Review: KiiBOOM Phantom 81 Lite wireless mechanical keyboard

Review unit provided by KiiBOOM

The KiiBOOM Phantom 81 Lite is a 75% gasket mounted wireless mechanical keyboard selling at US$105.99.

The keyboard is available in four designs: White Pink, Black (clear), Green and Mint Blue. The Green and Mint Blue designs are fun-looking, for people who are looking for a something different and casual with their keyboards. Price at the time of review is USD 90

Specifications

• Layout: 75%
• Number of Keys: 79
• Case material: ABS molding, UV finishing
• Keycap material: PC(White/Black), PBT (Green/Blue)
• Keycaps profile: Cherry/MOA
• Plate material: PC
• Stabilizers: Pre-lubed plate mount
• Mounting structure: Gasket mount
• Sound dampening material: Latex sandwich foam, IXPE switch pad, PE transparent film, bottom foam, PCB foam, bottom silicone, gasket
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz Wireless, USB-Type C wired
• Battery: 4000mAh
• RGB: South-facing RGB
• Hotswappable: Yes
• Anti-ghosting: NKRO
• Polling rate: 1000Hz (Wired&2.4GHz), 125Hz (Bluetooth)
• Latency: 3ms (Wired), 5ms (2.4GHz), 15ms (Bluetooth)
• Keyboard Dimensions: 335.5 x 151.4 x 43.8 mm
• Weight: Around 935g

Design

The selling point of this keyboard are the Green and Mint Blue designs. The white keyboard is... just white. The black has transparent keys and I'm not fond of transparent keys. Both black and white keyboards have angular keycaps while the Green and Mint Blue ones have beveled keycaps.

The Green design has a nature theme with greenery, frogs, leaves, flowers, etc. The Mint Blue design has cakes and confectionery.

These two keyboards have rather cute drawings and font.

I'm quite hesitant to call this keyboard a toy because it's quite well made.

Two fold-out feet can be found beneath the keyboard and can deploy the keyboard at two extra angles. The rubber feet provide good grip on the table. There's also a little compartment for storing the 2.4Ghz USB-A wireless receiver.

The keyboard supports connection for 2.4Ghz, Bluetooth (up to three devices) and cable. A switch is used for switching between the three connections.

The keyboard body is actually quite glossy.

The keyboards are made with ABS molding with UV technology to prevent fading. The gasket-mounted structure has various damping materials like latex sandwich foam, IXPE switch pads, PE transparent film, PCB Foam, and bottom Silicone. Overall build quality is quite good despite the plastic material.

Specifications for the KiiBOOM Mochi Switch

• Switch type: Linear, pre-lubed
• Trigger force: 40±5 gf
• Bottom-out force: 45±5 gf
• Pre-travel: 2.0±0.4 mm
• Total travel: 3.5±0.3 mm
• Top case: PC
• Bottom case: PA
• Stem: POM

It is quite difficult to describe the typing sound. I find the sound to be dampened, slightly deep. Typing experience is good. Key caps have a nice concave that lets your finger tips rest cozily with each hit. The keys are matte textured and have more texture than most keyboards I've used.

I actually have more typos on this keyboard possible because of those beveled edges that makes it easier for my fingers to slide over to the adjacent keys. This will probably take some time to get used.

For Mac users, there's a right-CMD but no right-Opt.

The RGB lights look beautiful, and there are different lighting patterns to choose from. You can control the lights using keyboard shortcuts easily.

The keyboard is compatible with QMK/VIA for key and shortcut customisation. I did not test that though as the default keys and layout works fine.

This is a good keyboard. Whether you like this keyboard is something you'll know the instant you see the design or style.

Availability

The KiiBOOM Phantom 81 Lite is available for purchase from KiiBOOM online store.