Digit Zero1 Awards and Best Buy Awards 2023: Best Performing Mechanical Keyboard

Last year we saw most keyboards ditching cherry keys for their own proprietary versions. This year, we see more brands going for smaller form factor keyboards. TKL keyboards, ranging from 55% to 75% are all the craze.

Also read: Digit Zero1 Awards and Best Buy Awards 2023: Best Performing Gaming Laptop (Over ₹250K+)

All of the keyboard nominations this year are TKL keyboards. We can certainly see the appeal: a clutter-free desk, more room for your mouse, what’s not to like? Of course, just because a keyboard is smaller doesn’t mean it’s limited in any way. Our Digit Zero1 Award winner comes packed to the brim with features, and it’s from the same brand that took the win last year.

Digit Zero1 Award and Best Buy Award Winner: ASUS ROG Azoth (Buy now)

Price: ₹22,999

We’re not going to lie, the ASUS ROG Azoth offered a fantastic typing and gaming experience. The keyboard comes with pre-lubed ROG NX switches. Our unit came with NX Red switches, which are linear and don’t have a tactile bump. The switches offered a very polished and stable feel. Response time and actuation also felt great; again, we had zero complaints while both gaming and typing. For connectivity, you have wired, Bluetooth, and then you have the 2.4GHz ROG SpeedNova wireless technology. Here’s the kicker, if you’re using this keyboard with the OLED screen turned off, and the RGB lighting off, you can get a whopping 2,000+ hours of battery life on this keyboard while using 2.4GHz. 2000 hours! You could safely go months without ever needing to charge the ROG Azoth.

Also read: Digit Zero1 Awards and Best Buy Awards 2023: Best Performing Gaming Headphones

The ASUS ROG Azoth also comes with a switch lube kit inside the box. This kit includes the Krytox GPL-205-GD0 lubricant, a valuable tool for users looking to venture into the realm of keyboard DIY. Lubing switches can improve their performance, reduce friction, and minimize keystroke noise. Furthermore, ASUS hasn’t limited modifications to ASUS-specific parts, users who prefer MX Switches should have no compatibility issues. ASUS has even included a sort of starter tool kit for keyboard tweakers.

This kit equips users with the essential tools and accessories required for keyboard modifications, switch replacements, and keycap upgrades. We’ve raved on enough, we’re pretty sure you have a good enough idea of why the ASUS ROG Azoth is both our Digit Zero1 and Best Buy Award Winner for the mechanical keyboards category.

Runner-up: OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro (Buy now)

Price: ₹17,999

Newcomer to the keyboard scene, OnePlus delivers a surprisingly good typing experience with its Keyboard 81 Pro. Weighing 1.87kg due to its aluminum build, it’s definitely on the heavier side as far as keyboards are concerned. This does with stability during intense typing sessions, but it hampers the keyboards overall portability. The keyboard has been created in collaboration with Keychron, and you might recongnise it’s similarity to the Keychron Q1 Pro, which was one of its most popular models. The keyboard also comes with frills, like a volume-control knob, though its plastic material feels less premium.

Also read: Digit Zero1 Awards and Best Buy Awards 2023: Best Performing Desktop Processor

The cohesive colour palette, alert-slider controls, vibrant red USB cable, and crystallized dialer enhance its aesthetic and scream OnePlus. The keyboard fully supports hot-swapping; the keyboard allows easy switch replacement without soldering. With RGB at its lowest, the battery lasts over 100 hours, extending to over 200 hours when off. Overall, this is a solid debut from OnePlus and deserving of the runner up spot in the Best Mechanical Keyboards category.

For more information on Digit Zero1 Award winners across various categories of products, please visit: https://www.digit.in/zero1-awards

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Manish Rajesh

Manish can usually be found fervently playing video games of all kinds or… no wait he’s pretty much always playing games View Full Profile