Once again the very kind people at Epomaker have sent me a new keyboard to try out. This time it’s the small but powerful AK61S.
The AK61S is a 61 key / 61% layout keyboard, which means it’s about as small as you can go without losing any of your essentials, and the smallest keyboard I’ve tried to date (I admit to being very intrigued by 40% keyboards, but I don’t imagine I’d be able to use one day-to-day). I’m used to typing on a 68 key keyboard, and (as you’d probably expect) there’s really not much difference in terms of finding your keys. The only key I’m missing is my Del (but I still have a Backspace). The AK61S is significantly smaller than my usual keyboard though, taking up far less desk space with its 292 X 104 X 45mm.
The AK61S works both wired and wireless via Bluetooth 5.1 (there’s a tiny little red, rubber on/off switch on the underside of the keyboard which switches on the internal battery). Up to three Bluetooth connections can be stored and cycled through using the Fn Z, X, and C keys. The AK61S is designed to play nicely with both Windows and Mac, and has specific modes for both (Fn W for Win or Fn E for Mac) allowing access to all the system-specific shortcuts you’re used to. You even get some extra keycaps so you can swap out some of the Mac / Win specific keys.
Switch choices are Gateron optical Black, Blue, or Brown, but the switches are hot-swappable (swap and change at your convenience without any need for soldering), so you can always switch if you are so inclined. I got the Gateron Browns which are tactile but (because they’re optical) not too clicky, and are actually really, really nice. The keys themselves are sturdy PBTs (those are the ones which last longer, and which the letters don’t wear off from) with a pleasant ergonomic design. All in all the AK61S is a pleasure to type on.
The AK61S comes equipped with RGB SMD backlight. According to the AK61S page, this means that “more than 16.8 million lights are available“. Hundreds of lighting effects can be downloaded (via jikedingzhi.com/downloadlist?driverID=41) and updates are being added all the time.
Now, I famously get a bit twitchy when I try to start playing with the backlight settings of a keyboard, and I very much prefer a solid, single colour of light behind my keys to a rolling rainbow. I was very intrigued by the AK61S‘s “music rhythm mode” however; “the light will move with the music rhythm, simply press FN+[{ four times to start this mode“. This confused me at first, but then I realised that it doesn’t work with headphones. It’s the actual sound of the music in the room which triggers the lights, and it needs to be pretty loud to do so. [edit: Wait. Does that mean that there’s a mic inside the keyboard…?]
With the driver installed, the AK61S has three layers of programmability; using FN1/FN2/FN3 users can alter key functions, macro record, and save to the keyboard’s onboard flash memory, meaning all the new settings stick even in battery-powered / Bluetooth mode.
In many ways, the AK61S is a much more compact and portable cousin of the GK96S but somehow (maybe just because I’m used to, and prefer smaller keyboards)I found it less distracting to work on. Yes, there are all these extra layers of functionality and customisation, but the AK61S is still a very user-friendly, compact keyboard, ideal for desktop use, or for working with a laptop / Macbook.