Review of Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard - a hybrid keyboard for gamers and more

Professionals prefer to use mechanical keyboards. Gamers cannot get enough of the extraordinary precision of their keystrokes, and journalists and writers are attracted by their high reliability. However, such devices cost significantly more than their membrane competitors. Therefore, Xiaomi has created the Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard with a hybrid mechanism, which combines the advantages of both designs, but at a reasonable price.

Specifications

Material: plastic, aluminum alloy.
Cable length: 1.8 m.
Interface: USB 2.0.
Number of buttons: 104.
MTBF: 50 million clicks.
Response time: 3 ms.
Refresh rate: 1,000 Hz.
Keyboard type: hybrid.
Dimensions: 43 × 13.5 × 3 cm.
Weight: 1 kg.

Appearance

The design of Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard is simple and stylish. The bezel is made of a specially treated gray aluminum alloy. The bezels are thin, so the keyboard has a fairly compact size. In the upper right corner is the company logo.

Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard: logo

The height of the buttons is average. They are made of quality PBT plastic, which is durable and durable. Usually this material is used in expensive keyboards or in custom keysets.

The button block has an ergonomic tilt for comfortable and fast typing. Each key, with the exception of the space bar, is slightly concave so that the fingers fit precisely even with blind use.

The back surface is completely plastic. Stability is provided by four rubber feet, which practically do not slip on the table. The two front legs are removable. They can be replaced with longer ones from the kit to slightly increase the keyboard tilt.

Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard is equipped with effective backlighting for each key. When connected, the keyboard starts shimmering in different colors - it looks especially great in the dark.

There are 14 different dynamic backlight options to choose from, the activation of the desired one is carried out by hot keys. If you want, you can turn on the constant background glow of red, green, blue, yellow, purple, blue, white or turn it off altogether.

Key construction

The most important thing about a mechanical keyboard is the type of switch. In Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard, we found a mechanism from TTC, which is one of the leading switch manufacturers. The whole structure in the button looks good enough, which is confirmed by the tactile sensations - no wobbling or rattling is observed when pressed.

A conventional mechanical keyboard contains a switching element directly in the button. However, in Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard, the circuit is closed using a membrane on the board, and this has significantly reduced the cost of the product. That is why this keyboard belongs to the hybrid type, that is, it combines the properties of both mechanical and membrane devices.

The convenience of use

The mechanical keys provide a very special operating experience. In terms of pressure, feedback and sound, they are completely different from what the user encounters when using a conventional keyboard.

Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard is comfortable to use

The key travel is smooth and precise, its length is about 3 millimeters. The buttons are pressed with slight resistance, the actuation occurs approximately in the middle. Thanks to the concave shape and ample space between the buttons, your fingers are able to reach the desired elements with confidence.

When typing or playing, the keys emit a characteristic clicking sound. This is a feature of mechanical keyboards that some people idolize and others hate. Please note this distinctive feature of the Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard before purchasing.

Outcomes

The Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard looks and feels like an expensive mechanical keyboard. Spectacular backlighting and precise key actuation will appeal to fans of computer games, and the durability, convenience and characteristic sound of a typewriter will impress writers, journalists and other people working with text.

At the time of this writing, the cost of the Xiaomi Gaming Keyboard is 3,547 rubles.