality materials & tight fit-lines so nothing really to critique on that front; the ability to adjust the angle via the feet is also effective -a simple feature, but a useful one. Colour scheme is also in practice a little more subtle than it appears in the pictures, though still easy to rapidly access & identify (to say nothing of programme). Somewhat retro actually & reminds me of some old home computers from the ’80s I used to own. Feel of the keys is excellent -a nice level of resistance that doesn’t seem to wear off even after some heavy use. Very good. Adjustable backlighting in a variety of colours is on offer, or can be left off as desired; brightness is reasonable, without burning out your retinas, which wouldn’t be of much use anyway in practice. If needed, the key extractor for changing to Mac keys & layout is effective, and the supplied cleaning brush is actually quite good, despite appearing normal enough.
This is not a cheap keyboard, but on the whole, for the quality on offer, it’s a very good one & well worth considering. I certainly like using mine, even for regular home office tasks.
Update: Got curious and lubed the switches. All pinging has stopped. The typing experience is even smoother and better now.
The typing experience is great. I really like the gently curved nature of the keyboard and prefer it to the completely flat keyboards I’ve used up to now. Additionally, the aggressively angled f-row also enables me to reach it without having to shift hand position from the home row. I’ve not used this ANSI style layout before and was a little unsure about switching from the British ISO layout but I found the switch easy and if anything found the longer enter key easier to use.
I use the keyboard with my MacBook, and it only took seconds to swap the keycaps and switch the keyboard to “mac” mode. The MacBook functions of the F-row still work automatically when connected via Bluetooth and cable and switched to function keys when connected via 2.4 GHz wireless (the mac does not seem to be able to recognise this is an 87 key keyboard when connected through the 2.4 GHz connector).
Build quality is very good. No issues with key presses not registering. The keyboard is nicely weighted so does not move during use. Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz and wired connectivity all work seamlessly and the keyboard came with some great accessories as well including a brush, a keycap puller and a colour matched USB-C to A cable. Battery charge can be checked by a short cut (Fn + B) and counting the flashes of the light next (each flash is 10 % charge).
The backlight is nice and it has a lot of choices for lighting options (colours, brightness, static or moving patterns etc) but it is purely aesthetic as with the opaque keycaps you cannot use it to see the keys in the dark.
There is an audible pinging when the keyboard used which is (according to the internet) a common issue with pre-made keyboards and should be relatively easy to fix (if a little time consuming). Personally, I didn’t find the ping to be too loud and it doesn’t bother me.
All in all a great pre-made keyboard suitable as a first mechanical keyboard due to the switches being hot-swappable and being pre-made means you can start typing immediately. I would recommend this keyboard.
The package contains the keyboard, spare keys (for Mac), key extractor, cleaning brush, USB cable and should come with a 2.4GHz wireless dongle although the dongle was missing in my box. I have contacted support and a new dongle should be being shipped direct from China – if it doesn’t, I will be revisiting this review. There was also a dongle included that had a female USB-A connector on one end and a female USB-C connector on the other end which I couldn’t see mentioned in the instructions.
The keyboard can either connect wirelessly via bluetooth, wirelessly via 2.4GHz dongle (if included) or wired direct using the included USB cable. The USB cable is also used to charge the battery in the keyboard. One charge of the battery should last up to 200 days if connected by bluetooth, or up to 60 days if connected by 2.4GHz. The keyboard appears quite chunky but is comfortable to use. It can also be angled more with two feet that fold out in two positions. The function keys themselves are also angled up from the main keyboard. The key movement is good as you would expect from Cherry MX Blue switches.
There is also an adjustable back light which has multiple colours and effects varying from all keys the same colour to colours waving across the keyboard to colour exploding from any pressed key outwards. The backlight, brightness and connection type are all adjusted using key combinations, such as Fn + 1. There is also a physical switch on the base of the keyboard that switches the keyboard between wireless (Bluetooth or 2.4GHz) and wired (or off).
The keyboard has a somewhat retro look to it but is brought right up to date when the RGB lighting is used. It has very good key movement and is a joy to use. It should be worth mentioning that the keyboard comes in English US layout. It would have been nice to have the different English UK key tops included as well as the Mac key tops – there aren’t that many different keys.
This keyboard is definitely an unusual style, with its retro looks and design. The keyboard shape is very comfortable to use, the keys are fairly quiet and easy to press, but they have a tinny sound to them, not quite mechanical. The rgb backlights are a good addition for the evening.
The keyboard comes with the key cap remover which is easy to use, the only problem is that it doesn’t have the sign, so its set out as an American layout, so not great for use for work if you need this key. Maybe more ideal for gaming.
The box contains the keyboard, mac keycaps, 2.4 GHz dongle, USB-A to C cable, USB-A to C extender and a keycap/switch removal tool.
