Today we will be doing a quick review of the ROG Azoth, one of the gaming keyboard ASUS ROG offered that can be customized and designed not just for gamers but keyboard enthusiasts as well.
ROG Azoth is currently available in the Philippines for around PHP 12,000 to PHP 13,500 which was more lower compared to when it was initially introduced in the market.
Please be reminded that this review has no influence from the brand and we are writing what we thought about the product.
The ROG Azoth is a 75% form factor mechanical gaming keyboard, which means it doesn't have the num pad that can be seen in a regular size keyboard and smaller than a TKL (TenKeyLess) keyboards. Despite the smaller size, ASUS ROG was able to place a 2-inch OLED screen on the upper right side of the keyboard that can also be customized using their software Armoury Crate.
UNBOXING EXPERIENCE
The ROG Azoth has a more thicker packaging compared to the other gaming keyboard that ASUS ROG is offering.
The reason being is that it includes a DIY kit that allows you to customize the keyboard. Yes, you read it, the ROG Azoth has a swappable switches and has a standard keycaps. Yes at last! says those who are keyboard enthusiast.
Inside the package are as follows:
- ROG Azoth keyboard
- Quick start guide
- Warranty booklet
- ROG sticker
- ROG DIY KIT
- ROG Switch Puller
- ROG Keycap Puller
- ROG Switch Opener
- Lube station
- Lube brush
- Lube (Krytox GPL-205-GD0)
- 3x ROG NX Switch
- 8x stabilizer mat
- USB dongle
- USB extender
- USB cable
Though we are not professionals to do DIY on this keyboard, we can say that this set of tools help us on doing a quick customization on the ROG Azoth.
BUILD AND QUALITY
Upon lifting the keyboard from the box, the weight is not the usual, we can feel the premium-ness of the materials being used on it. It weighed around more than 1kgs with the frame not that soft to be bendable.
The top frame is a sturdy metal that we can say aluminum and the bottom part is high quality plastic materials allowing the keyboard to easily connect on its wireless dongle.
In between the top and bottom layers are dampening foams, silicone pad and gasket mounts that is said to reduce the noise and enhance your typing experience.
Under the top frame is where the spacebar, input, backspace and left shift support are placed including the other key frames are placed.
The third later is where the silicone foam and the PCB board is located where they include the ROG design and the ASD
At the back of the board will show you how the RGB led are placed and soldered. The board also shows us that it supports up to 5-pin switches.
And on the bottom layer, you will see PORON foam that covers the battery, the wireless and bluetooth connection. This layer also lay the OLED panel.
The unit we have has a blue switch but again, since you can customize it, you can change the switches based on your preference but we are good on how it performs though in the future we want to try other switches.
Though we can lube the switches with the DIY kit included, we didn't bother. The keycaps on the other hand has a PBT material which is much better than other keycaps available. And thank got they now have the standard keycap measurement which means we can now change it with the after market or third party key caps such as the artisan version.
The ROG Azoth also has a multimedia knob beside the OLED Panel that you can customize using their Armoury Crate. The knob also has a button in the middle that is also customizable.
ARMOURY CRATE SOFTWARE
Speaking of software, along with the other ASUS and ROG products, the ROG Azoth also can be customized using the said software. There are a lot of customization you can do using the software and here are some of the things you can do with the ROG Azoth
You can customize each keys.
The very popular Aura Sync of ASUS can also be customize using the software, and each product have their own lighting effects, and here's what the ROG Azoth has.
And as mentioned the customization of the Control knob. There are default settings already and there's the Customize option where you can change what will happen when you switch it up or down and even by clicking the knob.
And it will not be as fun if you can't change the OLED display. Unfortunately it doesn't include colored GIF and images, the OLED panel comes in chroma display only but as mentioned you can customize the display either a custom banner, an image or GIF.
The firmware tab allows you to check update for the ROG Azoth and recently we got an update that it can now support the Omni Receiver feature where you can now use 1 dongle for keyboard and mouse.
On the power tab, shows you the battery percentage of the keyboard. Speaking of battery life, the ROG Azoth has last more than 1 week to us without charging and with 8 hrs use per day. The reason is that the keyboard sleeps if you're not using it. The keyboard sleep can be customize on the Power tab.
PERFORMANCE
The ROG Azoth we have has the ROG NX Blue switch which is clicky and tactile but the sound is more refined than the usual blue switch, and this is because as per ASUS ROG the switches on the ROG Azoth are pre-lubed out of box. The feel on each stroke is more better compared to other ROG keyboards.
Though if you want to add more lube on the switches you can do so by using the Krytox lube on the DIY kit.
Unfortunately we don't have tools to measure the exact numbers on how the switches work, but we can say that the feel you experience while typing such as this review article is far better that using a regular office keyboard.
There are also other options when you purchase the ROG Azoth for it comes with different ROG NX switches to choose from, the ROG NX Snow, ROG NX Storm, ROG NX Red and ROG NX Brown. You can check the performance of each ROG NX switches here: ROG NX Switches, though ASUS ROG does not sell the switches separately.
The ROG Azoth has tri-mode connectivity that allows you to use it on different scenarios. Wired version is for those who use the keyboard traditionally and it also charge the device while using it. It also offers 2.4Ghz dongle wireless connection along with Bluetooth connectivity.
CONCLUSION
After testing the ROG Azoth for more than a month now, we can say that typing can be more fun using a mechanical keyboard and it can be addicting if you can customize it on your own. But beware, keyboard DIY is a very expensive hobby and time consuming especially the lubing part.
ASUS ROG did however offer a more convenient way for its user to experience not just the gaming side of keyboards but also the DIY and converting them to being an enthusiasts. This is a clever way for a gaming brand to offer this kind of product since some gamers are just gamers and other can be an enthusiasts at the same time and we have seen a lot of customized ROG Azoth in social media and boy we think that this product is one handsome keyboard once customized.
The connectivity on the other hand is not that much of a game changer for the ROG Azoth, for us we only want the wireless and wired connectivity, but for some that uses the keyboard for Apple products, the Bluetooth is a nice addition.
Here are at All of the above we measure our review by giving a rating for each category we seem suitable for the product. We give the ROG Azoth a Platinum Award for being a versatile product not just for casual gamers but also for Keyboard Enthusiasts.
Overall we give the ROG Azoth a 9/10 on ratings.
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