A spiffy first board for budding keyboard tweakers
When we reviewed the original Asus ROG Azoth in 2023, we gave it an Editors’ Choice award as an outstanding and eminently customizable gaming keyboard. Then came the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme, also an impressive board, but with a $500 asking price that severely limits its appeal. Now, we’re checking out the Asus ROG Azoth X, a wireless mechanical model that fits right in between its two predecessors, in terms of price. At $299.99, the Azoth X costs significantly less than the Azoth Extreme, likely because it backs off on some of the flashier upgrades. Meanwhile, its price matches our current Editors’ Choice pick for enthusiast keyboards, the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% (which sports a better polling rate and features a magnetic wrist rest). So is the Azoth X a potentially good alternative? Read on.Design: Black, White, and Red (But Not All Over)
Compared with the two earlier Asus keyboards, the Azoth X has more in common with the standard Azoth, right down to the molding of its back plate. However, the Azoth X comes in slightly larger than the standard, at 1.6 by 12.8 by 5.4 inches (HWD). Unlike the earlier model, it is available only with a white frame.
As wireless keyboards go, the Azoth X has a pretty hefty battery, which Asus rates at 1,600 hours of use. In terms of connections, you can link up the keyboard to your PC via a USB-C cable (included), Bluetooth, or 2.4GHz wireless. The 2.4GHz wireless dongle is neatly nestled in a cutout next to the connectivity mode switch on the top right of the frame.
The keycaps have black, white, or red/blue bases with patterns reminiscent of a 1980s retrowave aesthetic. The high contrast (white labels on black keys and black labels on white keys) helps keep the keys legible in low-light conditions, and even though the font is stylized, it’s still more readable than the setup on the Lemokey L5 HE. Beyond that, the keycaps are made of a frosted plastic that allows the sides of the keys to diffuse the RGB backlighting in a satisfyingly soft glow. The tops and fronts of the keycaps are molded with an opaque plastic.
In the box, along with the USB-C cable for connecting and charging, Asus includes an extra set of keycaps if you’d like to replace the Windows-specific keys with Mac ones; there’s even an extra Control key to replace the Microsoft Copilot-branded keycap.