The keyboard has absolutely no deck flex and screams premium throughout its construction. The included keycaps are double-shot so they won’t wear off. There’s a frosted glass LED next to the escape button which is used to indicate caps lock and battery/connection status, it looks absolutely amazing. Very impressed with the look and feel of the keyboard. The included cable is colour matched, an attention to detail that is appreciated. The angled function keys give it this beautiful retro look which isn’t displayed well enough in the images.
The brilliance continues into the typing performance. The angled and well-spaced keys make for a comfortable typing experience. I went for the Cherry MX red switches which makes touch-typing very relaxing. The sound is good but not great, I would be foam modding my keyboard as there’s a large resonance when a key is let go too quickly. There is noticeable latency when using Bluetooth but with the 2.4 GHz receiver, there is no perceivable latency as with wired mode.
The RGB is very forgettable. The keycaps don’t have any transparent parts so the RGB only lights the under-keys so it’s non-functional and is purely for aesthetics. IMO, the keyboard actually looks worse with any form of RGB on so I’d skip that option.
The lack of any software customisation such as remapping or macros is a bit annoying but not a dealbreaker for me. IQUNIX do state on their site that they are working on software but that remains to be seen.
Yes, the price tag is on the higher side but this keyboard has such a unique look and feel to it that, to me, justifies the price. If you like the way it looks, you can’t really go wrong with this.
Hope you found my review helpful.
This is just excellent. We use mechanical keyboard for gaming and we both have tried some new ones lately. This one is the best so far, with clear and accurate pressing, fast response and little noise.
The look is pretty cool, quite retro and looks fairly expensive. Once the RGB is on it looks confusingly modern. Definitely a show stopper!
It connects via Bluetooth. What really worked for me is that the keys go up towards the top. I find this comfortable. Operates with Mac and Windows.
Finally I think it’s pricey but if it’s within your budget, it is totally worth it!
This keyboard comes very well packaged in a box.
On first looks this keyboard looks very impressive and well made. Inner keys are white and then surrounded by grey keys predominately on the outer edges while Pgup, PgDn, Home, End and the Spacebar are yellow.
They are mechanical keys and four spare keys are provided with a fitting device.
The keyboard is clicky and responds well when used to play games. It reminds me of the retro Plus 4 keyboard from Commodore many years ago. There are feet that pull out at the back to create a higher slope, long term it makes me wonder how long those feet will last as this part I feel could have been better made, but personally I use it without the feet.
This can be used as a hardwired keyboard with the supplied standard USB to USB-C cable or can be used wirelessly with the supplied usb wireless adaptor, or alternatively configured for bluetooth.
This comes with quite an impressive easy to read manual compared with normal standards.
The keyboard is very good, the only thing I feel is it is expensive for what it is.
So far, I have found no major issues with it.
I hope you find my review useful. Thanks
OVERALL
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Repulsive in terms of taste and style, but fast and responsive.
VARIANT
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I got the IQUNIX A80 EXPLORER Mechanical Keyboard RGB Backlit with Cherry MX Red Switches
UNDERSIDE
=========
There are rubber feet.
On the underside, there is a switch to change from wired to wireless.
BATTERY
=======
The battery capacity is huge at 4000 mAH.
The angle of elevation is pretty high so you will probably need a palm rest.
CHANGE FROM BLUETOOTH TO 2.4 GHz
===============================
Press FUNCTION + 4
This 80% length A80 Explorer mechanical gaming keyboard from Iqunix is genuinely one of the best keyboards I have ever used, it’s truly really impressive.
Mechanical keyboards have always been pretty hit or miss for me – I’ve had a few (albeit much cheaper) mechanical keyboards before and most of them act as almost a hackable base, with you having to spend quite a bit of time (and extra money) to get them to feel right. I haven’t had this experience with the A80 Explorer – it just felt right straight outside of the box.
It’s hard not to bring up the design – It’s pretty unique and striking. I simply love the look of it. It looks both retro and modern at the same time and i’ve gotten so many “how cool is that?” comments over team meetings, so it can’t just be me. It’s got pretty decent backlights with all sorts of dynamic RGB effects – some people love them, some people hate them and I vary day by day, so it’s very good to have the option!
You can connect cia wired (usb-c), bluetooth or via a 2.4Ghz wireless connection via the USB receiver and connect up to two devices simultaneously via both bluetooth and the wireless dongle and up to three switchable devices on bluetooth. Input delay is extremely minimal, i’ve not been able to notice it via my eye. Switching to wireless mode is done via a switch underneath the keyboard with bluetoothwireless band switching done via keyboard hotkeys.
The 80% size keeps it compact but still pretty feature packed – It did take awhile for me to adjust coming from a full sized keyboard but I adapted within a day with only minimal impact to my type speed, which is bound to get better as time goes on.
The battery is pretty massive at 4000 mAh – i’ve got handhelds with batteries half the size, so i’m sure battery’s not going to be an issue with this keybaord.
You’ve got hot-swappable cherry MX switches, so you can make it your own if you’d like to. The keys aren’t quite but it’s a mechanical keyboard.
I was completely blown away by the A80 Explorer and will be using it going forward.