The AJAZZ AK820 Max HE is a top-notch mini keyboard that is easy and comfortable to use, as is the software included. It’s one of the more complete keyboard packages I have run into on this site and is certainly comparable to the bigger players like ROCCAT and CORSAIR.
For over a month, I have had the pleasure of trying out the AJAZZ AK820 Max HE keyboard. It’s a mini keyboard, designed with an old school Commodore 64 structure (at least visually – and for an old person like me) that is more focused on the perfect gaming experience than it is an ideal typing stroke for Microsoft Word, although it does a comfortable job inside that application.
Check out the AJAZZ AK820 Max HE at MechLands!
I walked away from this keyboard experience with a few thoughts. Firstly, the keyboard is comfortable for a mini keyboard. It has all the right buttons and doesn’t depend on the Fn nearly as much as other keyboards of its type. The inclusion of wired or wireless is also really nice, as most keyboards like this go one way or another. Thankfully, no dongle is needed.
Secondly, the customization of the keyboard is made simple by an easy-to-use and understand software component that is driven by AJAZZ and not necessarily a half-baked community software. No offense meant to simple software that a community can use consistently, but having a proprietary route makes life a lot easier and more contained. You know who to contact when things go wrong with it.
Thirdly, the gaming experience with this keyboard is second to none at the price point ($79.99)given, as you would be hard-pressed to find another magnetic keyboard with this accuracy and comfort for a good PC gaming go.
So, adjust those keys to the right millimeter, and let’s get this review started for the AJAZZ AK820 Max HE.
Just the right keys
My big fear with mini keyboards starts with the lack of keys and the dependence on macros. My last review of a keyboard, the CIDOO QK61, had me impressed with the finesse of the keyboard itself, but a little frustrated with Fn key dependence. The activate the non-existent delete button was a combination of keys, and that isn’t so much fun when you have to unlock your work computer or reset it via control-alt-delete. It turns into control-alt-lots-of-buttons. In addition, the absence of arrow keys was equally frustrating, but when dealing with mini keyboards, these are sacrifices one must make. With the AJAZZ AK820 Max HE, not so much.
The AJAZZ AK820 Max HE features a vertical row of Delete/PgUp/PgDown/End, four of the most used keys for an old man like me. It also features arrow keys in their proper place before you even get to the above-mentioned keys. Having these keys available on a mini keyboard, in a gaming environment or not, is essential for consistent, quick, and comfortable keyboard functionality. Granted, the absence of the keypad will always leave me brokenhearted, especially the video editor side of me, but that is expected with a smaller keyboard type.
Having these keys at the ready, a knob for volume, an LED screen that has time, date, and battery life is just icing on the cake. Is it necessary? Not at all, but it is welcomed, especially with the knob having the ability to perform quick muting and is solid as a rock, certainly not as plastic-y as the ROCCAT Vulcan II knob that I have worked with for the last two years.
Bells and whistles aside, the layout is nice, the comfort level of typing is on point, and my hands never feel like they are cramped. This keyboard is everything that I ever wanted out of a mini keyboard, and it’s not even close otherwise. It has been my favorite of the bunch and I hope that other keyboard companies legally follow suit with this type of design. No patent infringements, please.
Software that works
While I admire community-driven VIA software, and how it helps a bigger group of manufacturers, it’s nice to see a fully thought out proprietary software that is locked down and easy to use. The AJAZZ software included with the AJAZZ AK820 Max HE is laid out similarly to the Swarm software from ROCCAT. You have a lot of categories broken down and each featuring easily-explained instructions, especially on the magnetic side of the tracks.
The magnetic key adjustments are broken into four different categories – Comfort, Sensitive, Game, and Customize. The comfort, sensitive, and game are preset millimeter recommendations for those who are new to the magnetic key world. Below the row of the above categories lies a press/up measurement recommendation chart so that you can get a good gauge on how you should set your key millimeters. It’s a nice little touch but understand that not all sizes are the same with every gamer, which means you’re going to most likely use the customize feature to go with your skill level and expectations.
The press portion of a magnetic key is how fast you want your key to react when you press down on it. The shorter the distance between the top and bottom, the more responsive the key will be to a gamer (or someone who enjoys typing). Picture two gunfighters in the old West having the ability to draw their guns quickly and you get the picture.
The up setting is measured from bottom to top measuring how quickly a key can pop up into place. You can set this from 3.7mm to whatever you prefer, and what this indicates is how fast a key can reset so that you can press it again to get a new response. So, if a button is set at 3.7mm, then it should instantaneously be available for pressing again, depending on what your press is set to in the software. Every type of person has their preference, and it’s nice to have the option to customize as you see fit.
The other feature of this software is LED color adjustment for the keys, which is extensive with color and movement, something I thoroughly enjoy. There is also an easy-to-use macro settings feature for those interested in quick gaming controls. And while this last feature is more about coolness than usefulness, you can customize the small screen by the volume knob to feature pictures, animation, or whatever you want. It’s quite cool and is more for looks and style than anything else.
Gaming note
My fellow writer, and Digitalchumps keyboard expert, Will Silberman, and I had a good conversation about the implications of magnetic keys in the gaming world. Will’s stance is that the inclusion of customizable key responses should not create an advantage for hardcore gamers, rather it’s more about skill than key response. His points were certainly valid and I think that in the end, he knows better than I do, but in a contrarian way, I have to respectfully disagree.
My viewpoint on the topic is that by adjusting key responses you are giving a customizable advantage to a gamer. Allowing them to customize how far they need to press, and how quickly a key can reset on up, means that the keyboard is doing more work than the gamer. Granted, Will brought up that if you’re playing a game like CSGO it would be more about mouse movement, aiming, and finding an in-game advantage that has nothing to do with hardware. While that makes complete sense, I think that if you can customize your mouse and keyboard, then you’re now depending on hardware adjustments to add pseudo-skill rather than skill driving it all. This is akin to using a CRT to play Smash Bros. rather than an LED, where millimeter movements mean you’re given a better possibility to win. It has nothing to do with skill; it’s all hardware-driven.
While this doesn’t take away the coolness and comfort of the keyboard, nor the customization, it just is a point that I thought was interesting to bring up since I’m just going ga-ga over a very nice keyboard.
Anyway, food for thought.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap this review up.
Conclusion
The AJAZZ AK820 Max HE is a top-notch mini keyboard that is easy and comfortable to use, as is the software included. It’s one of the more complete keyboard packages I have run into on this site and is certainly comparable to the bigger players like ROCCAT and CORSAIR.
